Privacy policy

Who is affected by privacy procedures?

In the course of our day-to-day work, Women's Health West needs to collect different kinds of personal information about service users, members or contacts of our service.

Information collected may be as minimal as the name and address of a Women's Health West member, to extensive case notes for participants or service users of our various programs.

Why is privacy important?

Women's Health West is bound by certain legal obligations in our work, including the requirements of the Privacy Act 2000 (Victoria) and the Health Records Act 2001.

We place a high value on confidentiality and privacy in all our work. Knowing about your rights and our procedures in this area helps you to feel confident that your right to safety and privacy will be respected by us at all times.

What information is kept about members and organisational contacts?

Women's Health West members include individual women who live or work in the Western Region, as well as workers in various services in the West and statewide. We have a central database with information about our members and contacts including their name, contact details, and particular interests. This last category of information enables us to know what kind of information you may be interested in receiving about our activities.

What can happen to information about members and contacts?

Personal information about individual members and contacts is kept strictly confidential. This means that Women's Health West will not give out this information to any organisation or individual. Information about services which is publicly available may sometimes be cross-referenced with like-minded organisations in the interests of keeping such information as up-to-date as possible.

What information is kept about service users?

We keep the name and contact details of each service user on an individual file. Other details as required are recorded by the worker who is in contact with them. This helps our workers keep up-to-date information, so they can support our service users in the best possible way. Women's Health West also uses non-identifying information to help better manage and plan the service we offer.

If there is a need to share relevant information with another service provider as part of supporting a service user, our workers will ask the service user to consent, verbally or in writing, to the worker being able to speak to those other services about their situation.

Women's Health West treats personal service user information in the strictest confidence, and stores it securely. We are committed to the confidentiality of our service user's files.

The privacy of service user information is protected by law. We release information about our service users to other services only if they explicitly agree, or if we are required to do so by law.

In what situation could this occur?

Women's Health West works in the interests of the safety and wellbeing of our service users. Our priority is supporting women's decisions about what is best for them and their children. However, if a worker working with a particular client believes that the client or her children are in danger of harm, she may be required by law to inform one or more of a range of agencies including Child Protective Services, the police or mental health services.

Another example of where we may be required to give information about a service user's situation is if the person who hurt them or their children is charged with a crime in relation to that violence. Many forms of family violence are criminal acts. Our workers may occasionally be subpoenaed to give evidence in such cases.

What say do our service users have in what happens to their information?

Women's Health West service users have a say in what happens to their information, within the legal limits described above. If a service user decides not to allow some of their information to be shared with other services, this is their right. However, this may affect our ability to provide that service user with the best possible support, because we rely on the information they give us to find the services and supports they and their children need. Service users should talk to us if they wish to change or cancel the consent they have given.

Can service users access their information?

Our service users have a right to request access to their own file, and to ask for it to be corrected if necessary. The only situation where a service user may not be able to access all information in their file is where this might impact on the privacy of others (such as a friend or relative who gave it), or where it might prejudice law enforcement or legal proceedings.

Any other questions?

It is important that our service users fully understand their rights with regards to their personal information. We encourage service users to talk to our staff if they have any questions, concerns or complaints about what happens to their information while they are a service user of Women's Health West.