Privacy complaints and rights

Your privacy

As part of helping you heal from sexual abuse, your HELP Counsellor will ask you to tell us about yourself. However, if we ask you something you don’t want to talk about, you can choose not to.
All information is dealt with in accordance with the Health Information Privacy Code, 2020 (which you can read at privacy.org.nz).

Your records

When we talk, we may record some notes from our discussion to help us provide a quality service and for use in writing confidential reports to third party funders (such as ACC or Oranga Tamariki).
We keep separate records for every client, which may also contain communication with other service providers. Paper records are kept securely locked for a minimum of ten years, but most information is now electronic and is protected by passwords and firewalls.

Your rights

You are entitled to access the information we have about you and ask us to correct anything you disagree with. Whether you’re a current or past client of HELP, if you show us identification, you can read your notes, take away a photocopy, or request them to be sent to someone else, such as a new counsellor.

Our notes and anything you tell us are confidential between you and HELP. There are, however, a few exceptions including:

When there is a risk of harm to you or another person.
When we discuss our work with a supervisor or colleague to help us give you the best service possible.
When third party funders (ACC or Oranga Tamariki) require reports or to check file notes.
If the Police or Oranga Tamariki need information to carry out their duties, or if the Court requires information to determine a prosecution.
If your notes contain information about another person and they request access to the information. In this case, they are only entitled to know the part about them.
When we compile statistics, which are shared in a way that ensures you can’t be identified.
When we work with several members of a family to support one family member, we may share some information if we think it will help your recovery. We would ask you if this was okay beforehand, or talk to you about it as soon as we can. If you ask that something be kept secret, we’ll let you know if that’s possible.
If you’re under 16 or unable to make decisions for yourself, your caregiver may have access to things you’ve said if it’s important to your safety and recovery.
When we work with other organisations that you’re involved with (e.g. WINZ, CADS or your GP), we’ll seek your permission to speak to them and you’ll be able to see our conversation notes in the file.

How to make a complaint

If you feel dissatisfied with an aspect of HELP’s service or feel like your rights are not being upheld, please let your counsellor or one of the Leadership Team know.

You can request our complaints procedure and form from reception, or you can share your complaint or feedback here, or via email, in a letter, or over the phone.

We aim to provide the highest level of service possible, so we’ll do our best to resolve your concerns and improve where we can.

If you need help making a complaint, there is a free advocacy service available through the Health & Disability Commission.

HELP Auckland is committed is committed to upholding the international Donor Bill of Rights.

Protecting your privacy

The Auckland Sexual Abuse Help Foundation Charitable Trust (trading as HELP Auckland) is registered as a charitable entity in New Zealand. The charity registration number is: CC23863.

Any personal information provided to us is held with the utmost care and will not be used other than as described in this privacy policy. We recognise that your relationship with us is voluntary, and as such, your privacy will be held in the strictest confidence.

In accordance with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020, we adhere to the following guidelines:

Information about donations is handled with respect and confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
Some donors prefer anonymity. We will respect the wishes of contributors who prefer their gift to remain confidential.
We do not lend, exchange, rent or sell our donor lists to other organisations.
The personal information you provide when making an online donation, becoming a regular donor, fundraising, or volunteering, will be protected by HELP Auckland.
When working with any external organisations, e.g. Advertising agencies, mail or print houses, we will only ever disclose your information when necessary and to organisations that agree to honour the terms of this privacy policy.

What information we collect

HELP Auckland collects and uses various personal information from individuals that includes: name, amount donated, campaign supported, address, telephone numbers, e-mail address, comments (including reasons for supporting the charity, communications preferences etc), and occasionally their date of birth.

How we use that information

HELP Auckland will use the information we collect for these purposes only:

Distribute receipts for donations
Thank donors for their donation
Inform supporters about upcoming fundraising and other activities of HELP Auckland. Examples of this may include (but are not limited to): inclusion in our direct mail appeals, telephone appeals, and invitation to donor events. Donors have the right to opt out of their details being used in this way and can contact the fundraising department at any time to do so by emailing supporthelp@helpauckland.org.nz, or by phoning 0800 623 1700.
Advise volunteers of volunteer opportunities
Internal analysis and record keeping

Staff and volunteers assume all donations are not to be publicly announced unless the donor explicitly indicates otherwise, either by verbal agreement or by an anonymous opt in when making an online donation.

Comments given may be used anonymously in promotional materials, fundraising campaigns or for service improvements, but will not be attributed to a specific person without receiving prior consent.

Access and Correction of Information

You have the right to access and request a correction to your personal information. To ensure that your recorded personal information is accurate and up-to-date, please notify us of any changes to your personal details as soon as possible by email at supporthelp@helpauckland.org.nz, or by phone on 0800 623 1700.

Financial information

All access to donor financial information is strictly limited to professional staff that need to process this data. Although supporters can opt to donate to HELP Auckland using various methods, the charity uses Stripe for our online payment processing with world-class security, compliance procedures and strong reputation. Find out more about Stripe and their data-handling policies at: https://stripe.com/en-nz/privacy

The Donor Bill of Rights

HELP Auckland is committed is committed to upholding the international Donor Bill of Rights.

Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To assure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the not-for-profit organisations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:

To be informed of The Foundation’s mission, the way The Foundation intends to use donated resources, and its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
To be informed of the identity of those serving on The Foundation’s governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
To have access to The Foundation’s most recent financial statements.
To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
To receive appropriate acknowledgment and recognition.
To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organisations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organisation or hired solicitors.
To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organisation may intend to share.
To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

The Donor Bill of Rights is endorsed by the Fundraising Institute of New Zealand (FINZ) and developed by: American Association of Fund Raising Counsel (AAFRC), Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).

If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes here, so you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. If at any point we decide to use personally identifiable information in a manner different from that stated at the time it was collected, we will notify you. You will have a choice as to whether or not we may use your information in this different manner.

Complaints

Contact us via email supporthelp@helpauckland.org.nz, or phone us on 0800 623 1700 if you have any complaints or concerns about our protection of supporters’ privacy. If we become aware of any ongoing concerns or problems concerning our privacy practices, we will take these issues seriously and work to address these concerns.

There are no fees for lodging a complaint. Please provide as much detail about the facts surrounding your complaint so we can resolve it accordingly and allow us at least seven days to respond to your complaint. If we fail to resolve your complaint, you may refer the matter to the New Zealand Privacy Commissioner.

Disclaimer

Information on our website about supportive care for sexual abuse survivors and prevention education has been written and edited by HELP Auckland staff, including psychologists, counsellors, and other sexual abuse support professionals. We make every effort to ensure the information provided is as up-to-date and as accurate as possible, however we do not accept liability for misinterpreted or incorrect information.

We respect your rights under the Health and Disability Code of Rights (1996).

Under the Health and Disability Code of Rights (1996), you have the right:

To be treated with respect
To freedom from discrimination, coercion, harassment and exploitation
To dignity and independence
To services of an appropriate standard
To effective communication
To be fully informed
To make an informed choice and give informed consent
To support
To complain
To have an advocate