Social Care Redaction & Disclosure Support
Specialist redaction and disclosure support for Local Authority Social Care teams managing Subject Access Requests and other complex disclosure work. With extensive experience of Social Care records, the service provides careful, human-led review of sensitive, complex and high-volume files, including historical, handwritten and older typed records. Each file is considered in context, with particular care given to safeguarding information, third-party data and the often complex relationships between individuals recorded within Social Care files. Paper records can also be scanned where required, providing practical support for both current and historical disclosure exercises
More Than a Disclosure Exercise
For someone who has spent time in care, access to their Social Care records can mean far more than receiving a response to a Subject Access Request. Those records may contain important parts of their childhood, their family history and their understanding of their own life
That is why Social Care redaction requires careful judgement. Information relating to other people may need to be protected, while information that can properly be disclosed should remain available to the person requesting their records. The aim is not simply to remove information, but to help preserve as much of the individual’s own story as can properly be disclosed
Specialist Experience with Complex Social Care Records
Social Care records can span many years and contain information created by numerous professionals, agencies and family members. Historical files may include handwritten notes, older typed documents and correspondence, as well as terminology, descriptions and professional comments that reflect the language and practice of an earlier time and may be considered inappropriate today. Understanding the context in which those records were created is an important part of carrying out a careful and considered review
Historical & Handwritten Records
Careful manual review of historical, handwritten and older typed records where automated searches and OCR may be unreliable, and where meaning often depends on understanding the wider context of the file
Complex & Sensitive Information
Experienced review of complex safeguarding information, allegations, family circumstances and other highly sensitive material, where careful judgement and an understanding of Social Care records are essential
High-Volume and Complex Files
Support with large and complex Social Care files that may span many years, helping Local Authorities manage substantial disclosure exercises through careful, consistent review and redaction
A Practical, Secure Disclosure Service
From secure receipt of records through to final disclosure, each project is handled carefully and methodically. The service can be adapted to the needs of the Local Authority and the format of the records, including paper, digital and historical files
Secure Receipt & Scanning
Records can be received using an agreed secure method, with scanning of paper files available where required to support the review of historical and other records
Clear Disclosure Outputs
Each completed project includes a pre-redaction review copy, final redacted disclosure copy and detailed redaction report, providing a clear record of the work completed.
Careful Manual Review
Each record is reviewed carefully page by page, with human judgement at the centre of decisions about what should be protected and what can properly be disclosed
Secure Return & Retention
Completed records are returned using the same or another agreed secure method. Case data is retained for three months after completion and then manually deleted, with no backup retained