(a) The reports made pursuant to Sections 15630, 15630.1, 15630.2, and 15631 shall be confidential and may be disclosed only as provided in subdivision (b). Any violation of the confidentiality required by this chapter is a misdemeanor punishable by not more than six months in the county jail, by a fine of five hundred dollars ($500), or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(b) Reports of suspected abuse of an elder or dependent adult and information contained in the report may be disclosed only to the following:
(1) Persons or agencies to whom disclosure of information or the identity of the reporting party is permitted under Section 15633.5.
(2) (A) Persons who are trained and qualified to serve on multidisciplinary personnel teams may disclose to one another information and records that are relevant to the prevention, identification, or treatment of abuse of elderly or dependent persons.
(B) Except as provided in subparagraph (A), any personnel of the multidisciplinary team or agency who receives information pursuant to this chapter shall be under the same obligations and subject to the same confidentiality penalties as the person disclosing or providing that information. The information obtained shall be maintained in a manner that ensures the maximum protection of privacy and confidentiality rights.
(3) A trusted contact person, as specified in subdivision (h) of Section 15630.2.
(c) This section does not allow disclosure of any reports or records relevant to the reports of abuse of an elder or dependent adult if the disclosure would be prohibited by any other provisions of state or federal law applicable to the reports or records relevant to the reports of the abuse, nor does it prohibit the disclosure by a financial institution, broker-dealer, or investment adviser of any reports or records relevant to the reports of abuse of an elder or dependent adult if the disclosure would be required of a financial institution, broker-dealer, or investment adviser by otherwise applicable state or federal law or court order.
(d) This section does not prohibit employees of a county’s adult protective services agency or a county’s child welfare agency from disclosing information with each other for the purpose of multidisciplinary teamwork in the prevention, intervention, management, or treatment of the abuse or neglect of a child or abuse or neglect of an elder or dependent adult.
(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 506, Sec. 2. (SB 1054) Effective January 1, 2023.)