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.
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: