Littlehampton Child Care Centre

CONFIDENTIALITY AND PRIVACY

Rationale:
At Littlehampton Child Care Centre we understand that high quality care can only be
achieved and maintained when all stakeholders form strong partnerships. These
partnerships are characterized by open and honest communication which is
respectful of, and sensitive to, cultural and other differences, the fundamental right to
privacy and the knowledge and trust that information sought and provided will be
handled and stored sensitively and only used for the reason for which it was sought.
It is understood by staff/carers, children and families that there is a shared
responsibility between the service and other stakeholders that the Privacy and
Confidentiality Policy and procedures are accepted and followed as a high priority.
In meeting with our duty of care, it is a requirement under the Commonwealth Privacy
Act 1988 that management and staff/carers implement and endorse the services
Privacy and Confidentiality Policy.
A copy of the South Australian Governments Information Privacy Principle is
attached at Appendix A, The Commonwealth Privacy Act may be downloaded at:
http://www.archives.sa.gov.au/privacy/principles.html#Commonwealth_Privacy_Act_
1988
The State Records Act maybe downloaded at:
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/consol_act/sra1997156/
The Freedom of Information Act (Appendix C) may be downloaded at:
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/consol_act/foia1991222/
Littlehampton Child Care Centre is able to provide families with each of these
documents upon request.

Centre Practice:
We will;
Ensure that all information collected from persons will be considered private
and confidential and not disclosed without the prior knowledge or consent
from the individual or legal representative. For the purposes of this policy, the
legal representative of the child is their parent or primary home care-giver or a
nominated staff member of a state agency entrusted with the care and wellbeing of a child under the guardianship of the Minister.
The service will inform persons, prior to collecting information, of the
circumstances when information will be disclosed to other parties. This may
include, but is not limited to disclosure of information to a committee
established for the recruitment of staff or the disclosure of information to
emergency services personnel or relevant government authorities for the
purpose of medical assistance or child protection
Before collecting personal information, Littlehampton Child Care Centre will
inform stakeholders:
o of the purpose for collecting information;
o what types of information will be disclosed to the public or other
agencies;
o when disclosure will happen;
o why disclosure needs to occur;

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o how information is stored;

o the strategies used to keep information secure;
o who has access to the information;
o the right of the individual to view their personal information
o the length of time information needs to archived; and
o how information is disposed of.
Personal information collected is held securely in a locked cabinet and is
accessible only to those staff members who have a specific requirement to
know and share the responsibility of disclosing information to regulatory and
government agencies.
Families are required to update their personal information annually or
whenever they experience a change in circumstance
Personal information will be shredded when no longer required by the Centre
and after mandatory statutory legislative record keeping requirements have
been met
Individuals wishing to access their personal information must apply to the
Director or Assistant Director, who will arrange for an appropriate time and
private place for this to occur under their supervision.
All matters discussed within the Centre, whether relating to children in
attendance, staff members, business operational and financial information or
personal information regarding families will be treated confidentially by staff
and management.
Staff are required to sign a confidentiality statement (Appendix B) and follow
the confidentiality and privacy policy as a key component to their ongoing
employment at Littlehampton Child Care Centre. Failure to comply may lead
to dismissal, and under certain circumstances legal action against the staff
member concerned.
All reports and observations taken regarding children at the Centre must be
factual, accurate and free from biased comments or negative labeling of
children
Students and staff may only gather and use information to fulfill educational
and research requirements after seeking and obtaining written consent from
the Director or Assistant Director and parent/primary home carer

Policy Source Acknowledgements:

Consultation with staff, management & families

http://www.ncac.gov.au/policy_development/privacy_and_confidentiality_polic
y_template.htm
http://www.archives.sa.gov.au/privacy/principles.html#Commonwealth_Privac
y_Act_1988
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/consol_act/sra1997156/
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/consol_act/foia1991222/
http://www.privacy.gov.au/law
http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/docs/documents/1/RecordsRelatingtoChildren.pdf
http://www.deewr.gov.au/Pages/Privacy.aspx

Policy Reviewed: April 2011

Next Review: April 2012
This Policy satisfies the following NCAC Accreditation Principles
2.1: Staff communicate effectively to exchange information about each child and the Centre
2.3: The Centre has an orientation process for children and families
5.1: Staff act to protect each child
5.5: The centre promotes occupational health and safety

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