IPPN

Published: 05 November 2003

In the last few days two Principals have notified IPPN about telephone calls to their schools which were a cause of concern. A school in the midlands was telephoned by someone claiming to be a psychologist making specific enquiries about a child with special needs. It subsequently emerged that the family was unaware of the existence of and had no prior contact with this 'psychologist'. In the second scenario a caller was looking for contact details for members of staff whilst making reference to contracts of employment, pension rights etc. It turned out this caller was actually trying to canvass ancillary staff for PRSAs!

In light of both of these experiences IPPN recommends that unsolicited calls to a school seeking to discuss or enquire about members of staff, pupils and their families should not be entertained. The Data Protection Act requires that, information re a person's contact details, nature of work, personal circumstances, level of educational achievement etc. should not be divulged without explicit consent from the person in question and only to people who have properly identified themselves as having the right to collect such data.

Anyone seeking such information should submit their requests in writing or make an appointment and call to the school in person. In the busy life of a school it may be tempting and indeed quite convenient to deal with such requests for information over the telephone. However, because it is impossible to verify the bona fides of a telephone caller, it may be wise to refuse all such requests.

Is mise le meas,

Seán Cottrell
Director