For Member Agencies
Data sharing agreement starter language
Starter clauses for agency-to-partner data sharing, privacy and retention. Review with counsel.
Resource detail
Partnerships stall on data. Starter language shortens the path from a good idea to a signed agreement between an agency and a school system, housing authority, health provider or workforce board.
Clauses every agreement needs
- Purpose and the specific questions the data will answer
- Exact data elements shared — minimum necessary, nothing extra
- Legal basis and client consent language
- Security: transfer method, storage, access list and retention period
- Permitted uses, prohibited uses and publication rules
- Breach notification timeline and responsibilities
- Term, termination and what happens to the data afterwards
Watch these rules
- FERPA for school records
- HIPAA where health providers are involved
- HMIS rules for homelessness data
- Programme-specific confidentiality for Head Start and domestic violence services
Practical advice
Start with aggregate or de-identified data where it answers the question; only escalate to client-level sharing when it changes the service. Have counsel review before signature — this is starter language, not legal advice.
Source: Common federal privacy rules and network partnership practice.
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