Information sharing
Safe and appropriate information sharing will ensure everyone working with tamariki can collaborate in the best interests of the child
New provisions – child at the centre
Changes to section 66 of the Oranga Tamariki 1989 Act include new provisions. These came into effect from July 1, 2019 and give child welfare and protection agencies the ability to request, collect, use, and share personal information for purposes related to the wellbeing and safety of tamariki.
The new provisions are designed to put the child at the centre, and enable the right support and services to be provided to them and their whānau.
Watch the video below and the tamariki will tell you why information sharing is important.
How to apply the new provisions
Guidance on how to apply the new provisions has been developed with input from a wide range of agencies and frontline staff from across the social services sector. It outlines how you should consult with tamariki about sharing their information if appropriate. The guidance is available to download in English and Te Reo Māori.
Information sharing guidance
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Guidance for Information Sharing - Oranga Tamariki Act 1989
How to share information across the child welfare and protection sector.
Pdf, 1.1 MB
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Guidance for Information Sharing - Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 - te reo Māori
How to share information across the child welfare and protection sector - in te reo Māori.
Pdf, 1.1 MB
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has released a guidance document about information sharing for health professionals and the Ministry of Education (MOE) has a series of decision making tools to help you on its website.
Guidance for Health Professionals - Ministry of Health website
Forms to request information
An information request form template has been developed. This is a guide for developing your agency’s own form to request information from the child welfare and protection sector.
Download the 'Form to request information from Oranga Tamariki' if you need information from us about a child or young person.
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Form - request information from an agency
Use to request information from the child welfare and protection sector.
Pdf, 139 KB
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Form - request information from Oranga Tamariki
Use to request information from Oranga Tamariki.
Pdf, 166 KB
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Form - request info under Family Violence Act
Use to request information from Oranga Tamariki under Section 20 of the Family Violence Act 2018.
Pdf, 86 KB
Supporting documents
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Supporting definitions for the information sharing provisions
A guide to terms used in the Act.
Pdf, 176 KB
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Factsheet - Information Sharing - Oranga Tamariki Act 1989
One page guide for people working in the child welfare and protection sector.
Pdf, 201 KB
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Flowchart - Guidance for Sharing Information - Oranga Tamariki Act 1989
Steps to following when thinking about sharing information under section 66C.
Pdf, 173 KB
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Tamariki resource - information sharing
Visual resource to show why and how a child's information may be shared.
Pdf, 342 KB
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How the guidance documents work together
Guidance on how the Oranga Tamariki and Family Violence guidance documents work together.
Pdf, 82 KB
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Section 66D
Information sheet on Section 66D. Section 66D is the provision of the Oranga Tamariki Act that covers the requirement for a child welfare and protection agency to publicly notify when they are combining datasets from two separate sources.
Pdf, 107 KB
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Quick reference cards for information sharing
Four quick reference cards that provide helpful overviews for the steps to take when requesting or sharing information.
Pdf, 345 KB
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Information sharing scenarios
Examples of how the new provisions work in practice.
Pdf, 154 KB
Presentation to support using the information sharing provisions
A slide presentation resource has been developed to support those in the child welfare and protection sector to use the information sharing provisions.
Approved Information Sharing Agreement (AISA)
Read the Information Sharing Agreement for Improving Public Service for Vulnerable Children to understand what information can be legally shared with the Hub.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has more information about the purpose and use of AISAs.
Other Approved Information Sharing Agreements (AISAs)
Oranga Tamariki is also party to two additional AISAs that contain information-sharing provisions. You can read these AISAs below.
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New Zealand Gang Intelligence Centre Approved Information Sharing Agreement
For the purpose of reducing gang-related harm to individuals and New Zealand society generally, November 2018.
Pdf, 1.5 MB
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Information sharing to support services for disengaged youth
An agreement between the Ministry of Education, Oranga Tamariki and the Ministry of Social Development, May 2020.
Pdf, 737 KB
Guidance helpline
If you have any questions about the guidance or how it relates to your practice, you can contact our Helpline:
- Email: infosharinghelpline@ot.govt.nz
- Call: 0508 463 674
The Information Sharing Helpline provides general support and guidance about the operation of the information sharing laws in the Oranga Tamariki Act and the Family Violence Act. You can also request a copy of the results of an independent survey that was recently conducted about the information sharing provisions.
The Helpline will aim to respond to your query within one working day but some queries may take longer to resolve.
Users should not disclose confidential or personal information about any individual or about the scenario that your question relates to.
Published: June 7, 2019 · Updated: March 11, 2021