Purpose

Beaucare is committed to protecting and upholding the right to privacy of clients, staff, volunteers, students and members of the Board and representatives of agencies we deal with. In particular Beaucare is committed to protecting and upholding the rights of our clients to privacy in the way we collect, store and use information about them, their needs and the services we provide to them.

Scope of policy

This policy will apply to all records, whether hard copy or electronic, containing personal information about individuals, and to interviews or discussions of a sensitive personal nature.

Policy Principles

Beaucare requires staff, volunteers, students and members of the Beaucare Board to be consistent and careful in the way they manage what is written and said about individuals and how they decide who can see or hear this information.

Beaucare will ensure that it meets its legal and ethical obligations as an employer and service provider in protecting the privacy of clients, staff, volunteers, students and Beaucare Board members. Beaucare will comply with all applicable privacy laws and regulations.

Beaucare will ensure that clients are provided with information about their rights regarding privacy.

Beaucare will ensure that clients and organisational personnel are provided with privacy when they are being interviewed or discussing matters of a personal or sensitive nature.

All staff, volunteers, students and members of the Beaucare Board understand what is required in meeting these obligations. 

Policy

Beaucare shall collect, hold and use personal data about an individual only as permitted or required by applicable laws and in accordance with the following:

• Beaucare will provide timely and appropriate notice to individuals about our data processing practices
• Beaucare shall collect, hold and use personal data only with the individual’s consent
• Beaucare shall collect, hold and use personal data only for specific, legitimate business purposes and in a manner consistent with the purposes for which it was collected
• Beaucare shall not disclose or use personal data with third parties unless permission has been gained from the client or to withhold the information would create a risk of harm to the client or others
• A request for information will be refused if the request is not made by the client or an authorised representative
• A request for information may be refused if the request will breach the privacy of a third party or the information is part of an ongoing legal case.

Roles & Responsibilities

All staff are responsible for the management of personal information to which they have access, and in the conduct of research, consultation or advocacy work.

The Beaucare General Manager is responsible for the content in any Beaucare newsletters, publications, communications, facebook and web site and must ensure the following prior to publication:

• Appropriate consent is obtained for the inclusion of any personal information about any individual including Beaucare staff, volunteers, students and Board members
• Information being provided by other agencies or external individuals conforms to privacy principles