SAFE PLACES FOR CHILDREN

PRIVACY STATEMENT

1.         INTRODUCTION

1.1       Safe Places for Children (Safe Places) collects and holds personal information in the course of conducting its business in Australia. This Privacy Statement explains how Safe Places manages personal information.

1.2       Safe Places is committed to complying with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act), including the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), to the extent they apply to Safe Places.

1.3       Safe Places currently provides services in Queensland and Western Australia, including under arrangements with government departments. In providing those services, Safe Places may also be subject to applicable State privacy, information management, child protection and recordkeeping requirements.

1.4       Safe Places also retains certain records relating to services formerly provided in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Those records are managed and retained in accordance with applicable legal, contractual, privacy and recordkeeping obligations.

1.5       This Privacy Statement applies to personal information collected and held by Safe Places that is subject to the Privacy Act, including personal information relating to prospective employees, contractors and agents.

1.6       Some personal information held by Safe Places may be subject to additional legal or contractual requirements, including child protection, information management and recordkeeping laws applying in jurisdictions in which Safe Places currently or formally provided services. Where those requirements apply, Safe Places will manage the relevant information in accordance with those requirements.

1.7       Certain acts and practices relating to employee records may be exempt from the Privacy Act. Where an exemption applies, Safe Places will continue to manage those records in accordance with other applicable legal and contractual requirements.

2.         WHAT IS PERSONAL INFORMATION?

2.1       Personal information is information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable.

2.2       Sensitive information is a category of personal information and includes information such as health information, criminal history and membership of professional or trade associations.

3.         WHAT KINDS OF PERSONAL INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT AND HOLD?

3.1       The personal information Safe Places collects and holds will depend on the individual’s relationship with Safe Places and may include:

        (a)        name and contact information;

        (b)        date of birth;

        (c)        employment and engagement information and history;

        (d)        licence and qualification details;

        (e)        education and training information;

        (f)         banking and payment information;

        (g)        information required to assess suitability for employment or engagement; and

        (h)        other information reasonably necessary for Safe Places’ functions and activities.

3.2       Where reasonably necessary and permitted by law, Safe Places may collect sensitive information, including:

        (a)        health information;

        (b)        criminal history information; and

        (c)        other sensitive information relevant to employment, engagement or the provision of services.

3.3       Historical service records

Safe Places may continue to hold personal and sensitive information relating to young people, employees, contractors and other individuals associated with services previously provided by Safe Places, including services formerly provided in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Safe Places retains and manages those records in accordance with applicable legal, contractual and recordkeeping requirements.

4.         HOW DO WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION?

4.1       Where practicable, Safe Places collects personal information directly from the individual concerned.

4.2       Safe Places may also collect personal information from other sources where permitted or required, including:

        (a)        employees, contractors and agents;

        (b)        current and previous employers;

        (c)        referees;

        (d)        government departments and agencies;

        (e)        organisations conducting screening, testing or assessment services; and

        (f)         other persons or organisations where authorised or required by law.

5.         HOW DO WE HOLD AND PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION?

5.1       Safe Places may hold personal information electronically and in physical records.

5.2       Safe Places takes reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, authentication measures, secure information systems and physical security measures.

5.3       Safe Places retains personal information only for as long as it is required or permitted to be retained for legal, contractual, operational or recordkeeping purposes.

5.4       Where personal information is no longer required to be retained, Safe Places will take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it in accordance with applicable requirements.

6.         WHY DO WE COLLECT, HOLD, USE OR DISCLOSE PERSONAL INFORMATION?

6.1       Safe Places collects, holds, uses and discloses personal information where reasonably necessary for its functions and activities, including:

        (a)        providing and administering services;

        (b)        assessing prospective employees, contractors and agents;

        (c)        managing employment and contractor relationships;

        (d)        meeting safeguarding, regulatory and contractual requirements;

        (e)        communicating with government departments and other relevant organisations;

        (f)         managing historical records and responding to requests concerning former services; and

        (g)        complying with legal and recordkeeping obligations.

6.2       Safe Places generally uses or discloses personal information for the purpose for which it was collected. Safe Places may also use or disclose information for a related secondary purpose where permitted by law.

6.3       Safe Places may disclose personal information, where appropriate, to:

        (a)        Commonwealth, State and Territory government departments, agencies and statutory bodies;

        (b)        professional advisers and service providers;

        (c)        contractors and agents;

        (d)        screening, health and assessment providers;

        (e)        technology and information-management providers; and

        (f)         other persons or organisations where authorised or required by law.

6.4       Safe Places takes reasonable steps to ensure third parties handling personal information on its behalf protect that information appropriately.

7.         DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA

7.1       Safe Places may disclose personal information to recipients located outside Australia where reasonably necessary for its functions or activities.

7.2       Where the APPs apply to an overseas disclosure, Safe Places will take reasonable steps to comply with the requirements of the Privacy Act relating to that disclosure.

8.         INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS AND OVERSEAS PRIVACY LAWS

8.1       Safe Places may recruit prospective employees, contractors and other personnel who are located outside Australia, including in the United Kingdom, Europe, Africa, the United States and other jurisdictions.

8.2       Where Safe Places collects or processes personal information relating to individuals located outside Australia, Safe Places will comply with applicable privacy and data protection laws to the extent those laws apply to Safe Places.

8.3       Where the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation or European Union General Data Protection Regulation applies to the processing of personal information by Safe Places, Safe Places will handle that information in accordance with the applicable requirements of those laws.

8.4       Depending on the applicable law, individuals may have additional rights in relation to their personal information, which may include rights of access, correction, deletion, restriction of processing, data portability, objection to certain processing and rights relating to automated decision-making.

9.         ACCESS TO AND CORRECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

9.1       Safe Places takes reasonable steps to ensure that personal information it holds is accurate, up-to-date, complete and relevant, having regard to the purposes for which it is held.

9.2       You may request access to personal information Safe Places holds about you or request that your personal information be corrected.

9.3       Safe Places may require reasonable proof of identity before providing access to personal information.

9.4       In some circumstances, Safe Places may be required or permitted by law to refuse or limit access to personal information. If this occurs, Safe Places will respond in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

10.       PRIVACY COMPLAINTS

10.1    If you have a concern or complaint about how Safe Places has handled your personal information, please contact us using the details below.

10.2    Safe Places will consider and respond to privacy complaints within a reasonable period.

10.3    If a privacy complaint cannot be resolved, you may be entitled to refer the matter to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner or another relevant regulator, depending on the information concerned and the applicable privacy regime.

10.4    Contact Details:

Postal Address:           Level 19, 241 Adelaide Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000

Telephone number:     1300 993 483

Email address:             privacy@safeplaces.com.au

11.       CHANGES TO THE PRIVACY STATEMENT

11.1    Safe Places may update this Privacy Statement from time to time. The current version will be published on our website.

11.2    Last update: September 2026