Code Section

18964.  

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of law governing the disclosure of information and records, including, but not limited to, Section 5328 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, a person who is trained and qualified to serve on a multidisciplinary personnel team pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 18951, whether or not the person is serving on a team, may be deemed, by the team, to be part of the team as necessary for the purpose of the prevention, identification, management, or treatment of an abused child and his or her parents. The designated team may deem a person to be a member of the team for a particular case, and that team shall specify its reasons, in writing, for deeming that person to be a member of the team. The person, when deemed a member of the team, may receive and disclose information relevant to a particular case as though he or she were a member of the team. The information and records which may be disclosed shall not be restricted to those obtained in the course of providing services pursuant to this chapter.

(b) The caregiver of the child and, in the case of an Indian child, the child’s tribe shall be permitted to provide information about the child to the multidisciplinary personnel team that will be considered by the team and to attend meetings of the multidisciplinary personnel team, as deemed appropriate by the team, without becoming a member of the team. Any caregiver or tribal representative who attends multidisciplinary personnel team meetings shall agree in writing not to disclose any confidential information he or she receives as a result of his or her participation with the team.

(c) This section does not apply to the records of or pertaining to a nonminor dependent. The multidisciplinary personnel team may have access to those records only with the explicit written and informed consent of the nonminor dependent.