Effective Date: 5-1-19
The disclosure and documentation of intimate partner violence may dramatically increase the risk of harm to the child and adult victim. Therefore, any specific information disclosed by the child or adult victim that is requested to be kept in confidence shall be. However, it is imperative to share with the family up front that all issues compromising the safety of the child will be addressed openly. Consultation with a supervisor on making this distinction is recommended. Any reference to intimate partner violence in the case narrative or narrative summaries is not protected and will be released. Staff should be cautious of including this information in any section other than the intimate partner violence section.
Documentation of instances (including addresses) of intimate partner violence and any collateral information to back up the allegations (order of protection, police reports, witness statements, etc.) shall be kept in the intimate partner violence section of the file that will be marked by a red cover page. This section will not be released to the intimate partner violence offender. If this information must be shared per court order, the adult victim should be notified in advance so that he/she may consider safety plans.