Budget Amendment ID: FY2016-S3-702

EHS 702

DCF Social Worker Home Address Confidentiality

Mr. Tarr, Ms. Flanagan, Messrs. Ross, deMacedo, Fattman, Humason and Pacheco moved that the proposed new text be amended by inserting, after section ___, the following new section:-“SECTION XX. Chapter 233 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 20M the following section:- Section 20N. (a) No court shall permit or require, and no social worker employed by the department of children and families, or any other witness shall be required, to disclose such social workers home address or home telephone number in any court proceeding or in any proceeding preliminary thereto or in any documents filed with the court, except as otherwise ordered by the court; provided, that said order of the court includes conditions to limit the disclosure of such address or phone number so as to protect the privacy and safety of the social worker. (b) Service of process, summons or subpoena upon a department of children and families social worker in any court proceeding and in any proceeding preliminary thereto, shall be made upon the agency employing such social worker and in accordance with the Massachusetts Rules of Civil or Criminal Procedure governing any service of process. For the purpose of such service the employing agency, upon request, shall certify to the summoning party the name and work address of any such social worker as disclosed by its records, and service upon parties at a work address so certified shall be sufficient.”