Choice Mental Health is bound by the Australian Privacy Act and sets its data handling policies in line with the Australian Privacy Act and Principles. 

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What sort of personal information do we collect and hold?

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When you first enquire about Choice Mental Health support services, we will collect your name, contact details, how you were referred  (if relevant) and some information about your life goals and support needs, and keep it in a digital file. 

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If you go on to become a client , or if we assist you with an NDIS access request, we will add more information, including your family, carer or support person’s contact details, and depending on the relevance, some ‘sensitive’ information about your health, wellbeing, disability and support needs and history (including forensic history). Sometimes, we ask you to provide documents and assessments from clinicians and other service providers to help us better understand your needs, or assist with a request on your behalf for access to (or funding for) support.

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We will continue to update this information so that we can build a full profile of your needs and wants in relation to our services.

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Internet marketing and website

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Choice Mental Health uses standard web browser features called ‘cookies’ (small text files stored in a user’s browser) or web beacons (electronic images that allow the website to count visitors who have viewed a particular page and to access certain cookies) in order to keep track of browsing patterns and help us build a profile of how users experience and complete navigation goals on our digital media and website. 

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This information helps us to make our online environments work as effectively as possible, including providing secure logins and forms, serve most relevant information, and understand how we might best present our information and services to suit user needs.

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The purposes for which we collect, store, use or share your personal information

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The information we collect and store helps us deliver the best possible service and provides a record of the services you receive. This may include helping you to access the NDIS, other funding or services.

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We may need to use your information to answer a query or respond to a complaint made by you about a service. 

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We will never sell or rent your contact details to others, nor share your personal information with others who are not directly involved in providing support to you.

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We can only release information about you to others if you agree, if it is relevant to your care, or if it is required by law, such as in a medical emergency or if there is a concern regarding harm to you or someone else. We never share your information with providers based overseas.  We sometimes use information from our client database for research, planning and funding requirements, but we will not pass on your name and contact details.

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Your rights in respect of your personal information

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You can choose not to share some of your information.

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You have the right to request access to your client file and to add any comments or notes to it or make a correction. If for any reason we cannot give you access to some of your information, we will let you know why.

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Security of your personal information

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Your information is confidential and is stored securely at all times. We take all reasonable steps to protect personal information from unauthorised disclosure, loss, misuse or alteration.

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We have strict policies about who can see and use your information, and we provide employees with training to ensure your information is protected and secure. 

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How to make a privacy complaint

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If you have any questions regarding the privacy of your personal and health information, please talk to a Choice Mental Health staff member.

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If you are not satisfied with our response, or you believe a breach of the privacy principles has occurred, you can take the matter to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) which is the independent national regulator for privacy and freedom of information – see: https://www.oaic.gov.au

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