What personal information we collect

Personal information is information or an opinion that identifies you. It includes health information, which is information about your physical or mental health, and photos, videos and sound recordings. The personal information we collect includes:

• your name, address, phone number, email address and date of birth
• your NDIS number, plan details and the name of your plan manager
• information about your health, disability, support needs, goals and preferences
• contact details for your family, representatives and other providers
• records of the supports we provide, including shift notes and incident reports
• for job applicants, your work history, qualifications and screening checks

How we collect it

We collect information from you and your representatives in person, by phone, by text, by email and through the forms on this website. With your consent, we may also collect it from other people, such as your doctor, nurse, other providers, your plan manager or the NDIA. Where we receive information about you from someone else, we will take reasonable steps to let you know.

Why we collect it

We only ask for and keep the information we need to:

• check whether we can support you
• provide safe supports that meet your needs
• monitor and improve the supports we provide
• claim payment for supports through your plan manager or you
• consider job applications
• meet our legal obligations, including NDIS requirements and reporting that does not identify you

Our website and online forms

When you send us a referral, feedback, an enquiry or a job application through this website, the details you enter are emailed to our team and stored securely in our website system. Only authorised LSWA staff can see them, and we use them only for the reason you sent them.

If you make a referral for someone else, please make sure you have their consent, or the consent of their representative, before sharing their information with us.

Apart from the analytics described below, our website uses only the cookies it needs to work properly. We do not use advertising cookies or sell your information to anyone.

Website analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand how people use our website, such as which pages are visited and how many people get in touch through it. It uses cookies and collects information that does not identify you by name. We do not use it for advertising. You can opt out using Google’s opt-out browser add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

When we share your information

We only share your personal information:

• with your consent, or the consent of a person with legal authority to act for you
• to prevent or lessen a serious threat to your life, health or safety, or someone else’s
• when the law requires or allows it, for example to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission or the police

We store your personal information in Australia.

Keeping your information safe

We store your information in a way that protects it from misuse, loss and unauthorised access or change. Electronic records are kept on password-protected computers and accounts, and paper records are kept locked away.

We keep records for at least 7 years after your last support, as NDIS record-keeping rules require. After that, we securely destroy them or remove anything that identifies you.

If a data breach is likely to cause you serious harm, we will tell you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, as the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme requires.

Seeing and correcting your information

You can ask to see the information we hold about you, and ask us to correct it. Speak to any LSWA staff member or contact our Privacy Officer (details below). We may ask you to prove who you are first. We aim to respond within 2 working days. There is no fee to ask, but we may charge a small fee for copies.

In some cases the law lets us refuse access, in full or in part – for example where giving access would unreasonably affect another person’s privacy, pose a serious threat to anyone’s life, health or safety, or harm an investigation into possible unlawful activity. If we refuse, we will tell you why.

Please tell us as soon as you can if any information we hold is out of date or wrong.

Questions and complaints

If you have a question or complaint about privacy, please contact our Privacy Officer:

We will acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days and handle it under our Feedback and Complaints Policy and Procedure. If you are not happy with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner on 1300 363 992 or at oaic.gov.au, or the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission on 1800 035 544.

Changes to this policy

We review this policy at least once a year. The date at the top shows when it was last updated.