Privacy Policy
Privacy at a glance
This summary is for children and families, as well as educators, allied health professionals, referrers, government departments and partners, donors, staff and others who interact with Noah’s Ark.
We understand that the information you share with us is important. We are committed to handling it carefully, respectfully and in line with Australian privacy law.
You can read more about the Australian Privacy Principles here
What we collect
We collect information needed to deliver our services and support children, families and others who interact with us.
This may include:
- contact details
- information about children and families
- professional or referral information
- health or disability information (where relevant)
- NDIS-related information
How we use it
We use this information to:
- deliver services and supports
- communicate with you
- coordinate with professionals involved in care
- manage bookings, records and payments
- meet legal requirements
- requirement of various funding bodies
Who we share it with
We only share information where necessary, including with:
- our staff and therapists
- educators, allied health professionals and referrers involved in support
- service providers that help us operate
- government agencies and funding bodies (where required)
We seek consent where required and handle sensitive information with additional care.
Where a child or individual receives services from Noah’s Ark, we may collect, use and share information to deliver services and supports, and to meet relevant legal, reporting and funding requirements.
Overseas disclosure
Some of our service providers are located overseas. This means your information may be stored or processed outside Australia.
Your rights
You can:
- request access to your information
- ask for corrections
- raise concerns about how your information is handled
If you have any questions, requests or complaints regarding this policy or your personal information, please contact:
Email: hello@noahsarkinc.org.au
Post: Noah’s Ark Inc., 261–271 Wattletree Road, Malvern VIC 3144
Full Privacy Policy
1. Who we are
Noah’s Ark Inc. provides services to children, families and communities.
This policy applies to individuals who interact with Noah’s Ark, including children and families, educators, allied health professionals, referrers, government partners, donors, staff, volunteers and others.
We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic), and the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic).
We operate across multiple Australian jurisdictions. Where applicable, we also comply with relevant state and territory privacy and health records legislation.
Our services, including online training and digital platforms, may be accessed by individuals located outside Australia.
You can read more about the Australian Privacy Principles here
2. What information we collect
We may collect and hold personal information and sensitive information, including:
- name, address, email address and telephone number
- information about children and family members
- professional or referral information
- health, developmental and disability information (sensitive information)
- NDIS-related information (e.g. participant number, plan details, reports)
- information provided through referrals, forms, service agreements and correspondence
- records created during service delivery
- payment, donation and billing information
- website usage data (e.g. IP address, browser type, pages visited)
We only collect information that is reasonably necessary for our functions and activities, or where required or authorised by law.
3. How we collect information
We collect personal information:
- directly from you or your authorised representative
- from referral sources (e.g. schools, allied health professionals, NDIS)
- through forms, registrations and service agreements
- during service delivery and communication with our staff
- through our website and digital systems
Where practicable, we will collect information directly from you. In some cases, we may collect information from third parties (such as educators, health professionals or the NDIS) where it is unreasonable or impracticable to collect it directly from you.
4. Collection of sensitive information
We collect sensitive information (including health and disability information) where:
- it is necessary to provide services or supports
- you have provided consent, or
- the collection is otherwise permitted or required by law
If you do not provide certain information, we may not be able to deliver services effectively.
5. Purpose of collection and use
We collect, hold, use and disclose personal information for the following purposes:
- delivering services and supports
- assessing needs and eligibility
- coordinating with educators, health professionals and other stakeholders
- communicating with you and relevant parties
- managing bookings, records, billing and administration
- meeting legal, regulatory and funding requirements
- quality assurance, risk management and service improvement
- sending communications where consent has been provided or where permitted by law
At or before the time of collection, we will take reasonable steps to inform you of:
- the purpose of collection
- how your information will be used and disclosed
- any likely overseas disclosures
- the consequences of not providing the information
We do not use or disclose personal information for unrelated purposes without consent unless permitted or required by law.
6. Disclosure of personal information
We may disclose personal information to:
- employees, contractors and clinicians involved in service delivery
- educators, allied health professionals and other stakeholders involved in support
- partner organisations involved in delivering services
- service providers (e.g. IT systems, cloud storage, email platforms, payment providers)
- government agencies, funding bodies
- regulatory bodies where required
- other parties where you have provided consent
We take reasonable steps to ensure that recipients handle personal information in accordance with applicable privacy obligations.
7. Overseas disclosure and cross-border services
Some of our service providers store or process data overseas, including in the United States.
We take reasonable steps to ensure overseas recipients do not breach the Australian Privacy Principles.
Noah’s Ark may remain accountable for how your personal information is handled by overseas recipients, unless an exception under Australian privacy law applies (for example, where the recipient is subject to a substantially similar law or binding scheme, or where you have provided informed consent after being advised that the Australian Privacy Principles may not apply).
By providing your personal information or using our services, you consent to this disclosure where applicable.
Where we provide services to individuals located outside Australia, personal information may also be subject to the laws of the country in which the individual is located, in addition to Australian privacy laws.
8. Email communications and third-party platforms
We may use third-party providers, including MailChimp, to manage email communications.
These providers may collect and store personal information such as your name, email address, engagement data and technical information associated with your use of their services.
MailChimp may store data on servers located outside Australia, including in the United States.
We may also use third-party platforms to deliver online training, events and digital services. These providers may collect and process personal information in accordance with their own privacy policies.
For more information, please refer to MailChimp’s privacy policy
You can unsubscribe from communications at any time using the link in our emails or by contacting us.
9. Website and analytics
We may collect information about your use of our website using tools such as Google Analytics.
This may include IP address, browser type, pages visited and usage patterns. This information is generally aggregated and used to improve website functionality and user experience.
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to collect and store information about how you use the site. You can manage your preferences through your browser settings.
10. Payment and donations
Payments and donations may be processed through secure third-party providers such as PayPal or other payment gateways.
We do not store full credit card details. Payment providers are responsible for handling financial information in accordance with their own privacy and security obligations.
11. Data security
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
These steps include:
- secure information systems
- access controls and permissions
- staff training and confidentiality obligations
We also maintain processes to identify, assess and respond to data breaches in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.
However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
12. Access and correction
You may request access to personal information we hold about you and request correction of that information.
We may require verification of identity and may refuse access in limited circumstances permitted by law.
13. Complaints
If you have a complaint about how we handle your personal information, please contact us.
We will investigate and respond within a reasonable timeframe.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), the independent regulator responsible for privacy complaints in Australia.
14. Retention of information
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law, funding agreements or record-keeping obligations.
When no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify the information.
15. Anonymity and pseudonymity
Where it is lawful and practicable, you may have the option of not identifying yourself or using a pseudonym.
However, due to the nature of our services, this is often not practical.
16. Updates to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be published on our website.
17. Contact details
If you have any questions, requests or complaints regarding this policy or your personal information, please contact:
Email: hello@noahsarkinc.org.au
Post: Noah’s Ark Inc., 261–271 Wattletree Road, Malvern VIC 3144