Consent and Privacy Policy – Long Read

Your privacy is important to us!

At DG Supports, we care deeply about your privacy and understand the importance of protecting your personal information.

We strictly follow the guidelines laid out by the Australian Privacy Principles(APPs), the Privacy Act of 1998 (Cth) as well as the National Disability Insurance Scheme 2013(Cth) (NDIS Act), and we ensure all personal information of You and Your Support Team is handled per this Privacy Policy. 

You can rest assured that all of your information will be kept safe! This means that your information will remain private and won’t be shared unless necessary to provide services or we are legally obligated to do so. 

What is this policy about?

This policy outlines the actions we take to protect your privacy under the specific laws required. When handling personal information, we abide by the responsibilities mandated under the Privacy Act and the NDIS Act. Personal information is super important to us and is always handled with the utmost importance. Consent and participation are required from an individual when sharing their personal information. We at DG Supports only ask for information that is required for us to provide the best possible services. This privacy policy will allow you to understand how your information is being collected, and stored and how it will be used. 

What is personal information and what kind of personal information do we collect? 

Personal information relates to but is not limited to, information that can be used to identify a person. We collect various types of information, including but not limited to:

• Where you’re currently living
• Your legal name and date of birth
• Your occupation 
• Information about the kind of disability you have 

Sometimes your personal information is considered sensitive. Sensitive information is kept private and strictly for us to cater for the best possible support(s), this can include but is not limited to: 

• Your sexual orientation
• Your cultural background
• Your religious beliefs 
• Information about your health

We also keep some personal information relevant for delivering support(s) services safely, which can include but is not limited to:

• Your family or carers
• Information about your household occupants (i.e. any dogs, etc)
• Other service providers you receive services from

How and when is your information being collected?

There are various ways your personal information can be collected by us. Examples of how and when we collect your personal information are:

• Phone calls
• Emails and other electronic communications
• Verbal communication
• Through engagement within our services 
• When completing online forms through our website
• When completing or singing documents/forms sent by us

Why do we collect your information?

We collect your information to ensure we can effectively offer the best possible services. We sometimes need to collect, store, use, and share your personal information with our contractors to ensure we can deliver the best possible support services. Your information will never be shared unless it is necessary to deliver your support services.
We know how vital it is for you that we keep your private information safe throughout the process of accessing your vital support(s). Our commitment is to ensure your information stays safe and secure at all times. 

Some of the reasons we are required to collect your information include but are not limited to:

• Helping us provide the best possible support services for you
• For the safety of our employees and contractors
• Assisting you with any complaints you may have

Updating and Accessing Your Personal Information:

You have the right to access and update the personal information we hold. It is important to us to maintain up-to-date and accurate information that we require at all times. If you would like to review or modify your stored information, please contact us through our email at: office@dgsupports.com.au.

Use of Cookies:

DG Supports may use cookies or other similar technologies commonly used on our website to enhance your experience. We may also collect information about how the website is used.

Data Retention:

We will retain your personal information as well as a record of support(s) provided and any communications for a minimum of as long as is required under the Privacy Act, NDIS Act, and any other Acts.

Third-Party Services:

We may engage third-party service providers to assist DG Supports with the process of delivering services. These providers may have access to your personal information only to perform services on our behalf and are only used if their privacy policies comply with this policy and the relevant government legislation. We do not use Third-Party service providers that intend to use or disclose your personal information to any other party for any purposes.

Data Storage:

We will, to the best of our capabilities,  ensure your data remains within Australia. If we are ever required to transfer your personal information outside of Australia for the strict purpose of providing support services to you, we will take steps to ensure that adequate safeguards are in place to protect your privacy rights.

Individual Rights:

You will always reserve the right to request access to, rectification of, and restriction of processing your personal information with us. The only exemption to this applies where it would be illegal for us to perform any of the above. You also reserve the right to request your personal information stored by us to be deleted, however, we are often limited in data erasure due to data retention requirements set out by relevant government legislation.

This privacy policy aims to provide you with information about how we collect, use, and protect your personal information to ensure full transparency and compliance with applicable privacy laws and regulations as per our company’s vision statement, mission statement, goals, and values.

If there are any concerns or questions please contact our office at: office@dgsupports.com.au