Safeguarding Minors From Being Inadvertently “Outed” By Human Service Agencies.

Abstract

According to a study by Durso and Gates...381 responding human service agencies reported that 40% o f the homeless youth they served identified as LGBT. [...]it is a profound demonstration of trust and maturity for minors to reveal their sexual orientation or gender identity to a human services agency staff member. Specifically, it should be clear to every client that the purpose is to protect the privacy of individuals who have sensitive information stored, either in electronic or paper form, while at the same time providing the agency with the ability to share information with authorized entities as required by law, regulation, or policy. * Clients should know how information about them is collected, shared, and protected. * Clients should be informed of the physical, technical, and administrative security measures the agency maintains. * Clients should understand that at times, and for particular purposes, their personal information may be made available to certain third-party service providers.