When sharing information between agencies, what principle governs the amount shared?

When sharing information between agencies, what principle governs the amount shared?

• A. Share minimum necessary information
• B. Share everything you know
• C. Share only after a court order
• D. Share only with direct supervisor

Answer: (A)

Sharing information between agencies should follow a need-to-know, minimum information principle. This means only the data necessary to protect the child’s safety, coordinate services, or complete an investigation should be shared. By limiting what is disclosed, you protect privacy, reduce the chance of misuse, and comply with laws and agency policies that guard confidential information. For example, you’d share the child’s basic identifying details and current safety concerns, plus who needs to be involved, but you’d withhold unrelated personal history or sensitive details that aren’t needed to address the immediate goal. Sharing everything would expose more information than necessary and could harm the family or violate confidentiality. Waiting for a court order before sharing in every case could delay essential protection, and sharing only with a direct supervisor would hinder necessary collaboration and violate the need-to-know principle.

Sharing information between agencies should follow a need-to-know, minimum information principle. This means only the data necessary to protect the child’s safety, coordinate services, or complete an investigation should be shared. By limiting what is disclosed, you protect privacy, reduce the chance of misuse, and comply with laws and agency policies that guard confidential information. For example, you’d share the child’s basic identifying details and current safety concerns, plus who needs to be involved, but you’d withhold unrelated personal history or sensitive details that aren’t needed to address the immediate goal. Sharing everything would expose more information than necessary and could harm the family or violate confidentiality. Waiting for a court order before sharing in every case could delay essential protection, and sharing only with a direct supervisor would hinder necessary collaboration and violate the need-to-know principle.