Protecting Your Privacy
The services at Doncare are bound by the legal requirements of the National Privacy Principles from the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000, the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014, Australian Aged Care Act 1997, and Victorian Health Records Act 2001.
These Acts, and the Privacy Principles, describe your rights and how your information should be handled. Copies are available upon request.
The Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme, the Child Information Sharing Scheme, and the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (MARAM) allow Doncare to request and share information with other prescribed information-sharing entities without consent in certain circumstances. These schemes are set up under the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 and the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 respectively.
For more information on the schemes visit About the information sharing and MARAM reforms.
Complaints should be directed to the relevant Doncare program manager via the Contact Us page. If no satisfactory outcome is achieved, see the complaints procedure at the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner.
Why do we ask for personal information?
The information held about clients briefly documents what happens during your interview or counselling session and enables us to provide you with a relevant and informed service.
What information is kept?
Personal information includes your name, date of birth, address, contact telephone number, and correspondence, or any other information that is
relevant to the service being offered.
Where is this information kept?
Doncare takes all reasonable steps to protect information that we hold (including your personal information) from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Doncare takes all reasonable
steps to hold your information secure in both an electronic and physical form. Our information is stored in access-controlled premises or in electronic databases requiring logins and passwords.
Within Doncare, all staff (including volunteers) access to confidential information is subject to confidentiality obligations.
Is everything on my file confidential?
All personal information gathered by Doncare remains confidential and secure except when:
- It is subpoenaed by a court of law.
- Failure to disclose the information to an appropriate person would place you or another person at risk.
- Your prior approval has been obtained to discuss the material with another person.
- Your prior approval has been obtained to provide a written report, such as to a doctor or lawyer.
Access to Records
You can request at any time personal information we may hold about you. We may charge a fee where access is provided. Requests by clients for the information contained in their files should be lodged in writing with the Chief Executive Officer at Doncare. These requests will be responded to within seven working days and an appointment made, if necessary, for discussion.
We may refuse to provide access to information held about you in situations where the National Privacy Principles allow us to do so. If we refuse access we will give you a reason for doing so.
Research and Evaluation
Doncare is obliged to submit statistical data to our funding bodies including the Victorian Department of Health & Human Services and Australian Departments of Social Services and Health. No names are attached to this data, so your confidentiality is not at risk. Details collected relate to demographics and to how our time is allocated.
Read about your rights and responsibilities