The purpose of this policy is to provide a comprehensive outline of the AdaptABILITY Support Services (herein referred to as “AdaptABILITY”) confidentiality standards to be adhered to at all times.
Scope: This policy applies to anyone who works for, volunteers for, or provides services to, AdaptABILITY, including but not limited to: full- and part-time staff, independent contractors, temporary employees, volunteers, directors, consultants and board members. Each aforementioned is bound by this policy.
Definitions:
Staff: Anyone who works for, volunteers for, consults with, or provides services to, AdaptABILITY.
Client: Any person(s) or family member(s) who obtains service from AdaptABILITY.
Policy:
1. Clients and their families, staff members, and volunteers have a right to privacy that gives them control over the dissemination of their medical or other sensitive information. AdaptABILITY will preserve the right of confidentiality for all individuals in its program.
2. Staff will keep confidential all medical, social, referral, personal, family, financial and/or any other information regarding the client and their family. This includes verbal, written, or electronic communication. When photocopying or working on confidential documents, staff must ensure confidentiality of those documents at all times. This also applies to information on computer screens. Any person who accidentally obtains such information must not disclose it to anyone without proper written authorization.
3. A person must be over the age of 18 to give consent for disclosure of medical or sensitive information. For anyone under the age of 18, only parent(s), legal guardian(s) or other legal representatives may give consent for disclosure. Adults with developmental disabilities are presumed legally competent to give or deny disclosure unless they have been adjudicated incompetent to make this type of decision. If a substitute decision maker has been appointed, written consent must be obtained from that individual.
4. Disclosure of private or sensitive information will not be released without the client’s written consent, with the exception of specific circumstances (see Appendix).
5. Breach of this confidentiality policy will result in written reprimand, and/or termination of services/employment, to be determined solely by AJ Kirkpatrick.
Duty to disclose information:
There is a legal duty to disclose specific information, including:
Child abuse / neglect. Every person who has reasonable grounds to suspect that a child is, or may be in need of, protection must promptly report the suspicion and the information upon which it is based to The Children’s Aid Society.
Harm to self and/or others. Report will be made to authorities if: there is a clear risk of harm to an identifiable person or group of persons; there is a risk of serious bodily harm or death (e.g., the threat must be such that the intended victim is in danger of being killed or of suffering serious bodily harm); the danger is imminent (i.e., the nature of the threat must be such that it creates a sense of urgency).
