Missouri Revised Statutes Title XII. Public Health and Welfare § 192.2435. Records, what confidential, what subject to disclosure--procedure--central registry to receive complaints of abuse and neglect

1. Reports made pursuant to sections 192.2400 to 192.2470 shall be confidential and shall not be deemed a public record and shall not be subject to the provisions of section 109.180 or chapter 610.

2. Such reports shall be accessible for examination and copying only to the following persons or offices, or to their designees:

3. The name of the reporter shall not be disclosed unless:

4. Any person who violates the provisions of this section, or who permits or encourages the unauthorized dissemination of information contained in the central registry and in reports and records made pursuant to sections 192.2400 to 192.2470, shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

5. The department shall maintain a central registry capable of receiving and maintaining reports received in a manner that facilitates rapid access and recall of the information reported, and of subsequent investigations and other relevant information. The department shall electronically record any telephone report of suspected abuse and neglect received by the department and such recorded reports shall be retained by the department for a period of one year after recording.

6. Although reports to the central registry may be made anonymously, the department shall in all cases, after obtaining relevant information regarding the alleged abuse or neglect, attempt to obtain the name and address of any person making a report.