Privacy Policy
This website is operated by CatholicCare Sydney Limited (CatholicCare Sydney) on behalf of the Supporting Recovery Mental Health program (the Program). Anglican Community Services (Anglicare Sydney) and CatholicCare Sydney have been appointed by the South Western Sydney PHN as commissioned service providers (together, the Service Providers or “We”, “Us” or “Our”) to partner and collaborate in establishing and implementing the Program in South Western Sydney.
We are committed to treating you with dignity and respecting your right to privacy. In the course of dealing with you, including through this website, we may collect, use and disclose personal and/or health information necessary for the provision of the Program services and our operations in accordance with this policy and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act) and other applicable law.
The purpose of this Privacy Policy Statement is to:
- clearly communicate our personal information handling practices; and
- give individuals a better and more complete understanding of the sort of personal information we collect and the way we handle that information.
Please visit the Program’s website homepage for more information about our services.
1.1 Kinds of information we collect and hold
We only collect and hold information that is reasonably necessary for us to provide the Program services, provide information about the Program to the community and support individuals to seek further information. The information we collect may include:
- Personal information – such as your name, contact details and any information that allows us to identify you. Electronic databases may be stored within Australia;
- Health information – such as your health history, past, present, and future provision of health services, healthcare identifier and any information to assist us in providing health treatment; and
- Sensitive information – if you are a client and if it is necessary for your care and you have consented to the collection of the information, sensitive information may include information about your religious beliefs or affiliations, racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation or practices.
Please note in this policy, a reference to personal information includes health information and sensitive information unless otherwise specified.
1.2 How we collect and hold personal information
We collect personal information directly from you unless it is not practicable or reasonable to do so or you have granted us permission to obtain the information from someone else or we are otherwise authorised or required to do so. For example, we may collect information relating to you that you provide to us voluntarily through completing online forms from this website, or through you sending us an email. We also may have to collect information from your carer, health professionals, government agencies or other organisations or individuals that have referred you to services with us, where you have provided consent for the provision of this information. Every effort will be made to collect the personal information in an environment that maintains confidentiality.
Personal information collected may be held in paper stored in an authorised access only location, and/or electronic databases which are password protected and/or on private cloud computing networks.
1.3 Purpose for which we collect and hold, use and disclose personal information
We collect and hold personal information in order to provide services and to run the Program. Our primary use of personal information is in the provision of those Program services including treatment, care and support and any related or incidental activities such as administration activities and activities necessary to fulfil our obligations in an efficient and prudent manner. In addition to this, we may also use deidentified personal information for training, research, quality and safety activities.
Your personal information may need to be disclosed to our own employees, contractors, volunteers and students placed with us, where this is required in contacting you or providing services to you. Our employees, contractors and volunteers, and students placed with us, to whom your personal, sensitive or health information is disclosed, are subject to strict internal requirements, which include the acceptance and signing of our code of ethics, code of conduct, and confidentiality undertakings. We may need to disclose your information to government bodies and official organisations as required, to our advisors from time to time, to health care providers who may be involved in your treatment or care and as required at law.
We have legal and/or moral obligations to contact authorities or the police when we have concerns for a child’s safety, which would require the disclosure of personal, sensitive and health information. Where you are considered at risk of harming yourself or others, we similarly have legal and/or ethical obligations to contact your carers, health professionals or other relevant persons or authorities as appropriate.
If your information is subpoenaed by a Court, we are obliged to follow legal requirements in providing relevant information.
As the Program is funded by government funders, de-identified data is reported back to the funders as part of our reporting requirements.
We may disclose your personal, sensitive or health information to any organisation or individual for any purpose you require, or we require in our provision of services to you, where you have provided your express consent.
Our staff members only have access to paper files and electronic databases on a need to know basis depending on their role and duties.
1.4 Accessing and seeking correction of personal information
You are entitled to access your personal information held by us. We encourage you to inform us of any changes to your personal information as soon as possible. You may ask us to correct any error or omission in your personal information.
If you wish to view your personal record please ensure that a request is made in writing. To ensure privacy of your information, appropriate identification requirements will need to be met. A small fee may be charged if the personal information is to be photocopied. In certain circumstances an appointment may be desirable which should be made in advance.
We may decline to provide access in special circumstances, for example, if a treating health professional advises us that they consider the access would be harmful to you posing a serious threat to your life, health or safety or that of another person.
Clients and Representatives
Clients, or their authorised representatives who wish to access or correct personal information should address their request in writing to the relevant Privacy Officer listed below.
Postal Address:
Supporting Recovery
Level 2, 62 Norwest Blvd, Norwest NSW 2153
Phone: (02) 9895 8091
Email: privacy@anglicare.org.au
1.5 Complaints about a breach of the APPs
If you wish to make a complaint about our handling, use or management of personal information, your complaint should first be made in writing to the appropriate Privacy Officer listed above who will respond to your complaint within 30 calendar days. If you are not satisfied with the response then you may complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). Please note that the Privacy Act prohibits the OAIC to investigate any complaints before you have made a formal complaint to us.