Confidentiality
All
of our support services are confidential and free of charge. You do not
have to give your real name or fill our a form to talk to us. We are not
affiliated with the police, hospitals, or government. There is no name on
our door if you come for support. Your privacy and feeling of safety is
our first concern.
Oath of Confidentiality
Each collective member is required to sign this document upon completion of our training and yearly at our AGM.
I agree to keep all information about any person who has ever come to SASC for support, or any friend or family of her’s, completely confidential from any person who is not:
a) a current and active SASC collective member in good standing;
b) a new trainee, this means anyone who signed this Oath of Confidentiality and:
i) has completed our training and is on the probation period before becoming a collective member, or;
ii) is currently participating in our volunteer training
c) an outside facilitator/moderator who is brought in to deal with a specific item/topic such as a training session or workshop, etc., and who has signed the Oath of Confidentiality
For item b) and c), these individuals may be given information about a particular situation, without the use of any identifying information (such as a name). For item b), this applies until such time as she becomes a member of the SASC collective. For item c), this will apply in every situation.
I agree to keep the identity or any identifying information about any person who has ever used our Centre completely confidential. This means that I agree not to let anyone know outside of SASC of anyone who has ever used our Centre. Should I leave the collective, I agree to adhere to this oath of confidentiality even after my termination from the Centre.
In addition, I agree not to take the crisis lines over a walk-around, or cellular phone, as radio signals can pick up the frequency, and could endanger someone who uses the lines for support.
I acknowledge that any person who has ever come to our Centre will always have complete control over all of their information.
This means:
a) never writing down any information other than is necessary for our stats gathering. (For stats we require the number of times a woman comes in or calls SASC and the type of support she receives i.e. group, individual, crisis, accompaniment, etc. We do not require the names or dates for this contact.) It is SASC's policy never to keep any files or written documentation on anyone who comes to our Centre UNLESS the woman herself requests us to for any reason. All such documentation will be given to the woman for her to keep in her possession if she chooses or kept at the Centre for an agreed upon period of time at the woman's request.
b) never giving any information about her, her family, friends, etc. to any other agency, counsellor, professional, helper, police, hospital or any other non-collective member that she may or may not have any contact for ANY reason UNLESS we are asked to by the woman herself. If she asks us to release information about her, we will ask her to sign a "release of information" so that both she and SASC have full understanding of exactly what information will be given, and to whom. We will work with her to clearly indicate why the information will be released, and ask her under what limitations this is to happen. We will also fully explain the "release of information" and its possible implications before she signs it.
c) in-person and group counselling: always discussing with women and girls who come to SASC the boundaries of our counselling relationships. This means agreeing if you will greet each other if you meet outside the centre, if you will chat or talk, and otherwise how she would like to interact with you outside of counselling time if that should ever arise. This is important because she may be with other people during these chance meetings, and she may not want anyone to know that she has any connection with SASC.
d) never use a woman's situation as an example in any conversation, public education speak, etc. even if you do not include any identifying information UNLESS you have her written release of information form signed and the above clause is followed. It is very important that we do not underestimate the chances that someone listening to us may know a little bit about her, enough to figure out who we are speaking about. It is also important that the women know that any information about her is being passed along and that she may be identifiable on the smallest detail, even if half the details or more are changed.
e) when in doubt, always remember she is in control of any decision that is made in regards to the privileged information that we at SASC may have about her. Do not greet her outside of the centre unless she approaches you first. Do not decide for her who should have what information about her.
Notes:
VENTING AT HOME OR IN OUR COMMUNITIES: Friends, family, and former collective members do not have any special privileges to information about any person coming to our Centre. We may NEVER break confidentiality when venting about counselling issues that have to do with SASC. We must always keep in mind that a woman coming to SASC may be a part of any community now, or in the future in which collective members are involved. It is of utmost important that we do not reveal any identifying information while venting because it can affect the safety of the women who come to our Centre.
COUNSELLING FOR COLLECTIVE MEMBERS: Collective members who are seeking counselling on their own issues outside of the centre may choose to discuss SASC issues if they need to. Before they do so, they must be sure that their counsellor is bound by confidentiality. If they have not signed an oath of confidentiality, make sure they sign one for you before disclosing any information needed for resolving your own issues. In disclosing, make sure that you do not use any names.
ACCOUNTABILITY: For accountability to the collective, it is good practice to discuss your counselling style, techniques and strategies with other collective members, and at counselling committee meetings. women's names, stories, or any identifying information should never, never be recorded in counselling committee minutes. Conversations about women and girls who use our Centre should be on a "need to know" basis, and should be discreet (e.g. first names only). Do not give any information unless there is a need to do so. These discussions should not be held in a public place, such as a restaurant, or over the phone (especially a cellular or walk around phone).
SUBPOENAS: The core committee should be notified in all cases where a collective member has been subpoenaed for court. Any woman or girl who is connected with the court case and has ever used our Centre should be notified immediately. If it could benefit either the woman or SASC, a lawyer should be retained by SASC to advise us.
SAFETY DEPOSIT BOXES: A collective member may discuss with any woman she is counselling the option of her keeping files of relevant information in a safety deposit box with the agreement that if the woman were harmed in any way, or "disappeared" without warning, that the files may be brought to the police. The purpose of this measure is to increase the woman's physical safety. This option must be well discussed beforehand and fully agreed to by the woman. The agreement should be in writing so that both the woman and the collective member have a complete understanding of the agreement.
FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF COLLECTIVE MEMBERS: We need to take special care in protecting the confidentiality of family and friends of collective members or anyone closely connected with SASC who are also coming to the Centre. These women should only be counselled by collective members who do not have a conflict of interest such as a prior relationship with the woman (i.e. lovers, friends, family etc.). The counsellor should carefully limit her debriefing to a couple of well-chosen collective members.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Collective members may find themselves in a conflict of interest with a woman coming to SASC, making it difficult for them to remain non-judgmental or keep confidentiality. For example, if a SASC woman has a prior supporting relationship with a woman through another agency or group; or if she has mutual friends, ex-lovers, co-workers with a woman, etc. SASC counsellors should examine if they know women coming to our Centre outside of SASC or others who know them and, if they do, ask the person receiving support if they wish to have a different counsellor, or if they feel that she and the counsellor should declare a conflict of interest and distance themselves from the situation.
If a conflict of interest is discovered half-way through counselling, let the woman know so that she can make decisions for herself in terms of dealing with it. Take direction from the woman whether or not to continue counselling, and discuss boundaries and other solutions with her. Also, let the counselling committee know of the situation and the woman's wishes.
POSSIBLE BREACHES OF CONFIDENTIALITY: If a SASC members suspects that she may have breached a woman's confidentiality (no matter how small), she should immediately contact the woman to let her know what has happened. The collective member is also responsible for bringing this to the Core and/or Counselling committee. We will ask the woman what she needs to resolve this situation and take her direction on what course of action should be taken.
EXCEPTION TO OATH OF CONFIDENTIALITY: If a collective member believes that not breaking confidentiality would clearly result in extreme and immediate danger to the woman being counselled or to others, (as in the instances of homicide) then she may break confidentiality . Where possible, please discuss this with other collective members or, even better, the counselling or core committees, before acting. This should happen only in extreme cases, and after considering all other options.
EXCEPTION TO OATH OF CONFIDENTIALITY: The Child and Family Services Act requires us to report any suspected case of child abuse. It states: "A person who believes on reasonable grounds that a child is or may be in need of protection shall forthwith report the belief and the information upon which it is based to a society." (CFSA s.68(2)) "Society" means the local Children's Aid Society (CAS) in our case. Individuals can be charged with an offense if they are found guilty of not reporting suspected child abuse, and could receive a fine (CFSA s.81(1)). We need to explain this exception to all women seeking in-person and group counselling upfront, as well as on the crisis lines where possible.
Whenever we have a reasonable belief or suspicion that a child is in danger, we will first explore all other options with the woman herself to ensure the child's safety such as removing herself or the child from the situation, or staying in a shelter, etc. If no other options are possible we will encourage the woman herself to report it and offer our support to accompany her if she wishes. If this is not possible, we will report it ourselves, but only after having fully informed the woman of what we will do and what might come of it. It is very important to remember that immigrant women, refugee women, women of colour, black women, native women, aboriginal women, lesbians and women from other oppressed groups are more at risk to have their children taken away from them or to be deported as a result of individual and institutionalized racism and homophobia. This should always be kept in mind whenever reporting to CAS is considered.
I have read, understood and agree to be bound by this Oath of Confidentiality. I understand that signing this oath is a requirement of SASC membership. In addition, a breach of this oath may result in my membership as a collective member of SASC being ended.
______________________________
Member's Signature
______________________________
Date
Oath of Confidentiality
Each collective member is required to sign this document upon completion of our training and yearly at our AGM.
I agree to keep all information about any person who has ever come to SASC for support, or any friend or family of her’s, completely confidential from any person who is not:
a) a current and active SASC collective member in good standing;
b) a new trainee, this means anyone who signed this Oath of Confidentiality and:
i) has completed our training and is on the probation period before becoming a collective member, or;
ii) is currently participating in our volunteer training
c) an outside facilitator/moderator who is brought in to deal with a specific item/topic such as a training session or workshop, etc., and who has signed the Oath of Confidentiality
For item b) and c), these individuals may be given information about a particular situation, without the use of any identifying information (such as a name). For item b), this applies until such time as she becomes a member of the SASC collective. For item c), this will apply in every situation.
I agree to keep the identity or any identifying information about any person who has ever used our Centre completely confidential. This means that I agree not to let anyone know outside of SASC of anyone who has ever used our Centre. Should I leave the collective, I agree to adhere to this oath of confidentiality even after my termination from the Centre.
In addition, I agree not to take the crisis lines over a walk-around, or cellular phone, as radio signals can pick up the frequency, and could endanger someone who uses the lines for support.
I acknowledge that any person who has ever come to our Centre will always have complete control over all of their information.
This means:
a) never writing down any information other than is necessary for our stats gathering. (For stats we require the number of times a woman comes in or calls SASC and the type of support she receives i.e. group, individual, crisis, accompaniment, etc. We do not require the names or dates for this contact.) It is SASC's policy never to keep any files or written documentation on anyone who comes to our Centre UNLESS the woman herself requests us to for any reason. All such documentation will be given to the woman for her to keep in her possession if she chooses or kept at the Centre for an agreed upon period of time at the woman's request.
b) never giving any information about her, her family, friends, etc. to any other agency, counsellor, professional, helper, police, hospital or any other non-collective member that she may or may not have any contact for ANY reason UNLESS we are asked to by the woman herself. If she asks us to release information about her, we will ask her to sign a "release of information" so that both she and SASC have full understanding of exactly what information will be given, and to whom. We will work with her to clearly indicate why the information will be released, and ask her under what limitations this is to happen. We will also fully explain the "release of information" and its possible implications before she signs it.
c) in-person and group counselling: always discussing with women and girls who come to SASC the boundaries of our counselling relationships. This means agreeing if you will greet each other if you meet outside the centre, if you will chat or talk, and otherwise how she would like to interact with you outside of counselling time if that should ever arise. This is important because she may be with other people during these chance meetings, and she may not want anyone to know that she has any connection with SASC.
d) never use a woman's situation as an example in any conversation, public education speak, etc. even if you do not include any identifying information UNLESS you have her written release of information form signed and the above clause is followed. It is very important that we do not underestimate the chances that someone listening to us may know a little bit about her, enough to figure out who we are speaking about. It is also important that the women know that any information about her is being passed along and that she may be identifiable on the smallest detail, even if half the details or more are changed.
e) when in doubt, always remember she is in control of any decision that is made in regards to the privileged information that we at SASC may have about her. Do not greet her outside of the centre unless she approaches you first. Do not decide for her who should have what information about her.
Notes:
VENTING AT HOME OR IN OUR COMMUNITIES: Friends, family, and former collective members do not have any special privileges to information about any person coming to our Centre. We may NEVER break confidentiality when venting about counselling issues that have to do with SASC. We must always keep in mind that a woman coming to SASC may be a part of any community now, or in the future in which collective members are involved. It is of utmost important that we do not reveal any identifying information while venting because it can affect the safety of the women who come to our Centre.
COUNSELLING FOR COLLECTIVE MEMBERS: Collective members who are seeking counselling on their own issues outside of the centre may choose to discuss SASC issues if they need to. Before they do so, they must be sure that their counsellor is bound by confidentiality. If they have not signed an oath of confidentiality, make sure they sign one for you before disclosing any information needed for resolving your own issues. In disclosing, make sure that you do not use any names.
ACCOUNTABILITY: For accountability to the collective, it is good practice to discuss your counselling style, techniques and strategies with other collective members, and at counselling committee meetings. women's names, stories, or any identifying information should never, never be recorded in counselling committee minutes. Conversations about women and girls who use our Centre should be on a "need to know" basis, and should be discreet (e.g. first names only). Do not give any information unless there is a need to do so. These discussions should not be held in a public place, such as a restaurant, or over the phone (especially a cellular or walk around phone).
SUBPOENAS: The core committee should be notified in all cases where a collective member has been subpoenaed for court. Any woman or girl who is connected with the court case and has ever used our Centre should be notified immediately. If it could benefit either the woman or SASC, a lawyer should be retained by SASC to advise us.
SAFETY DEPOSIT BOXES: A collective member may discuss with any woman she is counselling the option of her keeping files of relevant information in a safety deposit box with the agreement that if the woman were harmed in any way, or "disappeared" without warning, that the files may be brought to the police. The purpose of this measure is to increase the woman's physical safety. This option must be well discussed beforehand and fully agreed to by the woman. The agreement should be in writing so that both the woman and the collective member have a complete understanding of the agreement.
FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF COLLECTIVE MEMBERS: We need to take special care in protecting the confidentiality of family and friends of collective members or anyone closely connected with SASC who are also coming to the Centre. These women should only be counselled by collective members who do not have a conflict of interest such as a prior relationship with the woman (i.e. lovers, friends, family etc.). The counsellor should carefully limit her debriefing to a couple of well-chosen collective members.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Collective members may find themselves in a conflict of interest with a woman coming to SASC, making it difficult for them to remain non-judgmental or keep confidentiality. For example, if a SASC woman has a prior supporting relationship with a woman through another agency or group; or if she has mutual friends, ex-lovers, co-workers with a woman, etc. SASC counsellors should examine if they know women coming to our Centre outside of SASC or others who know them and, if they do, ask the person receiving support if they wish to have a different counsellor, or if they feel that she and the counsellor should declare a conflict of interest and distance themselves from the situation.
If a conflict of interest is discovered half-way through counselling, let the woman know so that she can make decisions for herself in terms of dealing with it. Take direction from the woman whether or not to continue counselling, and discuss boundaries and other solutions with her. Also, let the counselling committee know of the situation and the woman's wishes.
POSSIBLE BREACHES OF CONFIDENTIALITY: If a SASC members suspects that she may have breached a woman's confidentiality (no matter how small), she should immediately contact the woman to let her know what has happened. The collective member is also responsible for bringing this to the Core and/or Counselling committee. We will ask the woman what she needs to resolve this situation and take her direction on what course of action should be taken.
EXCEPTION TO OATH OF CONFIDENTIALITY: If a collective member believes that not breaking confidentiality would clearly result in extreme and immediate danger to the woman being counselled or to others, (as in the instances of homicide) then she may break confidentiality . Where possible, please discuss this with other collective members or, even better, the counselling or core committees, before acting. This should happen only in extreme cases, and after considering all other options.
EXCEPTION TO OATH OF CONFIDENTIALITY: The Child and Family Services Act requires us to report any suspected case of child abuse. It states: "A person who believes on reasonable grounds that a child is or may be in need of protection shall forthwith report the belief and the information upon which it is based to a society." (CFSA s.68(2)) "Society" means the local Children's Aid Society (CAS) in our case. Individuals can be charged with an offense if they are found guilty of not reporting suspected child abuse, and could receive a fine (CFSA s.81(1)). We need to explain this exception to all women seeking in-person and group counselling upfront, as well as on the crisis lines where possible.
Whenever we have a reasonable belief or suspicion that a child is in danger, we will first explore all other options with the woman herself to ensure the child's safety such as removing herself or the child from the situation, or staying in a shelter, etc. If no other options are possible we will encourage the woman herself to report it and offer our support to accompany her if she wishes. If this is not possible, we will report it ourselves, but only after having fully informed the woman of what we will do and what might come of it. It is very important to remember that immigrant women, refugee women, women of colour, black women, native women, aboriginal women, lesbians and women from other oppressed groups are more at risk to have their children taken away from them or to be deported as a result of individual and institutionalized racism and homophobia. This should always be kept in mind whenever reporting to CAS is considered.
I have read, understood and agree to be bound by this Oath of Confidentiality. I understand that signing this oath is a requirement of SASC membership. In addition, a breach of this oath may result in my membership as a collective member of SASC being ended.
______________________________
Member's Signature
______________________________
Date
