PANDA Third Party Request for Information

Child Information Sharing Scheme Summary 



The Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS) is established under Part 6A of the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005. Organisations and services prescribed as information sharing entities (ISE) by the Child Wellbeing and Safety (Information Sharing) Regulations 2018 are permitted to share confidential information under the CISS. 
 

Who can share information 

If the scheme’s threshold is met, prescribed information sharing entities can request and disclose confidential information about any person with each other* 

* The Child Information Sharing Scheme also permits information sharing entities to share information with a child, a person with parental responsibility for the child or a person with whom the child is living, for the more limited purpose of managing a risk to the child’s safety. 
 

Threshold part 1: Promoting child wellbeing or safety 

 
An information sharing entity can request or disclose information about any person for the purpose of promoting the wellbeing or safety of a child or group of children. 
 

Threshold part 2: Sharing to assist another information sharing entity 
 

The disclosing information sharing entity must reasonably believe that sharing the information may assist the receiving information sharing entity to carry out one or more of the following activities: 

i. making a decision, an assessment or a plan relating to a child or group of children 

ii. initiating or conducting an investigation relating to a child or group of children 

iii. providing a service relating to a child or group of children

iv. managing any risk to a child or group of children. 

 

Threshold part 3: Excluded information 

The information being disclosed or requested is not known to be ‘excluded information’ under Part 6A of the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 (and is not restricted from sharing by another law). 

 

When should information be shared 

 
If the threshold of the scheme is met, an information sharing entity: 

  • can share proactively with other information sharing entities 

  • can request information from another information sharing entity 

  • must respond to requests for information from another information sharing entity and provide relevant information. 

 

Legislative principles to guide sharing 

 
1. Give precedence to the wellbeing and safety of a child or group of children over the right to privacy. 

2. Seek to preserve and promote positive relationships between a child and the child’s family members and people significant in the child’s life. 

3. Seek to maintain constructive and respectful engagement with children and their families.  

4. Be respectful of and have regard to a child’s social, individual and cultural identity, the child’s strengths and abilities and any vulnerability relevant to the child’s safety or wellbeing.  

5. Promote the cultural safety and recognise the cultural rights and familial and community connections of children who are Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or both.  

6. Seek and take into account the views of the child and the child’s relevant family members, if it is appropriate, safe and reasonable to do so.  

7. Take all reasonable steps to plan for the safety of all family members believed to be at risk from family violence.  

8. Only share confidential information to the extent necessary to promote the wellbeing or safety of a child or group of children, consistent with the best interests of that child or those children.  

9. Work collaboratively in a manner that respects the functions and expertise of each information sharing entity. 

 

This summary is designed to assist authorised information sharing entities and should be read in conjunction with the binding Child Information Sharing Scheme Ministerial Guidelines available at www.infosharing.vic.gov.au 

 

First Name Last Name Email Address Contact Number
Requesting Authority's Details
First Name Last Name Date of Birth
Client Details
(Parent)
Client Details
(Child)




PANDA Thresholds 

 

Thresholds 

  1. PANDA is requesting or disclosing confidential information about any person for the purpose of promoting the wellbeing or safety of a child or group of children. Factors that may contribute to a professional’s understanding of how sharing information may promote a child’s wellbeing and safety include:  
     

  • physical, psychological and emotional health and access to and engagement with services to support a child’s health and development  

  • engagement in supportive relationships, particularly supportive family relationships, involvement in activities that enable a child’s personal, social and cultural development and connection to their culture and community  

  • participation in education and access to resources that support the child to learn and develop  

  • access to adequate, appropriate and safe accommodation, nourishment, protection from the elements and safe and stable environments in which to live, learn and grow 

AND 

  1. The disclosing ISE reasonably believes that sharing the confidential information may assist the receiving ISE to carry out one or more of the following activities:  
     

  • making a decision, an assessment or a plan relating to a child or group of children 

  • initiating or conducting an investigation relating to a child or group of children 

  • providing a service relating to a child or group of children 

  • managing any risk to a child or group of children 

AND 

  1. The information being disclosed or requested is not known to be ‘excluded information’ under Part 6A of the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act (and is not restricted from sharing by another law). 


Contact: quality@panda.org.au

Please do NOT provide any identifying information about clients via email to PANDA, as email is not a secure platform this would be a data security breach.

Contact Information