Children, youth and families involved in care and protection proceedings have an expectation of, need for, and right to privacy. This interest is protected by laws, regulations and rules of professional responsibilities that limit the disclosure of information. Protecting the confidentiality of information belonging to children, youth and families is not only a legal and ethical obligation, but also is essential to establishing trust and building relationships among families and the systems that work with them. The disclosure of confidential information carries the potential of significant consequences, some unintended and harmful. For these reasons, court investigators must understand that information gathered during the investigation is confidential.
The Juvenile Court's guidelines for court investigation reports.