(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to protect individual rights of privacy, and to facilitate and enhance the effectiveness of the child and spousal support enforcement program, by ensuring the confidentiality of support enforcement and child abduction records, and to thereby encourage the full and frank disclosure of information relevant to all of the following: (1) The establishment or maintenance of parent and child relationships and support obligations. (2) The enforcement of the child support liability of absent parents. (3) The enforcement of spousal support liability of the spouse or former spouse to the extent required by the state plan under Section 11475.2 of this code and Part 6 (commencing with Section 5700.101) of Division 9 of the Family Code. (4) The location of absent parents. (5) The location of parents and children abducted, concealed, or detained by them. (b) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (c), all files, applications, papers, documents, and records established or maintained by any public entity pursuant to the administration and implementation of the child and spousal support enforcement program established pursuant to Part D (commencing with Section 651) of Subchapter IV of Chapter 7 of Title 42 of the United States Code and this article, shall be confidential, and shall not be open to examination or released for disclosure for any purpose not directly connected with the administration of the child and spousal support enforcement program. No public entity shall disclose any file, application, paper, document, or record, or the information contained therein, except as expressly authorized by this section. (2) In no case shall information be released or the whereabouts of one party or the child disclosed to another party, or to the attorney of any other party, if a protective order has been issued by a court or administrative agency with respect to the former party, a good cause claim under Section 11477.04 has been approved or is pending, or the public agency responsible for establishing paternity or enforcing support has reason to believe that the release of the information may result in physical or emotional harm to the former party or the child. (3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a proof of service filed by the district attorney shall not disclose the address where service of process was accomplished. Instead, the district attorney shall keep the address in the district attorneyâs own records. The proof of service shall specify that the address is on record at the district attorneyâs office and that the address may be released only upon an order from the court pursuant to paragraph (6) of subdivision (c). The district attorney shall, upon request by a party served, release to that person the address where service was effected. (c) Disclosure of the information described in subdivision (b) is authorized as follows: (1) All files, applications, papers, documents, and records as described in subdivision (b) shall be available and may be used by a public entity for all administrative, civil, or criminal investigations, actions, proceedings, or prosecutions conducted in connection with the administration of the child and spousal support enforcement program approved under Part D (commencing with Section 651) of Subchapter IV of Chapter 7 of Title 42 of the United States Code, and any other plan or program described in Section 303.21 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations and to the county welfare department responsible for administering a program operated under a state plan pursuant to Subpart 1 or 2 of Part B or Part E of Subchapter IV of Chapter 7 of Title 42 of the United States Code. (2) A document requested by a person who wrote, prepared, or furnished the document may be examined by or disclosed to that person or the personâs designee. (3) The payment history of an obligor pursuant to a support order may be examined by or released to the court, the obligor, or the p
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