I believe a client of mine is a victim of domestic abuse, what can I do?

The Data Protection Act 2018 provides a basis for you to disclose relevant client personal data to An Garda Síochána where it is necessary and proportionate for the purposes of preventing, detecting, investigating or prosecuting a criminal offence such as coercive control. The report can be made by contacting the Garda Confidential Hotline @ 1800 666 111, calling 999/112 or visiting your local Garda Station. 

• The Data Protection Act 2018 is not a barrier to justified information sharing but provides a framework to ensure that personal information about living individuals is shared appropriately.
• Consider safety and well-being: base your information sharing decisions on considerations of the safety and well-being of the individual and others who may be affected by their actions.
• Where possible, share information with consent unless it is unsafe or inappropriate to do so.
• Information can be shared without consent if, in your judgement, there is a lawful basis to do so, such as where safety may be at risk. You will need to base your judgement on the facts of the case.
• Necessary, proportionate, relevant, adequate, accurate, timely and secure: ensure that the information shared is necessary for the purpose for which you are sharing it; is shared only with those individuals who need to have it; is accurate and up to-date; is shared in a timely fashion; and is shared securely.
• Keep a record of the decision and the reasons for it – whether it is to share the information or not. If there is a decision to share the information a record of what was shared, with whom and for what purpose should be recorded.

The Data Protection Commission’s Regulatory Strategy 2022-2027 priorities the protection of children and other vulnerable groups, further information on understanding data protection rights HERE.