LawWiki
HomeCodesSearchGlossaryAPIAbout
LawWiki

Plain English summaries of California law with zero-hallucination AI. Every summary is verified against official source text.

Product

  • Search
  • Codes
  • About

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer

© 2026 LawWiki. All rights reserved.

HomeWelfare and Institutions CodeDiv. 2Pt. 1Ch. 2Art. 1§ 204 Juvenile Court Information Sharing

§ 204 Juvenile Court Information Sharing

Welfare and Institutions Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 204 Juvenile Court Information Sharing

Key Takeaways

  • •If a juvenile court needs info about a kid to decide what's best for them, family courts and probate courts must share what they have.
  • •The info can also be given to child protective workers or juvenile probation officers helping with the case.
  • •Any shared info that's supposed to be secret stays secret and can't be given to others unless the law says so.
  • •If someone in the case wants to see the records, they have to ask the court or agency that made them, and it's up to them to say yes or no.

Example

A kid is in trouble with the law, and the juvenile court wants to know if their home is safe.

The juvenile court can ask the family court for records about the kid's parents or home life. The family court must share what they have, but it stays private and can't be given to just anyone. If the kid's lawyer wants to see the records, they have to ask the family court for permission.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 204 Juvenile Court Information Sharing

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, except provisions of law governing the retention and storage of data, a family law court and a court hearing a probate guardianship matter shall, upon request from the juvenile court in any county, provide to the court all available information the court deems necessary to make a determination regarding the best interest of a child, as described in Section 202, who is the subject of a proceeding before the juvenile court pursuant to this division. The information shall also be released to a child protective services worker or juvenile probation officer acting within the scope of his or her duties in that proceeding. Any information released pursuant to this section that is confidential pursuant to any other provision of law shall remain confidential and may not be released, except to the extent necessary to comply with this section. No records shared pursuant to this section may be disclosed to any party in a case unless the party requests the agency or court that originates the record to release these records and the request is granted. In counties that provide confidential family law mediation, or confidential dependency mediation, those mediations are not covered by this section. (Added by Stats. 2004, Ch. 574, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2005.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

probationguardianshipinformationterminationhearingreleasea childmediation

Related Statutes

  • § 224.3 Indian Child Welfare Notice
  • § 224.2 Indian Child Inquiry Duty
  • § 295 Hearing Notice Requirements
  • § 307.4 Minor Custody Notification Rights
  • § 728 Juvenile Guardianship Modification

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Welfare and Institutions Code. Section 204.
View Official Source