Confidentiality refers to personal information shared by an individual that cannot be shared with third parties without the consent of the individual.

Confidentiality in the context of healthcare and social services refers to the obligation or duty to not disclose information about a client to anyone who should not know or does not need to know.

As a peer support organization, YANA, its employees, and its volunteers respect the privacy and confidentiality of those we serve. When working with Moms, we do not disclose mentee information and/or private health information (e.g. baby’s health, mom’s health, or anything else that has been shared by the mentee to any third party.

Being transparent about when confidentiality will be broken is important so mentees understand the boundaries. The three occasions when confidentiality can/should/is broken are when a participant discloses, or seriously alludes to, 1) harming themselves in a life-threatening way 2) harming someone else or 3) someone is harming them. These would be instances of neglect, abuse, or domestic violence.

In the event that one of these events is disclosed to you, you must notify the mentee that you are required to report, and then contact the Peer Mentor Coordinator to manage the situation.

Other than one of these three scenarios, what you hear from a mentee is considered confidential and should not be shared.