Under the Act, a person at risk of intimate partner violence may apply directly to police under “Right to Ask,” or police may disclose information directly to a person at risk under “Right to Know.”
The Interpersonal Violence Disclosure Regulations (the Regulations) also allow certain individuals to support an applicant throughout the Clare’s Law process.
Individuals permitted to act as support persons are:
- an individual selected by a person at risk;
- a lawyer;
- a police officer;
- a medical doctor;
- a registered nurse;
- a registered psychologist;
- a registered social worker;
- a representative of an Indigenous government or organization where the person at risk is Indigenous; or
- a representative of an agency or organization that assists and supports persons at risk.
Support persons may make an application on behalf of a person at risk, interact with the police, and accompany the person at risk to the disclosure meeting.
Support persons must have written consent of the person at risk and are subject to all confidentiality requirements under the Act.
While the Regulations permit the groups of individuals listed above to provide support to applicants under Clare’s Law, this is not a requirement and is completely voluntary.
Additional information on Clare’s Law, including the Act, Regulations, protocol, and online application, can be found at www.gov.nl.ca/clareslaw.
If you have any questions or require further information, please email ClaresLaw@gov.nl.ca