Privacy and Confidentiality Disclosure
All information shared with the SCCS School Counselor is confidential, meaning the child and families information will not be shared with a third party without prior parental consent. There are however limits to confidentiality.
These limits to confidentiality include:
- School Counselor's like other Department of Education (DOE) staff, have certain duty of care obligations to all students. The School Counselor is a mandatory reporter of child abuse and neglect. As specified under Part 5.1 A of the Care and Protection of Children Act 2007.
- If the School Counselor forms reasonable belief that the student is at risk of harm to themselves or others they have a duty of care to report this to a mental health service or to the police.
- If it is disclosed to the School Counselor that the student has engaged in a crime or is going to become involved in such an activity, the School Counselor will need to contact the Police.
Please note: We will always consult with parents prior to any information being shared with a third party such as an external agency or other SCCS staff. We will only share information with a third party if it is in your child's best interest.
School Counselor's are required to keep a file for each student accessing the SCCS Student Support Team. These files are kept on a secure database.
If you have any questions in relation to Privacy or Confidentiality, please contact a member of the SCCS Student Support Team at 704-509-5470.