Privacy Policy

1. Purpose

Rahmah Care Australia (“Rahmah Care”, “we”, “our” or “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy, dignity and confidentiality of every person who accesses our services.

We recognise that personal information is entrusted to us and we are committed to collecting, using, storing and disclosing that information responsibly and lawfully.

This Privacy Policy explains how we manage personal information in accordance with relevant legislation.

This policy applies to all individuals who interact with Rahmah Care Australia’s services, including visitors to our website.

2. Information We Collect

We only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary to provide our services, comply with legal obligations or conduct our business.

Depending on your relationship with us, we may collect:

Personal Information

• full name
• date of birth
• gender
• contact details
• postal address
• emergency contact information
• Medicare, Centrelink or other government identifiers where authorised
• NDIS participant details
• My Aged Care information
• referral information
• service history
• communication preferences
• employment or volunteer application information
• payment and billing information
• feedback, compliments and complaints.

Sensitive Information

Where required to provide services, we may collect sensitive information including:

• health information
• disability information
• medical history
• allied health reports
• counselling records
• mental health information
• cultural background
• language preferences
• religious or spiritual preferences where relevant to service delivery
• risk assessments
• behavioural support information
• safeguarding information.

Sensitive information is collected only where reasonably necessary and with your consent, unless otherwise authorised or required by law.

3. How We Collect Information

We may collect personal information directly from you through:

• enquiries made by telephone, email or our website
• referral forms
• intake assessments
• service agreements
• counselling appointments
• aged care assessments
• NDIS planning meetings
• employment applications
• feedback or complaints.

We may also collect information from authorised third parties including:

• family members or nominees
• legal guardians
• support coordinators
• health professionals
• hospitals
• general practitioners
• allied health providers
• My Aged Care
• the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA)
• government agencies
• authorised referral organisations.

4. Website Information

When you visit our website we may automatically collect technical information including:

• IP address
• browser type
• operating system
• device information
• pages visited
• referral source
• date and time of visit
• cookies
• website usage statistics.

This information assists us to improve our website, maintain security and better understand visitor needs.

5. How We Use Personal Information

We use personal information to:

• provide disability supports
• deliver aged care services
• provide counselling services
• provide community support programs
• assess eligibility for services
• develop care and support plans
• communicate with participants, clients and authorised representatives
• coordinate services with other providers
• manage appointments
• respond to enquiries
• process referrals
• recruit employees and volunteers
• manage quality improvement activities
• investigate incidents or complaints
• meet funding and reporting obligations
• comply with legal and regulatory requirements
• protect the health, safety and wellbeing of participants, clients, staff and the community.

We will only use personal information for the purpose for which it was collected or where otherwise permitted by law.

6. Disclosure of Personal Information

We treat all personal information confidentially.

We may disclose personal information where:

• you have provided consent
• disclosure is necessary to provide services
• another healthcare or community service provider is involved in your care
• required by law
• required by a court or tribunal
• authorised under the Privacy Act
• necessary to prevent or lessen a serious threat to life, health or safety
• required by government agencies responsible for regulating our services.

These organisations may include:

• National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA)
• NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
• My Aged Care
• Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
• law enforcement agencies
• healthcare professionals
• allied health providers
• emergency services
• funding bodies where authorised.

Rahmah Care Australia does not sell, rent or trade personal information.

7. Storage and Security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Our safeguards include:

• secure electronic record systems
• password-protected databases
• encrypted electronic communications where appropriate
• restricted staff access based on roles
• secure storage of paper records
• confidentiality agreements
• staff privacy training
• secure destruction of records when no longer required
• regular review of privacy and cybersecurity practices.

8. Health, Counselling and Care Records

Some of our services require us to collect health and counselling information.

These records are maintained confidentially and accessed only by authorised personnel who require the information to provide safe, effective and person-centred services.

Counselling records are managed in accordance with professional ethical standards, applicable privacy legislation and any relevant professional practice requirements.

9. Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve functionality and analyse website usage.

Cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website and improve user experience.

You may disable cookies through your browser settings, although some website features may not function correctly.

10. Accessing or Correcting Your Information

You may request access to personal information we hold about you or request corrections if you believe the information is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.

Requests should be made using the contact details below.

We will respond within a reasonable period in accordance with applicable privacy legislation.

Access may be declined in limited circumstances where permitted by law.

11. Privacy Complaints

If you believe we have breached your privacy or mishandled your personal information, please contact us.

We are committed to resolving privacy concerns promptly, fairly and confidentially.

Rahmah Care Australia
Phone: (02) 8599 1714
Email: info@rahmah.org.au
Postal Address: PO Box 170, Chester Hill NSW 2162

We aim to acknowledge privacy enquiries and complaints within five (5) business days and respond as soon as reasonably practicable.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact:

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
Website: www.oaic.gov.au (opens in a new window)
Phone: 1300 363 992

Where your complaint relates to disability supports, you may also contact:

NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
Website: www.ndiscommission.gov.au (opens in a new window)
Phone: 1800 035 544

Where your complaint relates to Commonwealth-funded aged care services, you may contact:

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
Website: www.agedcarequality.gov.au (opens in a new window)
Phone: 1800 951 822

12. Overseas Disclosure

Rahmah Care Australia generally stores personal information within Australia.

If personal information is disclosed to an overseas service provider (for example, secure cloud-based technology providers), we will take reasonable steps to ensure the provider complies with Australian privacy obligations or equivalent protections as required under the Privacy Act.

13. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legislation, technology, organisational practices or service delivery.

The current version will always be available on our website.

14. Contact Us

Rahmah Care Australia
Phone: (02) 8599 1714
Email: info@rahmah.org.au
Website: https://www.rahmah.org.au
Postal Address: PO Box 170, Chester Hill NSW 2162