Confidentiality
Walsall Parent Partnership Service (PPS) is a confidential service for all parents/carers of children with special educational needs – this means that any information shared with the PPS has the nature of confidence and is thus protected under Common Law and the Data Protection Act.
The PPS operates a self referral service for parents/carers to contact us direct. We also accept referrals from schools and other agencies as long as they can demonstrate that they have parental consent to refer beforehand.
Electronic information held by the PPS is confidential and held on a custom-designed secure database. Paper files are stored in locked filing cabinets. All the information is held separately from the local authority and Walsall Children's Services Serco (education) and is only accessed by staff employed to work in the PPS.
At certain times it might be helpful to pass on information from the PPS files, for example, if we are involved in disagreement resolution work. Parents/carers can take comfort from the fact that this will only be done with parental permission. The only exception to this is in regard to information which led us to believe a child was at risk; we have a legal obligation to pass on concerns regarding child protection to the relevant agencies.
The PPS has access to pupils files held in Walsall Children's Services Special Needs Assessment Policy and Planning Service (SNAPPS) and, only when parents/carers grant consent, we work closely with other professionals supporting children with special educational needs.
Parents/carers can view the information held about them by the PPS. Requests should be made to the parent partnership officer supporting you.
When there has been no contact from parents/carers for a period of six months, files are archived and stored in a locked cabinet to which only staff employed to work in the PPS have access.
Parents/carers are informed, how and why, we keep information and are given a copy of the services’ data protection policy.
Contact us
Walsall Parent Partnership Service
Children and Young People’s Services
Walsall Council
1st floor, 40 Darwall Street
Walsall
WS1 1DA
Telephone 01922 650330
Fax 01922 634093
Email parentpartnership@walsall.gov.uk
This page was last updated on 10 August 2009