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4- The Oakville Beaver, Friday October 26, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Family shocked to find CAS documents on table Continued from page 1 habits. Names, addresses, phone numbers ­ the information is all there. "All of these cases have been jeopardized," said the woman. The mother of four initially thought the papers were all related to her family, which she said has had an open case with the CAS for four years since she split with her previous husband. "I'm looking through and I'm thinking, I don't know this person," she said. "This is too many people's lives in jeopardy. The CAS is supposed to be protecting these children." Executive Director of Halton CAS Nancy MacGillivry said the case worker in question told her she doesn't think she left anything behind. "It's a very concerning situation. I don't know the circumstances of how this happened. If it was a mistake, or however it happened, I feel very badly about that," said MacGillivry. "We try to protect people's privacy, that's very, very important." MacGillivry learned of the missing files after receiving a call from the press on Tuesday. "After we heard they were in receipt of confidential information, we called the family on Tuesday and SABRINA BYRNES / OAKVILLE BEAVER FOR ALL TO SEE: Some of the confidential documents containing sensitive information left behind by a CAS case worker on the kitchen table of a client family. Wednesday, but didn't get ahold of anyone," she said. Halton CAS sent an employee to the home on Wednesday to retrieve the papers, but the couple refused to give them back. Instead, the man said he planned to hand the papers to a judge during a hearing in a Milton family court yesterday afternoon. "If the CAS worker is going to leave this here, if we give it right back, who's to know this won't happen again?" he said. The couple said that's the reason they didn't call the CAS to give back the papers in the first place. "Why would other people's files be in our house? That's the question," the woman said. "This is private information. This is about the safety of children." MacGillivry does not yet know the nature of the papers, but said it sounds like they were notes a case worker would carry on their person from appointment to appointment if they had several in one day. "Workers would have case notes with them because they often would go out and visit more than one family at a time, so they'd carry those notes," she said. "We're required by law to take case notes, so that's a requirement. It's standard practice." MacGillivry said workers are taught to keep those notes in "a secure place" like a binder or briefcase, and to never leave them in the car, in case it's stolen. Halton CAS left a letter with the family in possession of the notes on Wednesday, after asking for the papers back. The letter stated the organization had heard from "a variety of reliable sources" that they had papers containing "the names and addresses of at least 15 clients of the society." The letter requests the documents be handed back "immediately." "I am sure you can appreciate privacy and confidentiality of all our clients are of the utmost importance to us," it continued. MacGillivry said she will determine what action to take with the CAS case worker and organization once they have all the information regarding the nature of the files and how they were left behind. The Regional Municipality of Halton www.halton.ca Halton Regional Council invites you to provide input and help make decisions as part of the: Halton Tourism Advisory Committee all Ontarians 6 months of age and older. Please wear a short-sleeved shirt. No appointments are necessary. If you have a fever, or do not feel well, postpone your visit to a later date. 3:30 p.m. ­ 8:00 p.m. Iroquois Ridge High School 1123 Glenashton Drive 3:30 p.m. ­ 8:00 p.m. Iroquois Ridge High School 1123 Glenashton Drive 4:00 p.m. ­ 8:00 p.m. Halton Regional Centre, Auditorium 1151 Bronte Road (turn at lights) 3:30 p.m. ­ 8:00 p.m. T.A. Blakelock High School 1160 Rebecca Street 4:00 p.m. ­ 8:00 p.m. St. Dominic School 2405 Rebecca Street 3:30 p.m. ­ 8:00 p.m. Oakville Trafalgar High School 1460 Devon Road 3:30 p.m. ­ 8:00 p.m. St. Ignatius of Loyola Secondary 1550 Nottinghill Gate 4:00 p.m. ­ 8:00 p.m. St. James Catholic School 255 Morden Road 4:00 p.m. ­ 8:00 p.m. Halton Regional Centre, Auditorium 1151 Bronte Road (turn at lights) . Appointed for a term that coincides with the term of Regional Council, expiring on November 30, 2010, this group will advise and assist the Region with respect to tourism issues and provide input on the implementation of tourism initiatives by the Region in conjunction with its Local Tourism Partners as outlined in staff report CS-71-07: Halton Region Premier Ranked Tourist Destinations Project - Final Report. · Four (4) members representing Local Tourism Partners (meaning members from Tourism Burlington, Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce, Milton Chamber of Commerce, Oakville Economic Development/Recreation and Culture Department, which have responsibility for tourism initiatives at the Local Municipal level in Halton) · One (1) member representing the accommodations sector in Halton · One (1) member representing the food and beverage, or retail sector in Halton Committee meetings shall generally be scheduled based on the annual work plan prepared by the Committee for Regional Council. Meetings will be scheduled to be held in early evening. John Davidson, Director of Business Development, 905-825-6000 ext. 7828 Application forms are available on our website , or from the Halton Regional Centre, Auditorium 1151 Bronte Road (turn at lights) visit hours from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Completed application forms must be received at the Completed forms may be submitted on-line, by mail or by fax to 905-825-8838. Monica Wallenfels Regional Clerk 261007 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville, Ontario L6M 3L1 · Tel: 905-825-6000 · Toll Free: 1-866-4HALTON · TTY: 905-827-9833