The College is pleased to announce that the Practice Guidelines for Consent and Confidentiality with Children and Youth have been updated to reflect current practice and provide specific guidance to registrants. Registrants who work with children and youth must review the updated guidelines to ensure that they are following the most up-to-date guidance. The updated Practice Guidelines can be accessed on the College’s website.
What do the updates include?
Updates incorporate the following practice considerations:
- Guidance on assessing capacity in children and youth;
- Approaches on how to obtain informed consent from children and youth;
- Navigating situations where parents or substitute decision makers disagree; and
- Assessing for risk when determining to release client information without consent.
What was the revision process?
The College engaged a consultant who is a legal expert specializing in consent and privacy laws related to children and youth to draft revisions to the Practice Guidelines. Registrants were then asked to provide feedback on the draft revisions, and this feedback was incorporated into the final version.
Join us for an informational webinar
To learn more about the updates to the Practice Guidelines, registrants are invited to attend a webinar on Monday, January 12, 2026 from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Kate Dewhirst, a health lawyer and health privacy expert who drafted the revisions, will walk through the revised Practice Guidelines along with the College’s Professional Practice staff.
Please note that registration capacity for this webinar has been reached. A second viewing event is being organized for those who were unable to register. Instructions on how to attend the second event will follow shortly.
For questions or inquiries about the Practice Guidelines, contact the Professional Practice Department at practice@ocswssw.org.