Policy Statement
Melbourne Juniors will ensure that the privacy and confidentiality of individuals is maintained at all times, by ensuring that all records and information about individual children, families, educators and management are kept in a secure place and are only accessible by those people who need the information to fulfil their responsibilities at the Centre or have a legal right to know.
Who does this Policy apply to?
This Policy applies to Parents/Guardians, Management, Educators and Students.
Policy Guidelines
The personal information that the Centre collects includes:
- Contact details of children, families, staff, students, volunteers and management,
- Children, families, staff, students, volunteers, emergency contacts contact details,
- Children’s health status, immunisation and developmental records and plans, external agency information, custodial arrangements, incident records, and medication records,
- Staff documentation relating to recruitment and selection, performance reviews, qualifications, work history, child protection checks, health status, immunisation records and workers’ compensation claims,
- Student and volunteer work history, child protection checks,
- Information relating to families’ Child Care Benefit (CCB) status and any other additional funding arrangements.
Method of Collection
Personal information is collected from you directly through the use of our standard forms, over the internet via our website, via email or written communication with you, or through a telephone conversation with you. Photos and videos of children and children’s work samples are collected at times for observations and Programming.
Name, address and phone numbers of children’s additional emergency contact people are collected from children’s parents or guardians.
There may be instances, on occasion where personal information about you will be collected indirectly because it is unreasonable or impractical to collect the personal information from you directly. We will usually notify you about these instances in advance, or where that is not possible, as soon as reasonably practicable after the information has been collected.
How is this information stored?
All personal files are kept in a secure filing cabinet in a private room which is kept locked outside of operational hours. Computerised records are stored safely and secured with a password for access only by authorised persons.
Individual children’s learning will be documented and shared with families via individual portfolios. Families are able to view children’s portfolios at any time.
Confidential meetings which may take place with families, will be held in private and may be documented. The documentation of these meetings will be stored in the child’s individual file.
Who is this information shared with?
All information provided in enrolment forms is kept strictly confidential and is only shared with those involved directly with the care and education of the child.
Melbourne Juniors adopts the following principles for handling personal information based on the Privacy Act (1988):
- Collection of information will be lawful and fair,
- People will be told why the information is being collected,
- Personal information collected will be of good quality and not too intrusive,
- Personal information will be properly secure,
- People will know what personal information is being collected and why,
- People will have access to their own records,
- It is ensured that personal information is of good quality and people will be allowed to have it changed where required,
- It is ensured that personal information is of good quality before use,
- Use of personal information will be relevant,
- The use of personal information will be limited,
- The disclosure of personal information outside the agency will not be allowed.
No member of staff may provide information or evidence on matters relating to children and/or their families to anyone other than the custodial parent/guardian, 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. Notwithstanding these requirements, confidential information may be exchanged in the normal course of work with other staff members at the Centre and may be provided to the Operator, when this is reasonably needed for the proper operation of the Centre and the wellbeing of users and staff.
What information will be kept confidential?
- Child contact information,
- Enrolment summaries / information,
- Individual observations,
- Individual goals / objectives,
- Medication, illness and incident forms,
- Parent meeting minutes,
- Behaviour management plans.
Management will share the information regarding children’s health and safety with Educators.
This includes:
- Information relating to children’s allergies,
- Information relating to children’s medical needs,
- Information relating children’s additional needs.
Students at the Centre
Students and Volunteers at the Centre will be made aware of the Centre’s Privacy Policy and must adhere to the same guidelines as Educators who are employed by Melbourne Juniors.
Students/people on work experience/volunteers will not make staff/children or families at the Centre an object for discussion outside of the Centre (e.g. college, school, home etc.), nor will they at any time use family names in recorded or tutorial information.
Any information which is required for individual studies, must obtain prior written agreement by authorised Guardians.
Records Archived by the Service
All archiving is stored in a secure place, accessible only by Management and Educators. Please contact the centre to get further information with regards to the type of record, the timeframe it is kept and the Regulation References.
Records stored at the Centre is kept in both hard and soft copy formats. This means that what can be stored on a computer (soft copy) will be done so to save space. Otherwise, original forms and documents will be stored in their paper form (hard copy).
These records will be stored in an area located on the Centre property that is inaccessible to children, families and any unauthorised staff members.
Once records have been stored for their required amount of time, they will be destroyed in a manner that defies duplication. Any information stored on computers will be erased and destroyed, all paper documents and forms will be shredded.
