Redactions and Exemptions: Why we withhold information

Why some information may be removed from your records

When we respond to a Subject Access Request (SAR), we aim to provide you with as much of your personal information as possible.

However, in some circumstances, the law allows or requires us to remove (redact) certain information before sharing it.

Below we explain the main reasons (exemptions) why this might happen.

Reasons we may redact or withhold information

Health or Medical Information

We cannot automatically release health information if:

We are not sure you have already seen it, or
A professional believes it may cause serious harm to your physical or mental health, or to someone else’s.

In some cases, we must consult a health professional before deciding whether to release it.

Information About Other People

Your records may include information about other individuals.

We usually keep details about professionals working with you.
We may remove information about friends or family members unless:
- They have agreed to share it, or
- We are satisfied that you already know the information.

This protects other people’s privacy.

Legal Advice (Legal Professional Privilege)

If your records contain confidential legal advice given to the Council by its lawyers, we do not disclose this.

This protects the right to seek legal advice in confidence.

Social Work Management Information

Some internal social work management information may be removed if sharing it:

Could affect ongoing involvement or decision-making, or
Could cause serious harm to you or someone else.

Management Forecasts and Planning

We do not have to release personal data used for internal management forecasting or planning where disclosure would harm the Council’s business activities.

Ongoing Negotiations

If releasing information would harm negotiations between you and the Council, we may withhold it.

Risk of Serious Harm

If a social work or education professional believes that providing certain information would likely cause serious harm to you or another person, it will not be disclosed.

Court Records

If documents were provided to us by a Court (such as reports or evidence), we cannot release them.

You may be able to request these directly from the Court.

Adoption Records

The law does not allow us to provide certain information relating to adoption processes.

Child Abuse Information

We cannot release information about a child who has been, or may be, at risk of abuse, including physical injury, neglect, emotional harm or sexual abuse.

Crime and Fraud Investigations

We cannot provide information if doing so would affect:

The prevention or detection of crime
The investigation of fraud
Tax-related investigations

Education Records

Education data may be withheld if releasing it would likely cause serious harm to the physical or mental health of any person.

Other reasons information may not be included

Duplicate Information

If the same document appears multiple times in your file, we may remove duplicate copies to make the file easier to read.

Awaiting Permission from a Third Party

If information was provided by another organisation or individual, we may need their permission before releasing it.

We cannot share that information until permission is received.

Illegible or Damaged Records

Some older paper records may no longer be readable.
In rare cases, digital records may also be corrupted.

We will try to recover the information, but this is not always possible.

Information That Is Not Personal Data

Data protection law applies to personal information.

If your file includes business or organisational information rather than personal data, it may not be disclosed under data protection law.

In some cases, that information may be available through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. Please note that FOI disclosures are made to the public at large.