Privacy, Confidentiality & Information Handling

Family Minded respects your privacy and takes the protection of personal and health information seriously.

We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles, the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and the Health Privacy Principles, together with the professional and legal obligations that apply to psychologists and health services.

What information we collect

Depending on the service you receive, we may collect:

your name, contact details and date of birth
referral and Medicare information
relevant medical, developmental, psychological and family history
information about current concerns, treatment and support needs
assessment results and reports
information provided by parents, carers, schools or other professionals
appointment, billing and payment information
correspondence and clinical records.

We aim to collect only information that is reasonably necessary to provide our services.

How we collect information

Information may be collected:

directly from you
from a parent, carer or guardian
through referral information
from GPs, paediatricians, schools, allied health professionals or other services, with appropriate authority or consent
through forms, questionnaires and assessment tools
through website or email enquiries
through other sources where collection is authorised or required by law.

Why we collect and use information

We collect and use personal and health information so that we can:

provide psychological assessment, therapy and support
understand your needs and plan appropriate care
communicate about appointments and services
collaborate with other professionals where appropriate
prepare reports, recommendations and clinical documentation
process payments, Medicare claims and relevant funding arrangements
meet professional, ethical and legal obligations
manage the operation of the practice.

Confidentiality and disclosure

Information discussed in psychological services is treated as confidential.

We generally use or disclose personal and health information for the purpose for which it was collected, for related purposes you would reasonably expect, with your consent, or where use or disclosure is otherwise authorised or required by law.

With appropriate consent, we may communicate with GPs, paediatricians, schools, allied health professionals or other services involved in your care.

Limits to confidentiality

There are circumstances where information may need to be disclosed without consent.

These may include situations where:

disclosure is required or authorised by law
there is a serious concern about immediate safety
information is required to facilitate emergency care
mandatory reporting obligations apply
records are lawfully required by a court or other authorised process.

Where possible and appropriate, we will discuss this with you before information is shared.

Children and young people

When working with children and adolescents, we aim to balance:

the young person’s privacy
their age, development and capacity
parent or carer involvement
safety
the information parents or carers need to support treatment.

We discuss these expectations with families at the beginning of therapy or assessment.

For older children and adolescents, we also consider the young person’s own capacity to understand and participate in decisions about their care.

Information from schools and other professionals

With appropriate consent or authority, we may seek relevant information from schools, medical practitioners, allied health professionals or other people involved in the client’s care.

We only request information that is relevant to the service being provided.

How information is stored

Clinical and administrative records may be held electronically and, where applicable, in hard copy.

We use practice systems and third-party service providers to support functions such as clinical record keeping, communication, billing and website operation.

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Overseas storage or processing

Some third-party technology providers may store or process information outside Australia.

Where this occurs, we aim to use reputable service providers and take reasonable steps to ensure personal information is handled appropriately.

The specific location of data storage or processing may depend on the service provider in use at the time.

Accessing your information

You may request access to personal information we hold about you.

Requests should be made to Family Minded in writing so that we can identify the information requested and respond appropriately.

There may be limited circumstances where access cannot be provided in full, including where doing so would unreasonably affect another person’s privacy or where an exception applies under law.

Correcting your information

You may ask us to correct personal information that is inaccurate, incomplete, out of date or misleading.

We will take reasonable steps to review and correct information where appropriate.

Anonymous or pseudonymous enquiries

Where practical, you may make a general enquiry without identifying yourself.

However, psychological assessment, therapy and other health services usually require us to collect sufficient identifying information to provide safe and appropriate care, maintain clinical records and meet professional obligations.

Website and online enquiries

Please limit information submitted through website forms to what is needed for your enquiry.

Do not use website forms for urgent or crisis-related mental health concerns.

Sensitive clinical information, consent documentation and ongoing clinical records are managed through our clinical systems rather than general website forms.

Privacy concerns or complaints

If you have questions about how your information is handled, would like to access or correct your information, or wish to make a privacy complaint, please contact Family Minded.

We will review privacy concerns promptly and aim to respond in a fair and respectful way.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may also be able to contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner or, where relevant, the Health Complaints Commissioner Victoria.

Contact

For privacy enquiries, access requests, correction requests or complaints, please contact:

Family Minded
info@familyminded.au
03 9811 7052