Rivileged And Confidential

Federal Register

Confidentiality and Privacy in Social Work

The advent of computerized data systems, the growth of managed care, the AIDS epidemic, mandatory reporting requirements for child abuse, workplace drug testing, and various laws requiring that social workers maintain confidential communications in some situations yet disclose them in others have made confidentiality a vital, changing area of the law. Practitioners, administrators, and those studying for these professions need to know how to use these laws to protect their clients, themselves, and their agencies. Mental health practitioners need authoritative guidance in these areas when working with clients -- children as well as adults -- in both individual and group settings. Administrators must be aware of the laws that protect worker and client privacy, and those that permit legitimate access to information.

Confidentiality in Social Work

From Simon & Schuster, Confidentiality in Social Work is Suanna J. Wilson's exploration of the issues and principles of social work. As described by Social Thought, Confidentiality in Social Work "clearly demonstrates that all of us—practitioners, supervisors, administrators, researchers, and academicians—have neglected the issue of confidentiality, and that we must now take prompt, careful action."