Your records were created by, and written from the point of view of the people responsible for you during your time in the guardianship or care of others.
So, your records could be full of abbreviations, acronyms and jargon.
Your records will probably only include information about things that were important to the organisation (and may not include details that would have been important to you).
If you think there is an error in the information you received, you have the right to ask for it to be corrected.
Learn how to get incorrect information about yourself corrected.
You might find that older records in particular, use negative, judgemental, offensive language.
People who requested their records have told us it is important to know that the way you are written about on your records does not define you. It is only one perspective written by people who may not have known your full story and may have only seen you and your whānau in your difficult times.
Learning how the people who were responsible for your guardianship or care wrote about you or your whānau, can bring up a range of emotions. It may help to have someone to talk to or support you while going through your records. Find out what support is available.
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This Easy Read is about what to do when you:
and
Here records means the information an organisation has kept / made about a person.
Here in the care or guardianship of others means when an organisation is put in charge of a person and decides things like:
A guardian is an adult put in charge of the care of a person.
A guardian should:
You may think the information in the records you have been sent is different to the way you remember:
It is important to remember the records about you were written by somebody else.
The records may have been written by the person / people looking after you like your:
Your records may have many words you:
Your records may only have information that is:
You can ask an organisation to correct your records if you think the information is:
Here correct means to change the records about your time in care so it is true.
You have the right to ask an organisation to correct your records.
Click here to find out how to ask for your records to be corrected.
Sometimes the information in your records can have upsetting words in them.
These words can be:
It is upsetting when somebody who has cared for you has been mean about:
It is important you know what someone has said in your records is not who you are.
It is just one person who may:
You could read your records with someone you trust like a friend.
They can support you if you read something upsetting in your records.
Reading things said about you in your records can make you feel lots of things.
It can be good to have someone to talk to about it.
You can talk to your:
Kōnae has information on where to get support you if you want to talk about how it feels to get your records.
Click here to find out what support you can get.
This information is not in Easy Read.
Click here to find out who made this Easy Read information.
More Easy Read information is available.
Click here to visit our Easy Read library webpage.