Oregon Statutes 418.644 – Interference with disclosure of information; rules
(1) A foster home may not interfere with the good faith disclosure of information by an employee or volunteer concerning the abuse or mistreatment of a child in the care of the foster home, violations of licensing or certification requirements, criminal activity at the foster home, violations of state or federal laws or any practice that threatens the health and safety of a child in the care of the foster home to:
Terms Used In Oregon Statutes 418.644
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- Person: includes individuals, corporations, associations, firms, partnerships, limited liability companies and joint stock companies. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
(a) The Department of Human Services, a law enforcement agency or other entity with legal or regulatory authority over the foster home; or
(b) A family member, guardian or other person who is acting on behalf of the child.
(2) A foster home interferes with the disclosure of the information described in subsection (1) of this section by:
(a) Asking or requiring the employee or volunteer to sign a nondisclosure or similar agreement prohibiting the employee or volunteer from disclosing the information;
(b) Training an employee or volunteer not to disclose the information; or
(c) Taking actions or communicating to the employee or volunteer that the employee or volunteer may not disclose the information.
(3) The department may revoke or suspend the certificate of approval of a foster home that is found to have violated subsection (1) of this section.
(4) The department shall adopt rules to carry out the provisions of this section.
(5) This section does not authorize the disclosure of:
(a) Protected health information, as defined in ORS § 192.556, other than as is permitted by the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy regulations, 45 C.F.R. § parts 160 and 164, ORS § 192.553 to 192.581 or by other state or federal laws limiting the disclosure of health information; or
(b) Information protected under ORS § 419A.255 and 419A.257. [2019 c.381 § 13]