West Virginia Code 49-9-107 – Confidentiality of investigations
(a) Information relating to any investigation of a complaint that contains the identity of the complainant, a child who is subject to a reported allegation of abuse and neglect, a child who has died or sustained a critical incident, a child in the juvenile justice system, a foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent shall remain confidential except:
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 49-9-107
- Allegation: something that someone says happened.
- child: means an individual who meets one of the following conditions:
(A) Is under thirteen years of age. See West Virginia Code 49-1-202
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Facility: means a place or residence, including personnel, structures, grounds, and equipment used for the care of a child or children on a residential or other basis for any number of hours a day in any shelter or structure maintained for that purpose. See West Virginia Code 49-1-206
- Foster parent: means a person with whom the department has placed a child and who has been certified by the department, a child placing agency, or another agent of the department to provide foster care. See West Virginia Code 49-1-206
- Juvenile: means any person under eighteen years of age or is a transitioning adult. See West Virginia Code 49-1-202
- Kinship parent: means a person with whom the department has placed a child to provide a kinship placement. See West Virginia Code 49-1-206
- Parent: means an individual defined as a parent by law or on the basis of a biological relationship, marriage to a person with a biological relationship, legal adoption or other recognized grounds. See West Virginia Code 49-1-204
(1) Where imminent risk of serious harm is communicated directly to the Foster Care Ombudsman or his or her staff;
(2) Where disclosure is necessary to the bureau in order for such office to determine the appropriateness of initiating an investigation regarding potential abuse, neglect, or emergency circumstances; or
(3) Where disclosure is necessary to the Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification in order for such office to determine the appropriateness of initiating an investigation to determine facility compliance with applicable rules of licensure, certification, or both.
(b) The Foster Care Ombudsman shall maintain confidentiality with respect to all matters including the identities of complainants, witnesses, or others from whom information is acquired, except insofar as disclosures may be necessary to enable the Foster Care Ombudsman to carry out duties of the office or to support recommendations.
(c) Notwithstanding any other section within this article, all information, records, and reports received by or developed by the Foster Care Ombudsman Program which relate to a foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent, including written material identifying a foster child, foster parent, or a child who is subject to a reported allegation of abuse and neglect, a child who has died or sustained a critical incident, a child in the juvenile justice system, or kinship parent, are confidential pursuant to § 49-5-101 et seq. of this code and are not subject to the provisions of § 29B-1-1 et seq. of this code, and may not be disclosed or released by the Foster Care Ombudsman Program, except under the circumstances enumerated in this section.
(d) Nothing in this section prohibits the preparation and submission by the Foster Care Ombudsman of statistical data and reports, as required to implement the provisions of this article or any applicable federal law, exclusive of any material that identifies any foster child, foster parent, kinship parent, or complainant.
(e) The Inspector General shall have access to the records and files of the Foster Care Ombudsman Program to verify its effectiveness and quality where the identity of any complainant, a child who is subject to a reported allegation of abuse and neglect, a child who has died or sustained a critical incident, a child in the juvenile justice system, or foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent is not disclosed.