About this policy

We protect your personal information and handle it under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

This policy is for Care Portal Australia Pty Ltd (ABN 78 699 096 207), a registered NDIS provider (registration number 4-MDXT6TH) that also gives aged care support at home across Sydney. "We", "us" and "our" mean Care Portal Australia.

It applies to participants, older people we support, their families and carers, referrers, job applicants, and anyone who contacts us by phone, our website or social media. It explains what we collect, why, who we share it with, and how you can access or correct it or make a complaint.

What we collect

We only collect what we need to give you safe, good-quality support.

• Contact details: name, phone, email, address and suburb, preferred language and best time to call.

• Support details: what help you need, who the support is for, your goals, routines and preferences.

• Funding details: NDIS number, plan type, plan dates and budget, plan manager or support coordinator details; Support at Home (Home Care) package level and assessment status.

• Sensitive information: health, disability, medication, cultural background and religion where it matters for your care. We only collect this with your consent or where the law allows.

• Emergency and family contacts: next of kin, guardians, nominees or other representatives.

• Service records: shift notes, incident reports, feedback and complaints.

• Workers and applicants: resume, references, NDIS Worker Screening Check, Working with Children Check, first aid and other qualifications.

If you don't give us some information, we may not be able to provide all of the support you asked for.

How we collect it

Mostly we collect it straight from you or your representative.

• When you contact us: by phone on 1300 300 606, by email, or through our website careportalaustralia.com.au.

• Through Facebook and Instagram: when you fill in one of our lead forms, message our Page, or call us from an ad. Meta passes us the details you choose to submit.

• From people you have agreed to: family, carers, guardians, support coordinators, plan managers, doctors, allied health workers, hospitals or the referrer who connected us.

• From government programs, with your consent: the NDIA and My Aged Care, for example your plan or assessment details.

• While we support you: our workers record notes about the support they provide.

If we receive information about you that we didn't ask for, we will keep it only if we could have collected it ourselves; otherwise we will destroy or de-identify it.

Why we use it

We use your information to plan and deliver your support, and for nothing unrelated without your consent.

• Call you back, answer your questions and work out if we can help.

• Plan, roster and deliver your supports, and match you with suitable workers who speak your language.

• Keep you safe, including managing risks, incidents and emergencies.

• Make claims and send invoices to the NDIA, your plan manager, your Support at Home provider or you.

• Meet our duties under the NDIS Practice Standards, aged care law and other laws, including audits and reporting.

• Handle feedback and complaints and improve our services.

• Recruit, screen and manage our workers.

Who we share it with

We never sell your information. We share it only when needed for your support, with your consent, or when the law requires it.

• Our workers and contractors, only what they need to support you.

• Funding bodies and payers: the NDIA, your plan manager or support coordinator, Services Australia and My Aged Care, or your Support at Home provider.

• Regulators: the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, for example when we report an incident.

• Your health team and representatives, such as your doctor, family or guardian, if you agree.

• Service providers who help run our business, such as rostering, accounting, IT, email and phone systems, who must keep it confidential.

• Emergency services or the police, when there is a serious threat to someone's life, health or safety, or when the law requires it.

Overseas: some of our software providers, and Meta (Facebook and Instagram), may store information on servers outside Australia, for example in the United States. We take reasonable steps to make sure they protect it in line with the APPs.

Marketing, ads and cookies

We will only contact you about our services in ways you expect, and you can opt out at any time.

• If you submit one of our Facebook or Instagram forms, we use those details to call you back about the support you asked about.

• We never use your health or disability information for marketing.

• To stop hearing from us, tell us by phone or email, or use the unsubscribe link in any message we send.

• Our website and our ads on Facebook and Instagram may use cookies and similar tools that show us how people use them. You can turn off cookies in your browser and change your ad settings in your Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Storage, security and data breaches

We store your information securely and keep it only as long as we need it or the law requires.

• Records are kept in password-protected systems, and only staff who need them can see them.

• Paper records are kept locked away and securely shredded when no longer needed.

• Workers are trained in privacy and confidentiality and must follow our policies.

• We keep records for at least 7 years after your support ends, or longer when the law requires. Then we securely destroy or de-identify them.

• If a data breach is likely to cause you serious harm, we will tell you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, and act to limit the harm.

Seeing and correcting your information

You can ask to see the information we hold about you and ask us to fix anything that is wrong. There is no charge to ask.

• Contact us using the details below. We will check who you are, then reply within 30 days.

• If we can't give you access or make a change, we will explain why in writing and tell you how to complain.

• You can ask questions without giving your name, but we will need your details to provide support.

• Need help in your language? We speak Arabic, Turkish, Vietnamese, Chinese and more. You can also call the free Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450.

Questions and complaints

If you have a question or are unhappy with how we handled your information, talk to us first. We will reply within 30 days.

Care Portal Australia – Privacy Officer Phone: 1300 300 606 Email: info@careportalaustralia.com.au

Making a complaint will never affect the support you receive. If you are not happy with our answer, you can contact:

• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (privacy): 1300 363 992, oaic.gov.au

• NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (NDIS supports): 1800 035 544, ndiscommission.gov.au

• Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (aged care supports): 1800 951 822, agedcarequality.gov.au

Changes to this policy

We review this policy at least once a year and post any update on careportalaustralia.com.au. You can ask us for a free printed copy, or a copy in your language, at any time.