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SUNSHINE COAST CITIZEN ADVOCACY PROGRAMME INC.
DIGNITY & PRIVACY SAFEGUARDS POLICY
Sunshine Coast Citizen Advocacy will ensure that the dignity, privacy and confidentiality of all participants in its program are respected and safeguarded.
1. All information shall be secure appropriately and provided only on a need to know basis. If a government department, service provider, Citizen Advocacy Board member or member of the community wishes to access information of an existing or a potential advocate or protégé, they will only be able to do so with the written permission of both the advocate and the protégé in a relationship.
2. All participants involved in Sunshine Coast Citizen Advocacy shall be informed at their initial orientation and throughout their association with Sunshine Coast Citizen Advocacy of the issues relating to dignity, confidentiality and privacy, and they shall also be informed that they must not discuss personal details about their protégé with anyone without the protégé’s consent.
3. If a protégé feels that an advocate or any other person involved with Sunshine Coast Citizen Advocacy has breached his/her dignity, privacy, the protégé may use the grievance procedure. It is encouraged to resolve the grievance, in the first instance, by discussion with the advocate or the other person. If the grievance is not resolved, the parties can approach the Chairperson of Sunshine Coast Citizen Advocacy. If the protégé receives no satisfaction they are able to access outside agencies such as the funding body, Dept of Family and Community Services. Both protégés and advocates shall be made aware of these avenues during their program orientation.
4. Permission, by both advocates and protégés, must be freely given in writing, and witnessed by a third person, before any personal details regarding their relationship may be used for any external or internal publicity or promotion. Anonymity must otherwise be maintained at all times.
5. All protégés have the right to access their personal file at any time. This practice is encouraged and supported by the Staff and Board of Management of Sunshine Coast Citizen Advocacy.
6. When staff of Sunshine Coast Citizen Advocacy collect personal information about protégés and/or advocates, they will do what they can to inform the protégés and/or advocates of:
the purpose of which the information is being collected;
who will have access to the information and in what circumstances.
Efforts to inform protégés and/or advocates will be made before collecting the information or as soon as possible afterwards.