Why is confidentiality so important when working with children?

One reason is that children are little talkers and may very well *air the family laundry* as they say.
I had 5 yr.old tell me mommy and daddy drink whiskey and smoke a pipe.
As a teacher,you are required by law to report any suspected abuse or neglect,only to the proper authorities.

There is a list of reason, including:
Danger to the child involved, for example if a Father was not allowed to see their child and information leaked from the child's nursery, etc it could put the child in danger,
Also.. Abuse cases need to be confidentially to ensure the child and familys safety and to ensure it is dealt with the correct way, there are many reasons mainly for protection of the child involved.

Observations should be confidential. This means they should not be
Shared with everyone but only with the staff or other professional (for
Example psychologists or speech therapists) who need to know the
Results. Any records of observations should be kept in the child's file.
Remember, the Data Protection Act and Freedom of Information
Legislation gives parents access to information written about their
Children. You should never put anything on paper or file that is untrue
Or not based on evidence.