Disclosing information - Tue 18 Nov 2008 05:46:PM
What to say and what not to say seems to be a bit of a debatable question at the moment.
So I thought that I would let everyone clearly know what is legal and what is not legal.
To write and have published something about what is going on in your life is legal.
To write and have published your full name, the full name of your spouse or the full name of your child (if they are in protective custody) is illegal.
To have published an image of yourself is legal as long as it is not attributed to a publication which can expose the child in protective custody.
To have published an image of a child in protective custody is illegal - unless prior approval form DoCS is sort and granted.
To abbreviate your name (Jane Doe to Jane D.) is legaland is a more appropriate option than J. Doe which can be found on may legal documents.
To abbreviate a child's name is a grey area so therefor must be considered illegal - although using terms such as DS (Dear/Darling Son) or Miss 8 is legal.
To use a child's birth date if the child is in protective custody and associate it with an abbreviation of their name is illegal.
Having said this...
A written and published account of a parent's situation with DoCS can only be used by DoCS for "mud slinging" in the court room if it is written within legal parametres.
For DoCS to accuse a parent of publishing their story, particularly if it is within legal parametres, and associate it with words such as "child abuse" or "neglect" and the parent has not been convicted of these accusations is defamation of character.
EG: "Jane D. who abused and neglected her child has written an account of her situation..."
So I thought that I would let everyone clearly know what is legal and what is not legal.
To write and have published something about what is going on in your life is legal.
To write and have published your full name, the full name of your spouse or the full name of your child (if they are in protective custody) is illegal.
To have published an image of yourself is legal as long as it is not attributed to a publication which can expose the child in protective custody.
To have published an image of a child in protective custody is illegal - unless prior approval form DoCS is sort and granted.
To abbreviate your name (Jane Doe to Jane D.) is legaland is a more appropriate option than J. Doe which can be found on may legal documents.
To abbreviate a child's name is a grey area so therefor must be considered illegal - although using terms such as DS (Dear/Darling Son) or Miss 8 is legal.
To use a child's birth date if the child is in protective custody and associate it with an abbreviation of their name is illegal.
Having said this...
A written and published account of a parent's situation with DoCS can only be used by DoCS for "mud slinging" in the court room if it is written within legal parametres.
For DoCS to accuse a parent of publishing their story, particularly if it is within legal parametres, and associate it with words such as "child abuse" or "neglect" and the parent has not been convicted of these accusations is defamation of character.
EG: "Jane D. who abused and neglected her child has written an account of her situation..."