Under which condition may a social worker withhold providing a client with a copy of their records?

• A. It causes harm or serious misunderstanding
• B. It must be provided to all clients regardless
• C. It requires client consent only for minors
• D. It is never allowed to share records

Answer: (A)

Clients generally have the right to inspect and obtain their records, but there is a narrow exception: if releasing the records could reasonably be expected to cause harm or a serious misunderstanding, a social worker may withhold or redact parts of them. This protects the client from potential harm, such as triggering extreme distress or dangerous reactions, or from misinterpretation that could lead to improper decisions. The clinician should document the rationale, offer to provide a summary or discuss the contents to aid understanding, and ensure safety takes precedence. The other ideas—involving universal access with no exceptions, consent only for minors, or never sharing records—don’t fit because ethics and practice recognize this specific safety-based exception.