NCJ Number
202625
Date Published
March 2002
Length
63 pages
Annotation
This document focuses on legal and ethical issues surrounding the need to share information regarding children, juveniles, families, and communities.
Abstract
Historically, information regarding youths within the juvenile justice system was closely guarded and sometimes expunged after a certain time period. However, reform within the juvenile justice system has shown that community-based corrections offer effective alternatives to juvenile detention. In order to effectively supervise and treat youthful offenders and their families, it is necessary to share information about the youth. As such, this document introduces the basic concepts, definitions, methods, and processes involved in effectively and efficiently sharing information. After the introduction to collaborative teamwork in Chapter 1, chapter 2 focuses on the fundamental elements of sharing. The author presents definitions of key terms and offers some guiding principles about confidentiality issues. Chapter 3 discusses privacy issues and the historical reluctance to share information, particularly information regarding minors, while chapter 4 presents 10 common reasons for information sharing. Chapter 5 offers an overview of the laws and regulations that govern information sharing. Federal and State statutes and regulations are reviewed and ethical standards pertaining to agency personnel are discussed. Chapter 6 presents guidelines for developing protocols for information sharing in a collaborative setting with multiple agencies. Guidance is offered regarding staff preparedness and training, consent forms, and interagency agreements. Chapter 7 offers a brief summary about the benefits of information sharing. Each chapter contains a "Keeping It Real" textbox to illustrate key points and provide discussion questions. Finally, the appendices contain resources, sample forms, and confidentiality statutes. Endnotes, appendix