PEATC Confidentiality Policy

Families or others who call or visit PEATC seeking information or assistance at times disclose information that should be kept confidential. Employees will adhere to the following practices to protect that confidentiality:

• Employees will, to the best of their ability, ensure confidentiality and privacy in regard to history, records and discussions about the people we serve. The very fact that an individual is served by PEATC must be kept confidential.
• No information about individuals or records requested by someone outside PEATC will be given over the telephone. That includes whether or not a person is or has been served by PEATC.
• No information about individuals or records will be released to state, federal or other agencies that enables the identification of any person by name, address or other coding procedures.
• Staff will not discuss any individual’s record with unauthorized individuals, whether on or off duty.

Exceptions to these confidentiality practices are as follows:

• Records may be inspected for accountability reasons or in very limited circumstances. However, if records are inspected by an outside agency, the individual(s) who inspect the records must be specifically authorized to do so by the Chief Executive Officer or the Chief Operating Officer. The taking of notes, copying of records or removal of records is specifically prohibited in such cases.
• There is no client/counselor protection at PEATC. Therefore, employees may find themselves in a situation where they have to respond to a court order. In addition, depending on professional status, employees may be required to report child abuse to authorities. However, any disclosure of such information must be authorized by the Chief Executive Officer or the Chief Operating Officer before the information or records are released.
• In certain cases, such as referrals to Parent to Parent, to a Parent Resource Center, or to an Educational Consultant, the name, telephone number, and brief description of the situation of someone who has sought assistance at PEATC may be made after receiving that individual’s express verbal or written permission.
• PEATC reserves to right to give out the name and contact information for anyone who has been trained as a PEATC trainer.
• For purposes of fulfilling our mission or letting others know about our services, PEATC may refer the media to or use quotes from or stories about an individual served by PEATC only after receiving express permission from that individual.