Handling personal and often sensitive information is central to daily practice in social and health services. However, the increasing emphasis on multi-disciplinary and inter-agency working required for effective, joined-up services presents new challenges and dilemmas in preserving citizens' rights to privacy. This book examines key philosophical, ethical, and legal issues in the area of privacy and confidentiality, and explores their implications for policy and practice. Offering a range of analytical frameworks, the book focuses on different practice areas, including health and social care, ... More

Handling personal and often sensitive information is central to daily practice in social and health services. However, the increasing emphasis on multi-disciplinary and inter-agency working required for effective, joined-up services presents new challenges and dilemmas in preserving citizens' rights to privacy. This book examines key philosophical, ethical, and legal issues in the area of privacy and confidentiality, and explores their implications for policy and practice. Offering a range of analytical frameworks, the book focuses on different practice areas, including health and social care, children's services, and criminal justice. The contributors–from disciplines including law, philosophy, anthropology, and the personal service professions–bring their direct personal experience of working to create new systems and practices in a turbulent policy environment. The book provides a synoptic multi-disciplinary view of this increasingly challenging area where technological development, civil liberties, surveillance, health, and welfare become inexorably intertwined.