On 1 April 2013 The Care Standards Act 2000 (Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 came into force requiring Ofsted to disclose information from their list of registered children’s homes to chief officers of local police forces, the Office of the Children’s Commissioner and the Department for Education. This new duty was in addition to the existing obligation to disclose this information to local authorities.

The Department of Education conducted a consultation between the 29 November 2012 and the 10 January 2013, to seek views on the proposed amendment to regulation 7 of the Care Standards Act 2000 (Registration) (England) Regulations 2010.
 
The consultation received a favourable response, but did highlight some concerns about children’s privacy and confidentiality. In response to these concerns, the Department agreed to develop and publish a joint protocol between all parties to set out clear expectations concerning the use, storage and onward sharing of the information.

The joint protocol, agreed by the Department for Education, the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Office of the Children’s Commissioner and Ofsted can be accessed here.

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