Privacy and security are important to us. Concerned Friends respects an individual’s right to privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information provided to us. We use the information collected through our website to, among other purposes, facilitate donation collection and processing, provide tax receipts, process memberships and communicate relevant news and updates. Concerned Friends does not trade, license, rent or sell your personal information in any manner.
Concerned Friends works carefully to ensure that personal information is kept safe and secure throughout the transaction process and otherwise while in our custody or under our control. Concerned Friends is committed to protecting and safeguarding the privacy and security of the personal information provided to us.
By making a donation, requesting information or assistance, registering for a webinar or becoming a member, you are giving Concerned Friends permission to collect some of the personal information provided and to contact you by way of the information provided for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect and why we collect it, how we use that information, how the confidentiality of this information is protected, and how you can find out what personal information is recorded.
Concerned Friends is committed to providing you with quality support and services. By providing us with certain personal information, it can help us understand you better, and ultimately, help us serve you better. Having your personal information may also help us in locating more appropriate local resources for you. The primary purpose for collecting your personal information may include:
- To provide you with better support
- For quality management
- For research and statistics
- For funding reports
- All information collected will be in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
Should you have any questions or concerns about our Privacy Policy, please contact: our Operations & Communications Coordinator at info@concernedfriends.ca
General Privacy Practices
Concerned Friends observes the following privacy practices:
- Concerned Friends collects information only for specified purposes. The general purposes for which personal information is being collected will be stated to the individual at the time of collection.
- We require that you provide only the necessary amount of personal information to provide any service, as required by law or the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
- We may ask you for more information about yourself to help us provide you with more personalized information and services, but in such cases, you are not obligated to provide such information.
- Concerned Friends will take reasonable steps to safeguard collected personal information against theft, loss and unauthorized use or disclosure. These measures may include the use of secure passwords, limiting access permissions to staff/volunteers only when their role requires, and encryption technology, etc.).
- Concerned Friends is responsible for the custody and control of all personal information collected.
- All Concerned Friends staff and volunteers are trained on the appropriate collection and storage of personal information. They also sign a Code of Conduct which includes the requirement to uphold an individual’s right to privacy and to not share personal or confidential information outside of Concerned Friends and only when necessary. Staff/volunteers who breach confidentiality will be subject to disciplinary action.
- All hard copy Confidential Information collected by Concerned Friends will be stored in a locked cabinet and appropriately shredded when no longer required for service, evaluation or accountability purposes.
- Digital information will be password protected and accessible only to those individuals who require it for Concerned Friends-approved purposes. Digital files will be deleted from Concerned Friends cloud storage systems when no longer required for service, evaluation or accountability purposes.
What is Personal Information?
Personal information for purposes of this Policy is defined as any information about an identifiable individual including information that can be used to recognize, identify or contact a specific individual, whether it concerns an email address, where an individual lives, or which interests, causes and organizations he or she supports. Personal information does not include most business contact information such as the name, title, business address, business telephone or fax number or business email address of an employee of an organization, and certain publicly available information.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
Concerned Friends regularly reviews its privacy practices and updates their Privacy Policy as required. We recommend that you check this Privacy Policy periodically so that you are aware of any changes. The Privacy Policy posted at any time or from time to time via this website shall be deemed to be the Privacy Policy then in effect.
Links to Third-Party Sites
The Concerned Friends website may offer links to other third-party websites. You should be aware that operators of linked websites may also collect your personal information (including information generated through the use of cookies) when you link to their websites. Concerned Friends is not responsible for how such third parties collect, use or disclose your personal information, so it is important to familiarize yourself with their privacy policies before providing them with your personal information.
Consent for Email Communication
Email is an efficient means of communication. However, there are some risks and limits associated with email communications. These may include:
- Emails should never be used in an emergency situation. Concerned Friends is not a crisis service.
- Emails may not be 100% secure. While we have security measures in place to protect our Concerned Friends emails, we cannot guarantee the security and confidentiality of any email once it leaves Concerned Friends. When an email is sent across the internet, it could be intercepted and read.
- Information loss due to technical failures or other events outside of Concerned Friends’ control.
By connecting to us via email, you:
- acknowledge that you have read and fully understand the risks and limitations of emailing private information.
- understand that you can withdraw your consent anytime by informing Concerned Friends.
- appreciate the risks in email communication with Concerned Friends and you accept those risks, and,
- were given the opportunity to ask questions about this consent.
PROCEDURE AND APPLICATION
Training on Privacy Practices
All staff and volunteers handling or collecting personal information will be trained on privacy practices through the review of the PHIPA Training Video offered by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario and declaration.
Communicating our Policy
All individuals will be informed of our privacy policy and procedure via our website. A link to this policy will be included on all Concerned Friends forms including but not limited to registration forms, membership and donation forms.
In particular, the Wayfinding Program takes steps to communicate our Privacy Policy to its clients.
Wayfinding steps, scripts and statements:
During the intake process, when the Operations & Communications Coordinator receives a call or email from a prospective client, we will:
- initiate informed consent before any personal information is gathered by:
- using the following script via telephone: “Concerned Friends is committed to providing you with quality support and services. By providing us with certain personal information, it can help us understand you better, and ultimately, help us serve you better. All information collected will be held in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and never shared with external individuals or organizations. Every effort will be made to safeguard all information collected, in accordance with our Client Confidentiality policy. Do you consent?”. Offer to provide the website link to the Privacy Policy to clients upon request.
- if communication is conducted over email, we will use the following email disclaimer: “By providing personal information to us via email, you acknowledge that you have read and fully understood the attached consent, understand that you can withdraw your consent anytime by informing Concerned Friends, appreciate the risks in email communication with Concerned Friends. You accept those risks and acknowledge that you were given the opportunity to ask any questions about this consent. A link to the Privacy Policy and the Consent will be included in the email.
During the wayfinding support process, when engaging with a client, the Wayfinder Volunteers will:
- reiterate that any information provided will be kept private and confidential, and offer to direct clients to the Privacy Policy on our website upon request.
Disposal of All Confidential Personal Information
All hard copy private and confidential information collected by Concerned Friends will be stored in a locked cabinet for up to 7 years and appropriately shredded when no longer required for service, evaluation or accountability purposes.
Digital information will be password protected and accessible only to those individuals who require it for Concerned Friends-approved purposes. Digital files will be deleted from Concerned Friends cloud storage systems when no longer required for service, evaluation or accountability purposes.
