About the Legislation
What does the act do?
It allows service providers in Manitoba to collect, use and share personal information with other service providers about supported children and their parents and legal guardians. It also enables government to collect information for the purpose of conducting research, planning services and evaluating programs related to children and families.
Advantages
- improved services and outcomes for supported children
- timely sharing of information
- informed decision making
Limits on Information Sharing
Service providers must ensure that the sharing of personal information is:
- in the supported child’s best interests
- necessary to plan or provide services or benefits to a supported child
- limited to the minimum (least) amount of information
- not prohibited by another act (law), such as The Child and Family Services Act and The Youth Criminal Justice Act
When sharing personal information under the act, service providers and trustees must:
- include relevant information about the strengths of the supported child and his or her parents or guardians, where available
- take reasonable steps to ensure that the information is accurate, relevant, up-to-date and not misleading
Note
- The ability to share personal information is in addition to The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and The Personal Health Information Act (PHIA).
- Personal information includes personal health information, as defined under PHIA.
- The act does not override (make ineffective) other legislation. Service providers should review relevant acts, and determine which ones apply and take precedence.
- It is best practice for service providers to notify parents, legal guardians and supported children of their legal authority to share information under this act.
