Privacy Policy

YOUR PRIVACY IS IMPORTANT

The not-for-profit agencies that operate this Web site are committed to maintaining your confidence and trust.  We recognize that protecting your privacy is an essential part of our commitment to quality service.  As part of this commitment we believe that our clients should know what personal information we collect, how we use it, how we protect it, and how to contact us if you have questions about the handling or your personal information. 

OWNERSHIP OF THE SITE

Respiteservices.com Web site is owned by Geneva Centre for Autism (the host agency for the respiteservices.com site in Toronto).  However, other respiteservices.com local websites are operated by local host agencies in many Ontario communities.  Local host agency(ies) have custody and control over information within their local site.  Local host agency(ies) are responsible for maintaining confidentiality and ensuring that they are in compliance with all applicable privacy laws.  Geneva Centre has designated  “superusers” that will have access to all local respiteservices.com websites in order to support local host agencies in developing their sites and to provide technical support.  

THE INFORMATION WE COLLECT

Personal information is any information that can be used to distinguish, identify or contact a specific individual.  It includes such items as your name, address, gender, age, health status (physical, behavioural, emotional, and developmental), and personal/family information.  This information can include your opinions about services.  

BASIC PRIVACY POLICY 

You can visit our Web site to read about our services without telling us who you are or revealing any personal information.  Respiteservices.com will only collect statistical information on visits to specific pages of the web site (e.g. hits to the web site) and the frequency of visits.  This information is used in an aggregate form to help us understand the level of interest in the information provided.  We also note the type and version of browsers that are used to ensure that our site is technically accessible.

If you choose to provide us with personal information (such as your name, address, e-mail or telephone number, it will (i) be treated as being private and confidential, (ii) be kept in a secure location accessible only by designated staff and (iii) be used only for the purposes outlined in the consent form and the privacy notice statement.  A consent form (outlining the purposes for collecting the information) is required to be completed before submitting the information.

Visitors who have authorized access to particular applications are designated by the host agency(ies).  Under these policies, respiteservices.com reserves the right to verify the identity of the visitors who have access to “restricted access” applications and to conduct a post-audit review of clients/users who use restricted access applications.  

USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

Respiteservices.com collects personal information for the following purposes:

•    to facilitate the process of matching a worker with a family or agency requiring a respite worker;

•    to facilitate the process of referring you to, or applying for, respite programs and option(s);

•    to facilitate both processes above;

•    to contact you regarding upcoming events, activities and programs that may be of interest; 

•    to send you information, documents or forms required to keep your information up-to-date; and 

•    for quality assurance purposes, including feedback on how effective and helpful our services have been, to allow us to improve our services


In cases where you would like to be connected to respite programs or options, there will be a need to disclose the information to other respite agencies/service providers.  Your request implies consent to forward your information to these agencies.

We use anonymous information for annual reporting to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services and/or Ministry of Community and Social Services. We may also use anonymous information for planning, research, and program evaluation purposes, and for education and professional development of our staff. Such information summaries will not include personal identifiers (e.g., name, address, phone number, etc).  If we should want to use your specific information, or to identify you in any way, we will only do so if we have your permission and consent.

CONSENT 

We will obtain appropriately informed consent, as required by law, for any collections, uses or disclosures of personal information obtained via this Web site.  

NO DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION TO THIRD PARTIES 

Personal information will not be disclosed to third parties except (i) to further the purpose for which you have provided the information, such as forwarding your request to an appropriate party for action and/or sharing the information with the appropriate local single point of access to services (ii) to support host agencies through a designated provincial super user(s) that will provide technical support and (iii) to share information with other host agencies to avoid duplication of profiles and to provide better services.  There are no circumstances under which we will disclose personal information to third parties, except where required to by law.  

SHARING PERSONAL INFORMATION

By submitting your information, your request for service implies consent for respiteservices.com host agency(ies) to collect, use and disclose your personal information for purposes related to responding to your needs.  This includes sharing your information with the single point of access to services (in communities where an agency has been designated to be a single point of access to services) in order to support your request for services.

We do not share your personal information with anyone outside of the community of respiteservices.com host agencies, our agents, and (where required)  the single point of access agency in your community without your consent, unless necessary for legal reasons.

Consent may be implied or express. Consent may be provided orally, electronically or in writing.

With your consent, we may share information with third parties including:

•    other agencies, professionals, and others who are involved in your care and treatment

•    other agencies and professionals who provide services and supports that may be able to respond to your needs

•    other individuals you identify as contacts, such as family members
 
We may disclose information without your consent:

•    for legally necessary disclosures ordered by a subpoena or required to notify authorities in situations of suspected abuse, neglect, or imminent harm; or

•    if required by The Ministry of Community and Social Services  or the Ministry of Child and Youth Services

Should you register for the workerbank program, you are agreeing to keep any worker profile information you receive confidential, unless you receive consent by the worker to share the information.  You acknowledge that the worker screening processes vary across the province and when registering to a specific respiteservices.com community, you are agreeing to receive worker profiles that have been screened according to that community’s screening process.   

NO COMPUTER TRACKING OF PERSONAL INFORMATION 

This Web site does not issue or use cookies or other technological means to collect or distribute personal information about site visitors.  We track the number of visits to our Web site and compile statistics that show the daily numbers of visitors and daily requests received for particular services.  In addition, we gather aggregate data from profiles.  These aggregates statistics are used internally by designated staff, the local community planning table and the provincial network of host agencies to identify service gaps and better provide services.  However, the statistics contain no personal information and cannot be uses to produce such information. 

SAFEGUARDS AND SECURITY

Respiteservices.com is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality and security of your personal information in any form.  We store personal information in paper or electronic files. We protect these files by physical and electronic security measures appropriate to the nature of the information, and we allow access only by authorized personnel.  We have implemented physical, technical and administrative safeguards that are described in our Acceptable Use, Security and Privacy Policy and Guidelines.  Examples of our safeguards include: confidentiality agreements for our staff, privacy policies, and locked premises.  Information collected electronically is protected with a secure server in a locked facility hosted by Primus Communication and can only be accessed by designated staff.  The safeguards help protect personal health information against unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

RETENTION, DISPOSAL AND DESTRUCTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
 
The disposal and destruction of personal and health information will be performed with care.  Precautions to prevent unauthorized parties from gaining access to information will be taken through the Administrator(s) providing access to appropriate users via a user name and password.

Paper records are normally destroyed by secure means seven years after they are no longer required.  Given that respiteservices.com can provide service throughout an individual’s lifetime, all electronic data holdings are held indefinitely (up to 99 years) in order to provide service and for longitudinal analyses.  

ACCURACY OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

You have the right to request a change or amendment to your personal information if you believe the information in your file is inaccurate or incomplete. Please call our privacy contact (information below) to request these changes. 

ACCESS TO PERSONAL INFORMATION

You have the right to access your personal information and to correct the information if it is shown to be inaccurate. You may also request access to your information by making a written request to the privacy contact at the local host agency.  If you request copies of reports or information in your file, you may be required to pay a fee, depending upon the nature and extent of the information requested.  For more information about your right to access, please contact the host agency privacy contact in your local area.

EXTERNAL LINKS 

This site contains links to other Web sites.  When you click on links that take you to third party Web sites, you will be subject to the third parties’ privacy practices and policies.  While we support the protection of privacy on the Internet, we are not responsible for the contents of third party web sites or for their privacy practices.  We encourage our users to be mindful of this fact when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every Web site with which they interact.  

QUESTIONS/CONCERNS REGARDING THE WEB SITE

You have the right to inquire or complain if you have concerns about the way we handle your personal information.  If you have questions or concerns about privacy at respiteservices.com, please contact:

Melanie Garland
112 Merton St
Toronto, ON  M4S 2Z8
416 322 7877 x292
mgarland@autism.net

If your inquiry or complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction by us, you may wish to contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

Information & Privacy Commissioner/Ontario
80 Bloor Street West, Suite 1700
Toronto, Ontario  M5S 2V1
1-800-387-0073
(416) 326 – 3333
commissioner@ipc.on.ca

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY 

We reserve the right to modify or supplement this Privacy Policy.  A revised Privacy Policy will only apply to personal information collected subsequent to its effective date.  

TERMS OF USE

Please note that this Web site is also governed by the respiteservices.com Terms of Use.  We urge you to review these terms   before proceeding further on this Web site.

 Effective Date of this Privacy Policy: April 1, 2008