Journal 6 - Confidentiality

It is crucial in dealing with children the importance of maintaining confidentiality. The scenario in the book displayed a situation where confidentiality was broken on many levels.

1.  The teacher posted a paper on the door with highlighted marks on the father's information for the mom to complete. This lets everyone know that there could be some kind of family issues. And it is not okay to put the parent's phone number on the sheet for everyone to see without permission. Also, discussing the child's physical limitations without the mother excludes her from the conversation.
2. The information regarding the child's records without his mother being present and discussing the child with other teachers that are not working directly with him violated the confidentiality code. 
3. I do not think there should have been a conversation between the two directors prior to his enrollment. 
4. I think if a meeting took place it should involved the mother, the director at the new school, and possibly the teacher. 
5. No, I think having a conversation with the classmates would make Eric stand out more and seem "different." I don't think it is their business and they don't need to know details about Eric that Eric didn't tell them himself.
6. Maybe if Eric would have been able to visit his new school before attending. Going in a few times in the beginning could have helped make the transition easier. Also, meeting his teacher and director before attending may have helped. It seems that Eric came in and they already had a bad taste in their mouth regarding him.
7. The conversation at the restaurant was inappropriate. Discussing a child in your class to other teachers as well as discussing their parents life is a violation of confidentiality.
8. I still do not think the conversation would have been appropriate, no matter where it occurred. Information regarding Jason and his family's status is not information that should be shared with other individuals.
9. I think as a director it is a very hard situation to rectify. Once confidentiality is broken it is hard to gain trust back. Directors need to make sure that teachers understand the confidentiality code and how important it is to maintain.
10. I personally would not leave my child in that school. I feel like they already have a bad impression of Eric and his mom. They consider him a "bad kid" and having family issues. They treat him differently and I think this isn't the best place for him.
11. It would be hard to move Eric because he seems to have problems with transitions. He also seems to have some physical limitations and it would be hard to have to explain to a new place again what needs to be done. Also, having Eric to start over with new children and teachers is hard. Finding a place to accept him completely may not be easy.

This scenario shows how important it is to maintain the trust of the children and families we serve.