Privacy of personal information is an important principle to Martin Luther Child Care (“MLCC” or “The Centre”). We are committed to protecting the privacy of our employees, placement students, volunteers, clients, the children in our care, and confidential business information.
MLCC is committed to collecting, using, and disclosing personal information responsibly and only to the extend necessary for the services we provide.
Definition of Personal information:
Personal information is information of identifiable individual. For the purpose of this policy, personal information includes, but is not limited to:
- information that relates to their personal characteristics (e. g., gender, age, income/financial status, home address and phone number, family/culture/background, family status),
- general health status (e.g., medical history, health conditions, other health services or supports),
- activities and views, (e.g., religion, politics, opinion expressed by an individual, an opinion or evaluation of an individual).
Personal information regarding employees includes employment history, vulnerable sector police record check results, work performance, information regarding any allegations, investigations, or findings of wrongdoing, misconduct, or discipline.
Information Not Considered Confidential:
The name, position, and business telephone number/business email address of employee and the name and public contact information of individuals in current Board positions.
Security in Protecting Personal Information:
The organization understands the importance of protecting personal information. For that reason, the organization has taken following steps:
- All personal information is securely stored and secured from access by unauthorized persons.
- Secure access is restricted in all areas where client, employee, and Board members records are kept.
- Information stored on paper is either under constant supervision or secured in a locked or restricted area.
- Electronic hardware is either under constant supervision or secured in a locked or restricted area.
- Information on paper is packed, sealed, and transferred by reputable companies.
- File encryption is used when required and when possible.
- Organizational safeguards, including computer security and password protection measures are maintained.
- Employees are trained to collect, use, and disclose personal information only as necessary to fulfill their duties of work and in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
- External consultants and agencies with access to personal information must commit to a non-disclosure (confidentiality) agreement with the organization prior to beginning work or having access to information. Parent consents are required prior to releasing information regarding children.
Retention and Destruction of Personal Information:
The organization needs to retain personal information long enough to ensure that it can answer any questions brought to in regarding services provided and for its own accountability to external regulatory and legislative bodies.
The organization keeps client and employee files for at least three (3) years following termination of the client/employee relationship. Financial records are kept for at least seven (7) years.
MLCC will securely destroy personal information, as follows:
- Paper files that contain personal information are destroyed through secure shredding companies.
- Electronic information is destroyed by deleting it from the storage medium.
- When a computer or other device is discarded, the hard drive is securely formatted or physically destroyed to permanently render inaccessible any information contained within.
Requests for access to personal information:
With some exceptions, clients have a right to see what personal information the organization holds about the clients and their child(ren). Clients may make written request to access to their own personal information at any time. The organization reserves the right to charge a nominal fee for providing copies and or access to these documents.
The organization will not respond to third-party request for information without the client’s prior written consent except for the following:
For Families: Police, Children’s Aid Society, Public Health, upon receipt of a subpoena in a case of a legal/custody dispute.
For Employees: Police, Children’s Aid Society, professional licensing bodies, upon receipt of a subpoena in the case of a legal dispute.
Changes and updates to the privacy Policy:
Martin Luther Child Care reserves the right, at its discretion, to amend the Privacy Notice at any time, for any reason, without prior notice to you, other than the posting of the amended Privacy Notice on this website. Please check this website to see the current Privacy Notice that is in effect and changes that have been made to it.
This policy is effective from September 5, 2019.
If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints in relation to privacy or personal information, please contact us at https://martinlutherchildcare.ca/contact-us. We will take reasonable steps to resolve those concerns as soon as practicable.
Questions, complaints, and concerns:
This policy is will be provided for review and sign off, to employees, volunteers, students, and board members before commencing to work/position/membership and reviewed annually thereafter.