Our privacy commitment

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Occupational Therapy Plus Animal Assisted Therapy (ABN 87114885480) (will endeavour to handle your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the Australian Privacy Principles. This Privacy Policy is a summary of how we handle your personal information. We may revise this Privacy Policy from time to time by updating this page. The revised Privacy Policy will take effect when it is posted on our website.

 

What is personal information?

The types of personal information we collect may include your name, date of birth, gender, contact information, health information and other information about your history with, or information regarding your recent injury or area you would like to address. This information can only be collected with your consent. We will only ever collect the minimum amount of sensitive information about you that we actually need in order to provide support and services to you or to respond to your enquiries about our services. When we collect personal information we will, where appropriate and where possible, explain to you why we are collecting the information and how we plan to use it.

 

How do we collect your personal information?

Where possible, we will collect your personal information directly from you. This may be in person, on the telephone, or online.

We also obtain personal information from third parties such as health professionals, social and community workers. If we collect personal information about you from a third party and it is unclear that you have consented to the disclosure of your personal information to us, we will take reasonable steps to contact you and ensure that you are aware of the circumstances surrounding the collection and purposes for which we collected your personal information.

 

Why do we collect your personal information?

We may collect your personal information for a number of purposes, these include but are not limited to:

• Support services: to provide you with information and support services, and to evaluate and report on these services

• To assist you: in the assessment of your needs and to provide a comprehensive approach for you to accomplish your goals

• Other issues: communicating with you in relation to our operations, activities and objectives, to verify your identity, to improve and evaluate our programs and services and to comply with relevant laws.

Where we collect your personal information for a specific purpose not outlined above, we will provide you with a collection notice which explains the primary purpose and any related secondary purposes for which we are collecting your personal information.

 

Will you use my photograph or video, including those of my family members?

We will always ask for your written consent when taking an image or video, and each time we wish to use your image or video, or those of your family members.

 

Website usage information and cookies

When you access our website, we may use software embedded in our website (such as Javascript) and we may place small data files (or cookies) on your computer or other device to collect information about which pages you view and how you reach them, what you do when you visit a page, the length of time you remain on the page, and how we perform in providing content to you.

A cookie does not identify individuals personally, but it does identify computers. You can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie and this will provide you with an opportunity to either accept or reject it in each instance. You can delete or block these cookies, but if you do some features of this site may not work as intended.

We may gather your IP address as part of our business activities and to assist with any operational difficulties or support issues with our services. This information does not identify you personally.

 

Release of information to third parties

Your information is collected for the primary purpose of delivering a high quality service and providing support and services to you. 
We will always ask for your consent to release your personal information unless legislation requires or authorises release of your information, for example to a law enforcement body, or where you would reasonably expect that we would release your information for a secondary purpose directly related to the primary purpose, including engagement of existing third parties already providing supports to you as part of a wider Care Team. 

 

Will my personal information be sent overseas

We do not usually send information overseas. Where you request that this is done, we will ask for your consent. Where your information is requested by someone else, we will only release your information overseas with your consent or in the following circumstances: 
• In accordance with Australian law; or
• Where it is suspected that unlawful activity or serious misconduct has occurred; or
• To assist in the situation of a reported missing person.

 

Access to your personal information

You may access the Personal Information we hold about you and to update and/or correct it, subject to certain exceptions. If you wish to access your Personal Information, please contact us online or using our phone number 0416770372. In order to protect your Personal Information we may require identification from you before releasing the requested information. Access to your information will only be refused where Privacy legislation or other laws prevent us providing access to you.

 

Where will your personal information stored

We take all reasonable steps to protect all of the personal information we hold from misuse, interference and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Your personal information will be stored on a password protected electronic database, which may be on our database, a database maintained by a cloud hosting service provider or other third party database storage or server provider.

Hard copy information is generally stored in our office, in individual files in locked filing cabinets. Any personal information not actively being used is archived, usually for 7 years, with a third party provider of secure archiving services.

Where personal information is stored with a third party, we have arrangements which require those third parties to maintain the security of the information. We take reasonable steps to protect the privacy and security of that information, but we are not liable for any unauthorised access or use of that information. Your personal information will stay on the database indefinitely until you advise you would like it removed, unless we de-identify it or destroy it earlier in accordance with privacy law requirements.

 

Access to your personal information

We will, upon your request, and subject to applicable privacy laws, provide you with access to your personal information that is held by us. However, we request that you identify, as clearly as possible, the type(s) of information requested. We will deal with your request to provide access to your personal information within 30 days and you agree we may charge you our reasonable costs incurred in supplying you with access to this information.

Your rights to access personal information are not absolute and privacy laws dictate that we are not required to grant access in certain circumstances such as where:

• access would pose a serious threat to the life, safety or health of any individual or to public health or public safety

• access would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of other individuals

• the request is frivolous or vexatious

• denying access is required or authorised by a law or a court or tribunal order

• access would be unlawful, or

• access may prejudice commercial negotiations, legal proceedings, enforcement activities or appropriate action being taken in respect of a suspected unlawful activity or serious misconduct.

 

If we refuse to grant you access to your personal information, we will provide you with reasons for that decision (unless it is unreasonable to do so) and the avenues available for you to complain about the refusal.

 

Complaints

If you have any queries or would like to make a complaint relating to our Privacy Policy or the manner in which we handle your personal information, please contact us by phone 0416770372 or occtherapyplus@hotmail.com. We endeavour to respond to complaints and queries within fourteen days of their receipt. If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may refer the matter to the Australian Information (Privacy) Commissioner (see www.oaic.gov.au).

 

If you do not provide some or all of the personal information requested, we may not be able to offer you services.

 

Please contact us if you have any concerns, complaints, suggestions or queries regarding your privacy and how we might improve in this area. 

 

This page was last updated on: 8th of October 2017