New guide for accessing your care records

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has a new campaign. It is called Better Records Together. The ICO wants to make it easier for people to get their care records. The ICO makes sure that organisations look after information properly. This article tells you more about what the ICO is doing.
Care records are important because they can help people understand their past. Care records can include things like:
  • Photographs of friends and family
  • Memories people might have forgotten
  • Reports written by social workers
  • Answers to questions about what happened in someone’s life

But sometimes it can be hard for people to get their records. They might face problems like:

  • Long delays
  • Parts of records being blocked out (this is called ‘redacted’)
  • Not getting enough help
The ICO wants to help make this better. They have made a new guide for people with care experience. The guide tells you:
  • How to ask for your care records
  • What your rights are
  • What to expect when you try to get your records
  • Where to go if you have a concern or if you need support

The guide is based on what care experienced people said was important to know about 
getting their records.

Find out more

Visit the ICO website to find out more about Better Records Together. You can:

  • Read and download new guide for people with care experience.
  • Watch videos from people who have already got a copy of their care records.
  •  See the new guidance for organisations. This tells organisations how to respond to requests for care records. And how to do this in a sensitive way.
  • Learn more about what the ICO is doing to help people to get their records.

Read more

Ten Portraits

Ten Portraits is a photographic exhibition featuring Care Experienced people. We spoke to Chris, the photographer on the project. He tells us more about the work and how it shaped his own view of being Care Experienced.

Ceramic bowl, mug and ornamental bird.

Finding confidence in creativity 

As part of her support with Future Pathways, Louise chose to explore her creativity through ceramics workshops. We spoke with her about learning new skills, building confidence and how creativity can bring change.

On my positive life path  

A person supported by Future Pathways shares their experience, describing how they feel about the service, the support and their life now.

Register with us today

It’s easy to get in touch – either by phone, email, or you can fill in this simple form to register your interest or find out more.