This website, www.vallijones.com.au is owned and operated by Valli Jones, ABN 46 261 699 330. If you have any questions or need further information, please contactadmin@vallijones.com.au
This document sets out our Privacy Policy. It describes how we collect and manage your personal information when you interact with this site. Valli Jones and Associates takes this responsibility very seriously. If you have any questions or concerns about how your personal information is being handled, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We comply with the Australian Privacy Principles set out in the Privacy Act 1988.
Personal Information
If you engage with us via this website we may collect the following kinds of personal information from you, including:
- contact details
Collection and Use
We will only collect your personal information with your full awareness and consent, such as when you submit an enquiry via the web contact form. We will only use this information to respond to your enquiry, and only if we need it to provide you with information or services that you request.
Sensitive Information
We understand that some personal information is particularly sensitive. We will only collect sensitive information by methods that are reasonably secure, such as through our scheduling system when you book an appointment, or when you send me information in an email.
We collect this information so that we can provide you with the services you have engaged us for, and to ensure that we are providing you with the most appropriate services. The sensitive information we ask you to provide for this purpose may include:
- demographics
- your medical history
- relevant personal history
We are committed to securely storing and handling your sensitive information. Sensitive information is stored on a password protected computer. Hard copy materials are stored in a locked filing cabinet in a secure office. Some sensitive information may be stored securely online, or in the cloud through Coreplus, DropBox or HealthKit. These digital services comply with stringent security requirements. Only the clinician responsible for your treatment and authorised team members may access sensitive material.
Sensitive information may be collected from children under the age of 18 in the presence of their parents, or with their parent or guardian’s full consent. All information collected from minors is securely stored in accordance with this privacy policy.
All archived sensitive information is securely destroyed after 7 years, or in the case of information collected about minors, after the individual turns 21 years of age.
Professional Considerations
We are subject to the following regulations regarding the collection of personal information:
- As clinical psychologists, we owe you a professional duty of confidentiality.
We take this responsibility very seriously and will always strive to promote your best interests. You may choose not to provide us with your personal information. However, if you choose not to be completely honest with us, we may not be able to provide you with the services that you request.
Use of Personal Information
We may disclose some of your personal information to provide you with the services you have requested. In order to do this, we may share some relevant personal information – on a strictly need to know basis –with administrative staff. We will also disclose your information if required by law to do so or in circumstances permitted by the Privacy Act– for example, where we have reasonable grounds to suspect that unlawful activity, or misconduct of a serious nature, that relates to our functions or activities has been, is being or may be engaged in, and in response to a subpoena, discovery request or a court order.
If you have any concerns regarding the disclosure of your personal information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us to discuss this personally.
We will use all reasonable means to protect the confidentiality of your personal information while in our possession or control. We will not knowingly share any of your personal information with any third party other than the service providers who assist us in providing the information and/or services we are providing to you. To the extent that we do share your personal information with a service provider, wewould only do so if that party has agreed to comply with our privacy standards as described in this privacy policy. However, some of our service providers may be overseas and may not be subject to Australian Privacy Laws or compliant with GDPR. Please contact us if you have any concerns about the potential disclosure of your information.
Security
We take reasonable physical, technical and administrative safeguards to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.
We manage risks to your personal information by:
- storing files securely
- ensuring that only key personnel have access to sensitive information
- releasing information to service providers on a strictly need-to-know basis, and
- conducting regular audits of our security systems.
As mentioned above, your personal information may also be stored with a third-party provider, where it will be managed under their security policy.
Access to Information
You can contact us to access, correct or update your personal information at any time. Unless we are subject to a confidentiality obligation or some other restriction on giving access to the information which permits us to refuse you access under the Privacy Act, and we believe there is a valid reason for doing so, we will endeavour to make your information available you within 30 days.
Please begin the process by sending an email requesting access to your information to us at admin@vallijones.com.au and we will endeavour to respond within 7 days.
Complaints
If a breach of this Privacy Policy occurs, or if you wish to a request a change to your personal information, you may contact us by sending an email outlining your concerns to me at admin@vallijones.com.au and we will endeavour to respond within 48 hours.
If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint you may seek a review by contacting the health ombudsman in your state or territory.
Notification of Change
If we decide to change our Privacy Policy, we will post a copy of the revised policy on our website.
Notification of Breach
If we have reason to suspect that a serious data breach has occurred and that this may result in harm or loss to you, we will immediately assess the situation and take appropriate remedial action. If we still believe that you are at risk, we will notify the Office of the Information Commissioner and either notify you directly, or if that is not possible, publicise a notification of the breach on this website.