Privacy policy

Why we collect personal information

As a provider of home care services, we collect and hold a range of personal information about our clients, employees, job applicants, and the contractors we engage.

We collect this personal information so we can deliver the best possible services to our clients and to comply with our legal obligations.

The personal information we collect and hold

Clients

We collect a range of personal information about our clients and their legal representatives, including:

• names, addresses and contact details
• gender, dates of birth, marital status, religion
• photographs
• information about clients’ requirements for the services we provide and existing conditions that affect the services we provide
• information about the services we provide to clients.

Job applicants and contractors

We also collect and hold certain personal information about applicants for employment with us and contractors wishing to supply products and/or services to us as well as their employees, including:

• resumes, employment histories and qualifications
• training records and competency assessments
• police checks and other suitability checks
• medical histories directly related to the individual’s ability to perform the inherent requirements of the position.
  
  

Online privacy

We use cookies on our website. Cookies are a small file that is placed on your computer by a web server when you access a website. They collect user information and data for statistical and analytic purposes, but do not identify the individual user, just the computer.

Websites often use cookies. Most internet browsers accept cookies by default. You can control the use of cookies by configuring the preferences and settings in your browser and/or firewall.

How we collect personal information

We may collect personal information about an individual from a range of sources using a variety of means including:

• forms (either physical or online), mail correspondence, emails and other electronic communications
• through feedback provided by our clients to us in relation to the services provided
• through interactions between us and care managers, client representatives, facilitators, social workers, siblings, children, grandchildren and any other individual interested in or involved in providing services to our clients
• through telephone, email or in-person inquiries or discussions about us and/or the services we provide
• through publicly available sources of information
• through interactions with our social media channels that we offer or monitor
• from job applicants and staff members
• direct contact in the course of us providing services (including the administration of accounts established with us)
• in the course of conducting market research, including customer satisfaction surveys
• from current and prospective suppliers of goods and/or services to us.

Clients

We collect personal information directly from our clients or their representatives. We also collect information from other sources such as health care providers, government departments and bodies and other people or organisations who have provided or do provide services to our clients.

We collect personal information using lawful and fair means and generally only when the information is relevant to our business and activities (including providing services to clients).

Job applicants and contractors

We always try to collect information about applicants for employment with us directly from them. We also collect information about job applicants:

• through background checks and police checks
• from referees and employment agencies.

Information about contractors and their employees is collected directly from the contractors and from our clients and their representatives.

How we store personal information

We strive to ensure the security of personal information we collect and hold. We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.

How we use personal information

Clients

We primarily use clients’ personal information to provide them with services in their home. We also use clients’ personal information for other purposes including, but not limited to:

• complying with our obligations under laws
• quality assurance, risk management and continuous improvement activities.

From time to time, we use clients’ personal information for direct marketing. Clients who do not wish to have their personal information used for this purpose should contact us on the details below and let us know.

Job applicants and contractors

We use personal information about job applicants and contractors:

• to assess their suitability to perform the duties required and deliver services to our clients, where required
• to meet our obligations under relevant laws, including workplace laws
• to improve the services we offer through quality improvement activities such as training.
  
  

Circumstances in which we disclose personal information

Clients

Personal information collected about our clients may be disclosed to other parties involved in providing, evaluating or administering services. This may include disclosure of information to, for example, a client’s doctor or their allied health service providers, cleaners, gardeners or maintenance personnel who provide services to the client at home.

We may disclose personal information (including sensitive information) about our clients to:

• our agents and contractors (e.g. to enable them to perform services under contract with us which may directly or indirectly benefit the client from whom the information was collected or to enable internal administration, training, assessments and reviews)
• marketing providers to facilitate our marketing of our services to current and to prospective clients
• government agencies where this is necessary for us to comply with our legal obligations to notify the government and police of certain matters (e.g. in connection with investigations into and notification of complaints, serious incidents and reportable events)
• our professional advisers, such as lawyers or auditors
• related organisations.

We may also disclose personal information (including sensitive information) about a client when required by law or court order or where we are required to do so as a result of any obligations we owe under any contract.

Job applicants and contractors

We use personal information about job applicants and contractors:

• to assess their suitability to perform the duties required and deliver care and services to our clients, where required
• to meet our obligations under relevant laws, including workplace laws
• to improve the services we offer through quality improvement activities such as training
• to assess and manage the supply of goods and services to us by a prospective or current contractor
• with government agencies where this is necessary for us to receive funding and/or comply with our legal obligations to notify the government and police of certain matters.

Cross-border disclosure

We do not disclose personal information to third parties outside Australia unless we have consent or the disclosure is authorised by law.

Sale or merger

Personal information about individuals we have collected and hold may be disclosed to third parties in the event we offer to sell and/or sell our business and/or assets, at or before the time of a merger, acquisition or sale.

Direct marketing

We may directly market ourselves and our services to an individual on the basis that the individual would reasonably expect us to do so, where we have already collected the individual’s personal information directly from the individual.

Where we collect information about an individual from a third party, we will not use that information to directly market to that individual unless the individual consents to this. Such consent may be express or may be implied.

Accessing and correcting your personal information

It is important that the information we hold about our clients, employees, job applicants and contractors is accurate. Except in certain situations, you have the right to access your personal information and ask us to correct it. We will take reasonable steps to update or correct, as soon as possible, any information in our possession that is inaccurate, incomplete, out-of-date, irrelevant or misleading.

We may refuse to grant you access where this is allowed or required by law, for example, where this would have a negative impact on someone else’s privacy. If we do refuse to grant access, we will give you written reasons.

If you would like to access your personal information, please contact:
Privacy Officer
Acquaint
Central House
489 Toorak Road, TOORAK VIC 3142

Phone: 03 9267 9090
Email: md@acquaintco.com.au

We may charge you a small fee for accessing your personal information, as permitted by law.

Complaining about a breach of privacy

You have the right to complain if you believe we have breached this policy or your rights under the Australian Privacy Principles.

To lodge a complaint, please write to our Managing Director at the following address:
Acquaint
Central House
101 Moray Street
South Melbourne
VIC 3205

You can also make a complaint by emailing md@acquaintco.com.au.

We will promptly acknowledge receipt of your complaint and we will endeavour to deal with your complaint and to provide you with a response within a reasonable time period following receipt of your complaint (generally within 30 days of receipt). Where a complaint requires a more detailed investigation, it may take longer to resolve. If this is the case, then we will provide you with progress reports.

We reserve the right to verify the identity of the person making the complaint and to seek (where appropriate) further information from the complainant in connection with the complaint.

Where required by law, we will provide our determination on your complaint to you in writing.

Please note that we may refuse to investigate or to otherwise deal with a complaint if we consider the complaint to be vexatious or frivolous.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au.