Privacy Statements

Website Privacy:

When you visit the Governor’s Office for Children, Youth, and Families Website (“OCYF”), no personally identifying information about you is gathered unless you choose to provide such information in an e-mail message or in a form that you download from the site and mail to us.

Browsing this Site: If you visit our site to read, print or download information, the only information the office collects about your visit is “navigational information”: the name of the domain from which you accessed the Website (for example, aol.com), the date and time any page on the site was accessed, and the Website address of any Website from which you linked to our site. No information identifying you personally is collected. Our office uses the site usage statistics to analyze how our site is used and to improve its usefulness to the public. In addition, this Website does not use “cookies,” a technology which allows Websites to track information about visitors who make multiple visits.

E-Mail: If you send us an email, we use the information you send us to respond to your inquiry, just as we do with written correspondence. E-mail correspondence to the office, like mailed correspondence, may become a public record. As a public record, your correspondence could be disclosed to other parties upon their request, as permitted by Maryland’s public records law.

General Privacy Policy:

It is the policy of OCYF to preserve the privacy of personal records and to protect confidential or privileged information. Such information will be disclosed publicly only as required by the Public Information Act or as necessary and permissible to carry out the duties of this Office.

When OCYF collects personal information – that is, information that identifies an individual with an address, identification number, telephone number, photograph, or medical information – it is the general policy of OCYF, pursuant to State law, to collect that information from the person to whom the information pertains. If we collect such information from you, you generally have a right to know: the purpose for which we are collecting that information; the consequences if you refuse to provide that information; your right to inspect, amend, or correct that information; whether that information is available to the public; and whether that information is shared with other entities.

If you have any questions about these privacy policies, please e-mail them to webmaster@ocyf.state.md.us

Disclaimer of Liability:

This site contains links to independently managed World Wide Web Sites that are not affiliated with OCYF. While every effort has been made to evaluate the sites to which we link, we cannot control the content that may appear on these or related links.

The OCYF Website and its related pages, content, format, and imagery are protected by United States copyright laws. Information contained on this Website is believed to be accurate but is not guaranteed. Unauthorized reproduction of these materials is prohibited. While the fair use of these materials under copyright laws for non-commercial, research and educational purposes is encouraged, more extensive use may only be made with permission from OCYF. Copyright 2001, Office for Children, Youth, and Families.

1. Non-endorsement:

OCYF is not responsible for the contents of any off-site pages referenced on this Website. In addition, OCYF does not endorse the viewpoints or ensure the accuracy or authenticity of electronic data or information available via the Internet. Reference to any specific commercial product, process, service or enterprise on these Web pages does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favored status, by OCYF or any agency thereof.

2. Unauthorized Use:

Information from this Web server resides on a computer system operated and maintained by public agencies of the State of Maryland. Anyone using this system expressly consents to monitoring by system or security personnel and is advised that if such monitoring reveals possible evidence of criminal or unauthorized activity, system personnel may provide the evidence of such activity to law enforcement officials. Unauthorized attempts to access or upload or change information, to defeat or circumvent security features, or to utilize this system for other than its intended purposes are prohibited and may be subject to appropriate criminal and civil penalties.

3. Liability:

In no event shall the State of Maryland or OCYF be liable for any damages, including incidental, inconsequential, or indirect damages, lost profits, or lost data arising from the use of this Website. OCYF does not warrant that any information, software, or other material accessible through the Website is free of viruses or other defects or harmful components.

Notice of Non-Discrimination:

OCYF does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, or disability in matters affecting employment or in providing access to programs.

Objectionable Information and Materials:

When accessing or making use of any service provided on the Web pages of the OCYF you may not:

• post or transmit any unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, profane, or otherwise objectionable information of any kind, including without limitation, any transmissions constituting or encouraging conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any local, national or international law, including without limitation, the U.S. export control laws and regulations;
• post or transmit any information or software which contains a virus, worm, trojan horse or other harmful component; restrict or inhibit any other user from using and enjoying the Web site; post, publish, transmit, reproduce, distribute or in any way exploit any information, software or other material obtained through our Web pages for commercial purposes (other than expressly permitted by the provider of such information, software or other material); or
• upload, post, publish, transmit, reproduce or distribute in any way, information, software or other material obtained through our Web pages which is protected by copyright, or other proprietary right, or derivative works with respect thereto, without obtaining permission of the copyright owner or rightholder, or upload, post, publish, reproduce, transmit or distribute in any way any component of our Web pages themselves or derivative works with respect thereto, except where expressly permitted in writing.