Investigators can allow external parties, such as complainants, respondents, witnesses, or legal counsel, to access a case, so the party can view the case’s progress and share information. From the Access tab on a case's page, investigators can manage and monitor external access to the case, so they can securely communicate with external stakeholders. The By Party grid shows the parties who have been granted access and whether they can currently access the case. In the By Record grid, you can check the case's files and notes that have been shared with parties.

Grant a Party Access to a Case

You can grant access to the case's parties. If you want someone external to the investigation to see progress on a case, add them as a party of the case (see Add a Party for instructions).

To grant a party access to a case:

1. On the case's page, click the Access tab. 
2. In the By Party section, click Grant Portal Access.
3. In the "Grant Portal Access" pop-up, you will see a grid listing all the case's parties. Select the parties to whom you want to grant access. Then, click the Continue To Step 2 button.
   1. You can narrow down the parties in the grid by using the search box or the grid's filters. 
4. In step 2, choose how long the parties should have access to the case. You can select one of the following options:
   1. Until case is closed: the system will automatically revoke the party’s access when the case is closed.
   2. Until revoked: the party will retain access to the case until you manually revoke it.
5. Click the Grant Access button. Case IQ will send a notification and a temporary password to the parties via email, so they can log in and view the case.

Grant a Party Access to the Case's Files and Notes

After granting a party access to a case, you can share its files and notes, so the party can review the case's documents. To grant a party access to files or notes:

1. On the case's page, click the Access tab. 
2. In the By Record section, click Share Records.
3. In the "Share Records Via the Portal" pop-up, select the parties with whom to share the files or notes. When you have finished selecting parties, click the Continue To Step 2 button. 
   1. You can choose to share files and notes with any party that currently has access to the case. 
4. In step 2, you will see a grid listing all the case's files and notes. Select the files and notes to share with the parties. Then, click the Continue to Step 3 button.
   1. You can narrow down the files and notes in the grid by using the search box or the grid's filters. 
5. In step 3, choose how long the party should have access to the files or notes. You can select one of the following options:
   1. Specific number of days: the party's access to the files or notes will expire after a set number of days. When you select this option, you can enter the number of days the party should have access to the records in the "Days" field.
   2. Specific end date: the party's access to the files or notes will expire by a set date. When you select this option, you can enter the date that the party's access to the records will expire in the "Expiry Date" field.
   3. Until case is closed: the system will automatically revoke the party’s access when the case is closed.
   4. Until revoked: the party will retain access to the files or notes until you manually revoke it.
6. If you are sharing files with the parties, you can choose if they should be able to download the files to their device. If you want them to download the files, click the "Allow file downloads for recipient?" toggle to turn it on.
7. Click the Share Records button. Case IQ will send a notification to the parties via email, telling them that they can now access files or notes of the case. 

Edit a Party's Access to a Case or its Files and Notes

If you have shared a case and its records with a party, you can change when their access will expire. 

To edit a party's access to the case:

1. On the case's page, click the Access tab. 
2. In the By Party grid, hover your cursor over the party's row and click the Options () button in the row.
3. Click the "Edit Case Access" option. 
4. In the "Edit Case Access" pop-up, choose how long the party should have access to the case. You can select one of the following options:
   1. Until case is closed: the system will automatically revoke the party’s access when the case is closed.
   2. Until revoked: the party will retain access to the case until you manually revoke it.
5. Click the Save Changes button.

To edit a party's access to files or notes:

1. On the case's page, click the Access tab. 
2. In the By Record section, hover your cursor over the record's row and click the Options () button in the row.
3. Click the "Manage Record Access" option.
4. In the "Manage Record Access" pop-up, select the parties whose access you want to change. When you have finished selecting parties, click the Continue To Step 2 button. 
5. In step 3, choose how long the party should have access to the files or notes. You can select one of the following options:
   1. Specific number of days: the party's access to the files or notes will expire after a set number of days. When you select this option, you can enter the number of days the party should have access to the records in the "Days" field.
   2. Specific end date: the party's access to the files or notes will expire by a set date. When you select this option, you can enter the date that the party's access to the records will expire in the "Expiry Date" field.
   3. Until case is closed: the system will automatically revoke the party’s access when the case is closed.
   4. Until revoked: the party will retain access to the files or notes until you manually revoke it.
   5. Revoke access now: remove the party's access to the files or notes immediately. This will not revoke their access to the case.
6. Click the Save Changes button. 

Revoke a Party's Access

You can manually remove a party's access to a case and its records any time. To revoke a party's access:

1. On the case's page, click the Access tab. 
2. In the By Person section, hover your cursor over the party's row and click the Options () button in the row.
3. Click the "Revoke Case Access" option. 
4. Click the Revoke Access button in the "Revoke Case Access" pop-up. 
5. The party's access to the case and its records will be removed. They will no longer be able to see the case's page when they log in to Case IQ.

FAQ 

What can external parties see on a case?

When you grant a party access to a case, they will be able to log in to Case IQ to see a limited version of the case's page. The party will be able to:

• See workflow timelines that are available externally. 
  • Administrators can set a workflow as "Visible Externally" in Settings, see Show a Workflow to Reporters and External Parties for details.
• See notes and files shared by an investigator. 
• See notes and files fields that are available externally.
• Download files if enabled by an investigator. 
• Add files and notes to the case.

External users will not be able to see case fields, tabs, internal file and note fields, files attached to notes, party details, or sensitive workflow data, nor will they be able to edit shared files or notes.

Will a party be able to access purged or cancelled cases?

No, the system will automatically revoke a party’s access to a case when:

• A case is cancelled or purged. The system will not reinstate a party’s access when a case is restored.
• The party record is deleted.
• The party record’s email is edited. If you want the party to have access to the case, you must grant them access again.

In what situations can I not grant a party access?

You cannot grant a party access to a case if:

• The case or party is scheduled for purge.
• The party has the same email address as another party that already has access to the case.
• The party does not have an email address.

Can I monitor a party's activity in Case IQ?

Any actions a party does will be recorded in the case’s History tab, under the Audit sub-tab. The “User” for these actions will be “External User”.