WASPI Supporting Education Services
Sharing with Confidence: Why Schools in Wales are Signing the WASPI Accord
Schools are at the heart of the community. Every day, staff are on the frontline of safeguarding, working tirelessly to ensure the wellbeing and safety of their pupils. To ensure every child gets the right support, schools need to collaborate seamlessly with health, social services, and other local agencies. However, navigating complex data protection laws can sometimes cause hesitation and create administrative burdens.
The Wales Accord on the Sharing of Personal Information (WASPI) is the national information-sharing framework for Wales, designed to help organisations share personal information legally, safely, and consistently.
Here’s why schools across Wales are formally signing up to the Accord:
A Model of Best Practice
In its newly published guidance regarding data sharing and safeguarding in the UK education sector, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) explicitly referenced the WASPI framework. WASPI is identified as the recognised framework for organisations to use in Wales, validating the Accord at the highest regulatory level as a model of best practice.
Confidence in Emergency Safeguarding
Failure to share relevant personal information can create critical risks, preventing agencies from identifying individuals who are vulnerable or at immediate risk of harm. The ICO clearly states: "In an emergency, don’t hesitate to share information to safeguard a child or young person" - a principle WASPI has championed for over two decades.
The Accord provides staff with the confidence and tools to share information effectively, ensuring that administrative hesitation does not stand in the way of protecting a pupil.
Visible Assurance to the Community
Signing the Accord signifies an organisation's status as a committed partner. It serves as a visible assurance to parents, the ICO, and the wider community that the school upholds the highest standards of data protection and safeguarding governance.
Joining a Network of Trusted Partners
By signing the Accord, schools join an established network that has facilitated lawful and proportionate data sharing in Wales for 21 years. There are currently over 1,000 signatories to the WASPI Accord, including all Welsh Police Forces, Fire and Rescue Services, Health Boards, and local authorities.
How do we become WASPI Accord signatories?
Becoming a signatory is now easier than ever, there’s a highly streamlined digital sign-up process that removes barriers by saving valuable time for school staff.
Effective and timely information sharing is essential to ensuring that the right people have the right information. By signing the WASPI Accord, schools can collaborate seamlessly with their multi-agency partners and share with absolute confidence.