(A) All reports and information collected pursuant to this article maintained by the South Carolina Guardian ad Litem Program, or a county guardian ad litem program operating pursuant to § 63-11-500(B) or by a guardian ad litem, are confidential except as provided for in § 63-7-1990(C). A person who disseminates or permits the unauthorized dissemination of the information is guilty of contempt of court and, upon conviction, may be fined or imprisoned, or both, pursuant to § 63-3-620.

(B) The name, address, and other identifying characteristics of a person named in a report determined to be judicially unfounded must be destroyed one year from the date of the determination. The name, address, and other identifying characteristics of any person named in a report determined to be judicially indicated must be destroyed seven years from the date that the guardian ad litem formally is relieved of responsibility as guardian ad litem by the family court.

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Terms Used In South Carolina Code 63-11-550

  • Child: means a person under the age of eighteen. See South Carolina Code 63-1-40
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • 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.
  • Guardian: means a person who legally has the care and management of a child. See South Carolina Code 63-1-40
  • Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.

(C) The director of the South Carolina Guardian ad Litem Program or the director’s designee, or the chief administrator of a county guardian ad litem program operating pursuant to § 63-11-500(B), may disclose to the media information contained in child protective services records, if disclosure is limited to discussion of the program’s activities in handling the case. The program may incorporate into its discussion of the handling of the case any information placed in the public domain by other public officials, a criminal prosecution, the alleged perpetrator or the attorney for the alleged perpetrator, or other public judicial proceedings. For purposes of this subsection, information is considered "placed in the public domain" when it has been reported in the news media, is contained in public records of a criminal justice agency, is contained in public records of a court of law, or has been the subject of testimony in a public judicial proceeding.