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Privacy policy

Berry Street (ABN 24 719 196 762) and Yooralla (ABN 14 005 304 432) merged in December 2024 to form Berry Street Yooralla, with the intention of building on the expertise of both organisations and enhancing outcomes for our communities. This Privacy Statement outlines a consistent and unified approach to how Berry Street Yooralla manages personal information across the merged entity.

1. Purpose

Berry Street Yooralla (“BSY”, “we” or “us”) is committed to protecting the personal information we collect, including through our websites, phone calls, emails and in-person services. We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and other relevant privacy laws that govern the collection, use, disclosure, storage and management of personal information (collectively referred to as “Applicable Privacy Laws”), ensuring that we handle your personal information in an open, transparent, responsible and secure manner.

2. Whose personal information do we collect?

We collect personal information from individuals who interact with us in various settings. This may include:

individuals who seek information about, apply for, or participate in our services, programs and initiatives, along with their family members and foster and kinship carers;
our staff members;
our donors and supporters;
participants in our sector-specific training, professional development programs and workshops; and
visitors to our website, social media platforms and other digital channels.

3. What personal information do we collect?

We collect personal information if it is reasonably necessary for one of our functions or activities, and we do so by lawful and fair means. The type of personal information we collect depends on the interactions you have with us; this may include:

name, address, telephone number, email and other contact details;
gender, date of birth, marital status, information about disability and support needs
Medicare number and other identifiers used by government agencies or other organisations to identify individuals;
financial information, billing details (including information about the services individuals are funded to receive, whether under the National Disability Insurance Scheme or otherwise), payment details and details of donations (including amount and frequency);
records of interactions with individuals, such as case notes, progress notes and survey responses;
information about the services we provide to individuals;
health and medical information, sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status and preferred pronouns;
information from job or volunteer role applications and employment/human resources management, including cover letters, resumes, referee reports, tax file numbers, information obtained from police checks and working with children checks (or similar), and information regarding your right to work in Australia; and
cookies and online tool data that track visits to our website.

4. How do we collect personal information?

We collect personal information in accordance with our obligations under the Applicable Privacy Laws.

We typically collect personal information directly from you. This collection may occur through various means, including conversations, referrals, application forms, assessments, electronic communications and our websites.

Occasionally, we may also collect personal information indirectly from third parties, such as carers, trustees or authorised representatives of the individuals who utilise our services, or from publicly available sources. In circumstances involving children, we may collect personal information from their parents or legal guardians in accordance with relevant laws.

To the extent that any of the personal information outlined in section 3 above constitutes “sensitive information” or “health information”, we will collect and handle such information in accordance with the additional privacy safeguards afforded under the relevant Applicable Privacy Laws, including obtaining necessary consent from individuals.

5. How do we use the personal information we collect?

We use the personal information we collect to facilitate your interactions with us, including without limitation:

providing information about, facilitating your application for, and delivering our services, programs and initiatives;
facilitating your participation in other activities, such as advocacy, education, fundraising, and community engagement;
managing job applications and human resources management for our job applicants and employees, including recruitment, performance management, and employee development;
managing volunteering applications, facilitating volunteering opportunities and coordinating volunteer activities;
facilitating donations and other forms of support;
general administration, including record-keeping, reporting and organisational management; and
improving our services, programs, and initiatives through evaluation, research and quality assurance activities.

We may also use the personal information we collect for purposes other than those outlined above, with your consent or in accordance with Applicable Privacy Laws.

6. To whom do we share or disclose personal information?

Personal information may be shared or transferred between Yooralla and Berry Street for a range of shared services, including operational, administrative and management purposes, to enhance efficiency, streamline management and ensure effective service delivery.

We may also disclose personal information to the following individuals or organisations:

funding providers;
contractors and subcontractors;
information sharing or risk assessment entities prescribed under the Child Information Sharing Scheme or Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme;
healthcare professionals, including doctors and other medical practitioners who assist us in delivering our services;
government and regulatory bodies;
referees or former employers of BSY employees and volunteers, as well as candidates for BSY employment and volunteer positions;
professional advisors, including accountants, auditors and lawyers;
authorised representatives, including nominated representatives, legal guardians, executors, trustees and legal representatives;
Commonwealth government agencies including the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare;
third party service providers such as mailing houses and banks;
law enforcement agencies, the Disability Services Commissioner, courts, tribunals and other judicial bodies; and
financial institutions for payment processing purposes.

Except as outlined above, we will not disclose your personal information to a third party unless you (or the individual you represent) have provided consent or disclosure is permitted under and in accordance with Applicable Privacy Laws.

We generally do not disclose personal information to overseas recipients, unless the individuals or organisations outlined above are located overseas or as otherwise permitted under Applicable Privacy Laws.

7. How do we store and hold the personal information we collect?

We store the personal information we collect locally or through services provided by our data storage service providers.

We take reasonable steps to protect the personal information we hold from misuse, loss, interference and unauthorised access, modification and disclosure. These measures include password protection for accessing our electronic IT systems, securing paper files in locked cabinets, and implementing physical access restrictions as appropriate.

Further, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we hold is relevant, accurate and up-to-date. If you wish to update your personal information at any time, please contact our Privacy Office using the contact details provided in section 10 below.

8. How can you access and seek correction of personal information that we hold?

You may request access to and correction of your personal information that we hold by writing to our Privacy Office using the contact details provided in section 10 below. We will respond to the request within a reasonable time after it is made (generally within 30 days). We may request that you prove your identity to ensure that you are the individual to whom the personal information subject to the request relates.

We handle all personal information access and correction requests in accordance with Applicable Privacy Laws. In some cases, we may not be able to accept such a request or provide access to the personal information in the manner you have requested, in accordance with our obligations under Applicable Privacy Laws.

Where there is a dispute about your right of access to information or the form of access, this will be handled in accordance with our complaints procedure outlined in section 9 below.

9.What are our privacy complaints procedures?

You have the right to lodge a complaint regarding how we collect and handle your personal information and have it investigated and addressed in accordance with our privacy complaints procedure. To initiate this process, please contact our Privacy Office in writing using the contact details provided below. We will handle complaints impartially and respond within a reasonable period, typically within 30 days of receipt. If we are unable to resolve your privacy complaint to your satisfaction, you may escalate the matter to one or more of the following relevant bodies:

10. How to contact us?

You may obtain further information regarding this Privacy Statement, provide us with any comments or lodge a privacy complaint by contacting our Privacy Office:

Berry Street Yooralla
PO Box 238
Collins Street West, Victoria 8007
Phone: 03 9666 4500
Email: privacy@yooralla.com.au or privacyoffice@berrystreet.org.au

For general information about privacy, or if your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may contact:

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner on 1300 363 992 or go to Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

The Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner on 1300 006 842 or go to Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner

The Victorian Health Complaints Commissioner on 1300 582 113 or go to Victorian Health Complaints Commissioner

11. When do we make changes to this Privacy Statement?

This Privacy Statement will be reviewed and updated as necessary to ensure alignment with changes to the Applicable Privacy Laws, other new legislation, standards and regulations.

You may also learn more about the other policies of BSY (including our safety-first commitment) here.