Privacy POlicy

Purpose and Scope

The Overcomers Place Ltd (TOP) ACN 632 449 604 is an organisation that serves the addiction recovery community. This policy outlines how TOP manage and treat personal and private information that is collected by the organisation in the course of carrying out its operations. It describes the kinds of information collected, why and how it is collected, stored and used. It outlines how any person who has provided personal or private information to TOP can access and correct that information and the privacy complaints process. It also sets out expectations for the behaviour and standards of professional and personal conduct for TOP employees, volunteers, contractors and Company Directors hereinafter referred to as TOP Personnel, in relation to handling of private information that they may have access to in the course of their engagement with TOP.

Policy Statement

What information do we collect?

TOP collects personal information about donors, volunteers, employees, and other individuals connected to TOP. The kinds of personal information we collect may vary depending on our interaction with you and may include your name, address, telephone number, email address, date of birth, gender and bank account details.

Some of the information TOP may collect is ‘sensitive information’ as defined in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). The collection of such information will depend on the nature of our interaction with you. For example, if you make an application for employment with TOP, or to volunteer, we may collect sensitive information about you relating to your criminal record history. TOP will only collect sensitive information where the necessary consent has been obtained.

How do we collect your information?

We collect most information directly from you. We may collect information via your communications and interactions with us, including where you fill out one of our forms, if you contact us in person, by email, telephone, online or via social media, where you attend a TOP service, meeting event, make a donation, register to become a volunteer or are otherwise associated with TOP, apply for employment, or participate in any marketing or fundraising campaigns.

On some occasions, we may collect personal information about you from third parties, such as nominated referees during job applications, employers, family or friends. We may also collect information about you that is publicly available, for example from public registers or social media, or which is made available to us by third parties.

We may utilise ‘cookies’ which enable us to monitor traffic patterns on the TOP website and to serve you more efficiently if you revisit it. A cookie does not identify you personally but it does identify your computer. You can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie and this will provide you with an opportunity to either accept or reject it in each instance.

What do we use your information for?

The main purpose for collecting your personal information is to enable TOP to provide its services. We may use and disclose your personal information (to the extent permitted by legislation) for this purpose including conducting our activities; employing staff and volunteers; processing donations; to inform you about events, fundraising and activities which we think you may be interested in; marketing, improving, supporting and enhancing our services; communicating with you; and meeting our legal obligations. From time to time, we may also compile statistical data from the personal information we have collected from you for fundraising benchmarking and analytics purposes.

If you do not wish to receive information about events, fundraising or activities we think you may be interested in, you can opt-out by contacting us on the details below.

Who do we disclose your information to?

TOP may disclose personal information to TOP offices in other locations to assist with us with the provision of our services and to operate our activities (including overseeing our counsellors and assisting with processing applications for employment and volunteering).

We may also disclose your personal information to other companies or individuals who assist us in supplying our programs and services or who perform functions on our behalf, such as auditors, fundraising and benchmarking analysts; where required or authorised by law to do so; and to anyone else whom you authorise us to disclose it to. Some of these third parties may be located overseas.

Keeping your information secure

TOP may store your personal information in different ways, including in hard copy and electronic form. Generally, personal information is maintained on a secure database and in hard copy files located in Australia.

TOP takes such steps as it considers are reasonable in the circumstances to protect your information from risks such as misuse, interference and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. These steps may include:

• training and reminding our staff of their obligations with regard to personal information;

• using software which encrypts information (where a lock symbol appears on the browser window);

• utilising passwords, firewalls and virus scanning tools, and protection in buildings where personal information is stored, to prevent against unauthorised access to our systems; and

• restricting staff and volunteers that have access to the databases that store user information and to personal files.

If we no longer require your personal information, TOP will take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it.

Accessing and correcting your information

TOP seeks to ensure that all personal information collected and stored in its files and database systems is correct and accurate. Individuals may at any time request access to, or correction of, the personal information TOP holds by contacting us on the details set out below. TOP will endeavour to meet or advise of the outcome of such a request within 30 days of receipt of that request.

Enquiries and complaints

For any privacy enquiries, issues or concerns, including a complaint that TOP has breached the Australian Privacy Principles, contact us via the details set out below:

Mail: The Privacy Officer
The Overcomers Place Ltd
Unit 24, 1-7 Jordan St, Gladesville NSW 2111

Phone: +61 417 663 539
Email: theovercomersplace2020@gmail.com

We may request that you make any complaint in writing. TOP will notify you of the making of a decision in relation to your complaint as soon as is practicable after it has been made. A complaint may also be made to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (visit oaic.gov.au for further information).

Updated: October 2024