Confidentiality

Policy Statement

Cybertots Child Care Centre protects the privacy and confidentiality of individuals by ensuring that all records and information about individual children, families, staff and management are kept in a secure place and are only accessed by or disclosed to those people who need the information to fulfil their responsibilities at the centre or have a legal right to know.

Considerations:

• Philosophy - Everyone associated with the centre (staff, parents, children) has the right to the protection of personal information.
• Legislation - Laws relating to the protection of privacy and confidentiality; duty of confidentiality arising from contract with parent; to whom and when information must be disclosed; Commonwealth Childcare Handbook.
• Children's needs - Confidentiality re sensitive health issues, learning difficulties, behaviour difficulties.
• Parents needs - Security that private information given to the centre re income levels, custodial arrangements etc, are kept confidential. Ability to speak to staff re: confidential matters that impact on child's care.
• Staff needs - Personal records, details, appraisals are treated as confidential clear guidelines re what they should/shouldn't disclose about children and families.
• Management needs - To make decisions about confidential issues to obtain relevant personal details from clients.

How Policy will be implemented (Specific Policies and Procedures):

• Every employee and management committee member is provided with clear written guidelines detailing:
  • the information that is to be kept confidential and why
  • what confidential information they may have access to in order to fulfil their responsibilities and how this information may be accessed
  • who has a legal right to know what information
  • where and how the confidential information should be stored.
• Every enrolling parent/guardian is provided with clear information about:
  • what personal information is kept and why
  • any legal authority to collect personal information
  • third parties to whom the service discloses such information as a usual practice.
• Confidential conversations that staff have with parents, or the Director has with staff members will be conducted in a quiet area away from other children, parents and staff. Minutes of such conversations are stored in a confidential folder.
• Personal forms and information is stored securely (ie Locked filing cabinet in the Directors office).
• Information about staff members is only to be accessed by the Director, Staff Liaison Officer/or owner and individual staff member concerned.
• All matters discussed at committee meetings will be treated as confidential.
• No member of staff will give information or evidence on matters relating to children and or their families to anyone other than the custodial parent/guardian when that information has been obtained in the course of employment at the centre unless prior written approval by the custodial parent/guardian is obtained. Exceptions may apply regarding information about children when subpoenaed to appear before a court of law. Not withstanding these requirements confidential information may be exchanged in the normal course of work with other staff members at the centre and may be given to the Management Committee/or owner, when this is reasonably needed for the proper operation of the centre and the wellbeing of users and staff.
• Staff will protect the privacy and confidentiality of other staff members by not relating personal information about another staff member to anyone either within or outside the centre.
• Students and people on work experience/volunteers will only use information gained from the centre upon receiving written approval from the centre to use and/or divulge such information.