                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

INSPECTION AND COPYING OF RECORDS BY ADVOCATE; CONFIDENTIALITY OF RECORDS (§
9.1-156)

A. Upon presentation by the advocate of the order of his appointment and upon
specific court order, any state or local agency, department, authority, or
institution, and any hospital, school, physician, or other health or mental
health care provider shall permit the advocate to inspect and copy, without the
consent of the child or his parents, any records relating to the child involved
in the case. Upon the advocate presenting to the mental health provider the
order of the advocate&#8217;s appointment and, upon specific court order, in
lieu of the advocate inspecting and copying any related records of the child
involved, the mental health care provider shall be available within seventy-two
hours to conduct for the advocate a review and an interpretation of the
child&#8217;s treatment records which are specifically related to the
investigation.

B. An advocate shall not disclose the contents of any document or record to
which he becomes privy, which is otherwise confidential pursuant to the
provisions of this Code, except (i) upon order of a court of competent
jurisdiction or (ii) if the advocate has been assigned pursuant to subsection C
of &#xA7; 9.1-153 to attend and participate in family partnership meetings as
defined by the Department of Social Services or in meetings of family assessment
and planning teams established pursuant to &#xA7; 2.2-5208, multidisciplinary
child sexual abuse response teams established pursuant to &#xA7; 15.2-1627.5,
individualized education program teams established pursuant to Article 2 (&#xA7;
22.1-213 et seq.) of Chapter 13 of Title 22.1, or multidisciplinary teams
established pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA7; 63.2-1503 and 63.2-1505, the advocate may
verbally disclose any information contained in such document or record related
to the child to which he is assigned at such meetings, provided that such
information shall not be disclosed further.

HISTORY: 1990, c. 752, §§ 9-173.11, 9-173.12; 1995, c. 490; 2001, c. 844;
2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 177.