Privacy Policy

Vision and Care is committed to safeguarding the privacy and confidentiality of every person who interacts with us — including NDIS participants, their families and carers, referral partners, and website visitors. We recognise that the information you share with us is personal, and we treat it with the utmost care and respect.

This Privacy Policy is governed by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). It applies to all personal information we collect through our website, referral forms, and in the course of providing disability support services.

By using our website or engaging our services, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in this Policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of our website and contact us directly to discuss your preferences.

We only collect information that is reasonably necessary for our functions and activities as an NDIS service provider. The types of personal information we may collect include:

From Participants and Prospective Clients:

• Full name, date of birth, and contact details (phone, email, address)
• NDIS participant number and plan details
• Disability-related, medical, and health information relevant to support delivery
• Support goals, preferences, and daily living requirements
• Emergency contact and family/carer information
• Cultural background and language preferences relevant to service delivery

From Website Visitors and Enquirers:

• Name and contact details submitted through our enquiry or referral forms
• Browser type, device information, and pages visited (via analytics tools)
• IP address (anonymised where possible)

From Support Coordinators and Referral Partners:

• Contact details and organisational information
• Participant referral details provided during the coordination process

We collect most personal information directly from you. In some cases, we may receive information from third parties such as referring organisations or government bodies, where this is necessary to deliver our services and consistent with applicable law.

We use personal information strictly for the purposes for which it was collected, or for related purposes you would reasonably expect. This includes:

• Delivering and managing NDIS support services tailored to each participant's goals and needs
• Processing referrals and onboarding new participants
• Communicating with participants, families, carers, and support coordinators
• Complying with our obligations under the NDIS Act, NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission requirements, and other applicable legislation
• Responding to feedback, complaints, and general enquiries
• Maintaining accurate service records and participant files
• Improving the quality of our services and website experience
• Meeting internal reporting, billing, and quality assurance requirements

We will not use your information for direct marketing without your explicit consent. We will never sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party for commercial purposes.

Vision and Care takes reasonable and appropriate steps to protect all personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, and disclosure.

Our security measures include:

• Encrypted digital file storage hosted within Australia
• Password-protected access with role-based restrictions for staff
• Secure communication channels for sharing sensitive information
• Staff training on privacy obligations and responsible information handling
• Regular review of our information security and data management practices

We retain personal information for as long as required by law or reasonably necessary for our operations. When information is no longer needed, we securely dispose of it — by permanent deletion for electronic records, or physical destruction for paper records — in accordance with our records management obligations.

We may disclose personal information to third parties only where necessary and in accordance with the APPs. Disclosures may be made to:

• Other support providers involved in a participant's care, with their consent or as required to deliver the agreed service
• The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, NDIA, or other government bodies as required by law or regulation
• Emergency services or healthcare professionals where there is a serious and imminent risk to the safety of a person
• Trusted service providers (e.g., cloud storage, IT support, payroll processors) who are contractually bound by confidentiality obligations and comply with Australian privacy laws
• Legal or professional advisors in connection with the operation of our business

We will not disclose your personal information to overseas recipients unless you have explicitly consented or we are legally required to do so. We will never sell, trade, or rent your personal information to any third party for commercial purposes.

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve functionality and gather anonymous usage analytics. Cookies are small text files stored on your device that help us understand how visitors interact with our website.

We may use cookies for:

• Remembering your session preferences during a visit
• Analysing website traffic patterns using anonymised, aggregated data
• Improving website performance and overall user experience

You may disable cookies through your browser settings at any time. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain parts of our website. We do not use cookies to collect personally identifiable information without your knowledge or consent.

Under the Australian Privacy Act, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of information that is inaccurate, incomplete, or out-of-date
• Complain about how we have handled your personal information
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on your consent (noting this may affect our ability to continue delivering services)

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Privacy Officer using the details in Section 09 below. We will respond to access and correction requests within 30 days. In limited circumstances, we may decline a request where permitted by the APPs, and we will provide a written explanation of the reason.

If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy complaint, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au.

Our website may use or link to third-party platforms and services, including:

• Google Analytics — for anonymised website traffic analysis and performance monitoring
• Email service providers — for processing form submissions and enquiry responses
• Social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn) — for community engagement and content sharing

Each of these third-party services operates under its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review their policies independently. Vision and Care is not responsible for the privacy practices, security, or accuracy of any third-party websites or services accessed via links on our website.

For all privacy enquiries, access requests, correction requests, or complaints, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Vision and Care may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or business operations. When we do, we will revise the "Last Updated" date shown at the top of this page.

We encourage you to review this Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information. Continued use of our website or services following any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised Policy.

If any update materially changes how we handle your personal information, we will take reasonable steps to notify affected parties directly.