- Part X of the Child, Youth and Family Services Act: A Guide to Access and Privacy for Service Providers
- Download the Part X guide and other resources
- Terms used in this guide
- Introduction
- Does Part X of the CYFSA apply to you?
- Collection, use, and disclosure of personal information
- Consent and capacity
- Safeguarding and managing personal information
- Access to records of personal information
- Correction of records
- Offences and immunity
- Definitions
- FAQs
- Back to Guidance for organizations
Granting access
Granting access means giving the person requesting access to a record the opportunity to examine it and, at their request, giving them a copy of it. It is not sufficient to provide a summary of the record.
If it is practical to do so, you must explain the purpose and nature of the record and any terms, codes or abbreviations used.
You may not charge a fee for providing access to a record.104 This rule applies to all of the activities associated with processing an access request. For example, you cannot charge requesters for filing the request, photocopying, postage or the staff time required to process the request.
Before you provide access, you must take reasonable steps to satisfy yourself of the requester’s identity.105 In some cases, this might include the requester signing a confirmation form or showing official identification.