Respect Phoneline Confidentiality Policy
General principles
All calls to the Respect Phoneline are treated as confidential unless:
· a caller has requested or consented on information being passed on (exceptions apply, please read below);
· we have information about acts of terrorism or bomb warnings;
· phoneline workers are threatened or verbally attacked by callers
· a caller interferes with the delivery of our service
We do not use technology to identify callers
Callers who are perpetrators of domestic violence
In the majority of cases calls from perpetrators of domestic violence will be treated with confidentiality. The personal contact details of callers will not be passed on to any other organisation and the details of calls will not be divulged.
However, domestic violence perpetrators pose a risk to their (ex)partners, children and sometimes others. If phoneline workers have reason to be concerned for the safety of any persons due to the caller’s abusive behaviour, they have a duty not to keep confidential those concerns.
Therefore, in the interest of minimising the risks to others, perpetrators will be offered limited confidentiality. If phoneline workers believe that a perpetrator poses a particular risk, they will share that information with all relevant people, including outside agencies and his (ex)partner. If the risk is immediate and severe the police will be called. Respect will inform callers of our intention to share information about the risk they pose, where it is possible and safe to do so.
Callers who are at risk of domestic violence
Respect will ensure that callers who are at risk of domestic violence are given complete confidentiality in relation to the perpetrator. This means that Respect will take steps to ensure that perpetrators are never told whether their (ex)partner has had contact with the Phoneline and in particular that no information on the nature or content of any contact is divulged.
If phoneline workers are concerned that there is a risk to the welfare or safety of a child or vulnerable adult they may take steps to increase the safety of those individuals by involving another agency. Respect aims to do this alongside the caller and at the very least will inform callers of our intention to share information, where it is possible and safe to do so.
Principles for sharing information
If the right information is shared responsibly it can significantly enhance the safety of those at risk of domestic violence (usually women and children). However there is also the potential for harm if that information is not managed appropriately.
Respect will act within the current legal framework with regard to information sharing and data protection, with reference to the Home Office tool for practitioners ‘Sharing Personal and Sensitive Data in Domestic Violence Contexts’ .
In all cases workers have a duty to use their own discretion – in consultation with their supervisor and / or line manager – so as not to increase the risk. The main principle upon which information will be shared is to increase the safety of those at risk of domestic violence.
Training
Calls may be monitored for quality and training purposes.