to think this is breaching confidentiality and what should I do?

[SecretMinceRinser]

I visited the office of ds's school today to do a crb check so I can help out at the school. I was sat down at the desk of someone else who worked there but wasn't in that day. Laying in full view on the desk was a piece of paper that said 'Safeguarding Alert'. I glanced down at it and saw the title and though I'd better not look at it but as completing the crb application was dragging on I became more and more uneasy that it was left there for visitors to the office to see so I decided to read what was on the paper in more detail.
It had the full personal details of a mum of a child at the school, her child and the childs father - full names, dob even a physical description of each of them. It also detailed the fathers criminal convictions. It went on to say where the family had moved from and how they hadn't been co-operating with ss and that there was a history of domestic violence along with a ton of other personal stuff about the family/finances etc.
I don't know the family in question and won't repeat what I've read but that's not the point is it? There were drawers in the desk that the paper could easily have been put into out of sight.
I want to mention it to someone to ensure that personal stuff like that is stored more carefully in future but not sure who to speak to/what to say.
It did occur to me after the event that I could have mentioned it to the man in the office who was dong my application but he is a bit of an arse to be honest and not the sort of person that would take kindly to being told how to do his job. Anyway I didn't say anything at the time so too late to do that now. WWYD?

Good for you SoupDragon (and I mean that in a nice way- despite the ongoing disagreement- I think more people should volunteer when they're able).

callmemrs - shall we imagine a situation where the OP was working in the classroom, saw something sort of confidential looking - private, sensitive, or whatever and didn't have a good nose at it? We could all accuse her of being a right royal immoral lush then, couldn't we? How dare a volunteeer not take more interest in the pupils?

There's a clear line between what's confidential and what isn't. It's the school's responsibility to protect that information.

And being new to a working environment doesn't mean being obliged to like everyone you work with.

information which isnt strictly confidential so isn't covered by data protection, but which may be private and sensitive

Do you understand the data protection act at all?

Data Protection for organisations
Your responsibilities and obligations to data protection

If you handle personal information about individuals, you have a number of legal obligations to protect that information under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Definition of personal data

Read the bit on Guidance on data security breach management

It doesn't describe telling off the person who reads the confidential info

If she wanted to "shit stir", surely she'd just have gone ahead and spread it around the playground already rather than posing it as an ethical question on an anonymous internet forum.

None of us know enough about the OP to make such ridiculous assumptions that she'd be volunteering only to gain confidential data about other pupils and nosey about. How on earth do you know what her motivations are? And "her attitude"? Her attitude, again we cannot be clear from a single AIBU post, but it seems to be concern that confidential data is left lying around.

The OP had a choice on whether to read it. Best not to read, but as I said, I suspect I'd have been so incredulous at what had been left in clear view, that my fast skim reading would have been automatic. A lot of people have implied that she went looking for this or went out of her way to read it. She did consciously choose to read and has explained why here- Laying in full view on the desk was a piece of paper that said 'Safeguarding Alert'. I glanced down at it and saw the title and though I'd better not look at it but as completing the crb application was dragging on I became more and more uneasy that it was left there for visitors to the office to see so I decided to read what was on the paper in more detail

She then has a choice on either

1. blabbing in the playground identifying people known to others
2. reporting data breach to the school
3. reporting to the information commissioner who would probably take action against the school

If I was the Head I'd know where my issues lay. It wouldn't be ticking off the OP but recognising a failure of information governance which is a really serious issue.

Posting on MN with details that you read in 'relationships' on a daily basis and not identifying the country these people live in is not a risk to the family concerned. It is a good way to get advice on what you should do.

callmemrs - calling a volunteer a busybody is an unpleasant personal attack and makes a huge assumption. I'd let the OP know my personal info/work with my child because she seems to have a far better grasp than you of the significance of protecting it. You just seem to be ill informed about the responsibilities of an organisation with regard to data.

You didn't answer my question about why you suggested the OP had name changed? Were you accusing her of sock puppetry?

Good for you toothbrush - you let OP come help you in your workplace - sure you'll get on lovely

Whether the op read it is irrelevant, it shouldn't have been there to be read by the op, by other teaching and non teaching staff. Info like this is not shared with whole staff, it is not allowed to be left out. The failure of staff to follow data protection rules caused this not the op.

Not going to answer are you?

It's ok to attack the OP for behaviour which you consider wrong but it is ok to imply she is acting as a sock puppet?

You can't see the irony here?

"I'd let the OP know my personal info/work with my child because she seems to have a far better grasp than you of the significance of protecting it."

Toothbrush - your loyalty and desire to share your life story with the OP is very touching, but I fear it is misplaced.

Anyone with any understanding of data protection, or indeed with an ounce of dignity and common sense, would not have responded like the OP.

All it would have taken was a discreet word with the man in the office: 'Excuse me, but I think there is a confidential document left here accidently'. Office man would have removed it. Job done. Despite the fact that office man is 'a bit of an arse' (in OPs knowledgeable opinion!) she would surely have been able to overcome her dislike of arseholes - I mean, as we've said, you don't have to like everyone you work with.

Instead, OP read the document out of sheer nosiness, knowing full well that it was something she shouldn't read.

Hmm, not someone I'd particularly want in my children's classrooms, but each to their own....

Thank you for your patronising post callmemrs.

I still think your grasp of the significance of the data protection issue is poor. Her recognition of where the issue lies, fits with the link I gave you earlier of responsibilities of organisations. But that's only the Information Commisioner's views on it.
You ought to contact him about the OP and share your concerns.

Totes agree, Toothbrush. We're not all going to agree on this though, because some of us think that it is the reader's responsibility to decide what is or is not appropriate to read. Others believe that because we are all different everyone will have differing opinions as to what is appropriate, so it's best to have a blanket/pre-emptory policy.

Yes, thank you for the link, we can all read and understand the issue....it isn't rocket science.

Human error by admin staff. Not the end of the world. Could have been sorted by a discreet word at the time. OP chose to be nosey instead. Says an awful lot about her approach to it all.

It's absolutely irrelevant if the op read it or not - it should not have been there. End of.

I think the bottom line is that if you went to the IC with this issue and asked them to rule on act of OP reading, then passing on info unidentified on this forum vs the school for leaving it visible to another parent filling in a form.... identifying a family in that school they'd tell you where accountability lay.

But hey it's been fun hearing what some people regard data protection covers! Goodnight

Yes, absolutely toothbrush- I think the op should take the issue to the IC at once.

Or alternatively she could get a life which doesn't revolve around meddling

It's absolutely irrelevant if the op read it or not

But if she hadn't, she couldn't have started this thread.

She could have lied and said she only read the title, would have made no difference, the paper should not have been in sight.

Why would someone start a thread and lie?

If only everyone on this thread castigating you had the inclination to volunteer somewhere

Well I have done my fair share of castigating...and I am on the Gov council at dd's school, I help in the canteen, I run the school uniform shop.

I also volunteer at a local tourist attraction where I live. I have seen/heard lots of confidential info & NOT ONCE have I shared any of it.

So I think I am more than able to have an opinion on what the OP did. It wasn't a sneak peak, she read the whole page!

nor is she going to spread it around

No, only copy it onto the internet!

mythical

Just because something is in front of you, it doesn't mean you have to read it. As a classroom volunteer, she is likely to see stuff on the teachers desk, perhaps. Does that mean she can have a good nosey, because it is there, in front of her?

Like I keep saying, personal responsibility! She saw it, and decided to read what was on the paper in more detail

No, she shouldn't have, and i never said otherwise, what i said is it's irrelevant if she read it or not because these things should not be left to the discretion of anyone entering the office, they should be kept somewhere safe and out of sight. At my workplace, the data protection rules would have landed the person responsible with a formal warning or even suspension on the basis of misconduct. You just can't assume anyone would ignore it. We can all have whatever opinions we like of the op and argue that it was morally wrong to read it but someone that knows the family could have walked in and then told a few people at the school gates and so on. Or even post it on the internet ...

Differentnameforthis- exactly

It's astonishing that anyone can even attempt to leave the personal responsibility aspect out of this.

Everyone on the thread has agreed that the piece of paper should not have been there. And yes, if you look at it from an entirely technical point of view, the school has made the mistake, whereas technically the op has not acted unlawfully.

But fgs this talk of reporting to the IC !!

Would love to hear that call to the information commissioners office

'oh hello, I want to volunteer in my local school. While in the school office having my application processed, I saw a confidential document. I chose not to alert the staff. I chose to read the entire document to get all the detail. I then posted about my 'moral dilemma' on a public forum'.

Yeap- technically, employees at fault, so governing body get slapped wrist, while snoopy op doesn't.

But really? I mean really?

What sort of person would even consider taking that to the IP rather than dealing it with it from a professional standpoint?
Obviously someone who would rather shit stir and interfere rather than get on with their own life. Definitely not someone who should be given the privilege of volunteering with other peoples children in others people's workplace.

As someone suggested above, let's hope this was a fake document left there to test how potential volunteers would respond!! In which case- spectacular fail OP!