Privacy Policy

Growing Occupational Therapy (ABN: 41 358 158 843) is committed to protecting you and your child’s privacy and ensuring that the personal information of children, families, and professionals is handled in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and disclose personal information when providing our services.

1. Collection of Personal Information

We may collect personal information necessary to deliver safe and effective Occupational Therapy services. This may include:

Child information: name, date of birth, developmental and medical history, education records, and therapy needs.
Parent/guardian information: names, contact details, relationship to the child, consent forms.
Service records: therapy session notes, assessments, reports, and recommendations.
Administrative details: billing, payment information, and funding details (including NDIS).

We collect information directly from you (via intake forms, service agreements, or communications), or from other professionals and agencies where you have provided consent.

2. Purpose of Collection

Australian law requires Growing Occupational Therapy to obtain your consent to collect your Personal information as part of assessment and intervention. All information is securely stored for privacy reasons and only used by the clinician and any authorised personnel of Growing Occupational Therapy (as required). Any personal information held by Growing Occupational Therapy is protected under the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 and the Privacy Act 1988.

Growing Occupational Therapy collects information from you for the primary purpose of providing you with high quality Occupational Therapy care.

Personal information is collected and used for the following purposes:

To assess, plan, and provide Occupational Therapy services.
To communicate with parents, guardians, carers, and other professionals involved in the child’s care.
To prepare reports and progress updates.
To meet professional, ethical, and legal obligations.
To manage billing, payments, and funding claims.

For Mandatory reporting related to child abuse and/or family violence if required, as per the Children, Youth and Families Act 2015.

If you do not wish for your personal information to be gathered and stored in a way expected by this form, Growing Occupational Therapy may not be able to provide supports to you. Growing Occupational Therapy is required by law to deal with identified individuals.

Disclosure of Participant Personal Information

All personal information collected by the clinician whilst providing supports will be confidential except when:

The therapist ascertains that there is a risk of harm to the participant and/or others life, health or safety; or
The information is it subpoenaed by a court, or disclosure is otherwise required or authorised by law; or
Consent has been provided by the participant to present written reports to a different professional or agency e.g. a General Practitioner or a lawyer; or
Consent has been provided by the participant to discuss relevant details with another person e.g. relevant family members, health providers or third-party funder; or
For Mandatory reporting related to child abuse and/or family violence if required, as per the Children, Youth and Families Act 2015.

All personal information is not disclosed to any partiers overseas, unless consented by the participant or disclosure is otherwise required by law.

Personal information will not be sold, disclosed, rented, or used for any other reason.

In the case of unauthorised access, loss of a participant’s personal information, or disclosure happens, Growing Occupational Therapy will take all reasonable measures to reduce any risk of significant harm.

3. Storage and Security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, loss, or unauthorised access.

Records may be stored electronically and/or in hard copy.
Access is restricted to authorised staff.
Information is retained for the period required by law and securely destroyed when no longer needed.

We know that you are concerned about your personal information – especially your health information. We will use reasonable endeavours to prevent unauthorised access to, modification of, disclosure, misuse, or loss of that information as required by law.

We have reviewed the requirements of the Privacy Laws and our third-party service providers, including Splose AI, have been made aware that they are required to comply with the requirements of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

We have data protection measures in place (including password-locked computers) when we store personal information electronically. Our hard copy health records are stored on-site, accessible only to authorised staff. Information is stored on third-party sites such as Splose and Microsoft 365.

If we no longer need personal information about you for any purpose described above, then we will take reasonable steps to destroy the information or to ensure that such information is de-identified as per the Archives Act 1983, Records Authorities, and General Disposal Authorities.

While the Privacy Act does not set a minimum period for storing medical records, we do securely store medical records for:

A minimum of 7 years from the last entry for an adult; and
Until any clients who are children are 25 years of age.

4. Disclosure of Personal Information

We will not disclose personal information without consent unless legally required or permitted. With consent, information may be shared with:

Medical and allied health professionals.
Educators and support staff.
Funding bodies, such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Legal or regulatory authorities, where required, such as Child Protection under the Children, Youth and Families Act 2015.

5. Access and Correction

You have the right to request access to personal information we hold about you or your child, and to request correction where information is inaccurate, out of date, or incomplete. Requests should be made in writing to the contact details provided below.

6. AI and Your Data

To improve the efficiency and quality of our services, we use AI Software such as Splose AI and Heidi Health. All three are an advanced generative AI tool that assists practitioners with tasks such as transcribing or dictating sessions, creating reports and progress notes, and writing letters and emails. It uses machine learning algorithms to enhance accuracy and results.

As part of its functionality, Splose AI and Heidi also processes information from voice recording sessions that are taken during client appointments. These recordings may be transcribed and used by the AI to create progress notes, reports, and other documentation for clinical purposes. The data is securely processed and stored in line with our privacy practices. Additionally, Splose AI and Heidi store their data in Australia which is a requirement as mandated by the Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Agency (AHPRA).

The use of AI is an opt-in feature, and you have control over its use by your clinician. If you do not wish for your voice recordings to be used by AI, please notify your clinician or contact us to discuss this option further.

We take your privacy seriously and ensure that all third-party service providers, including Splose AI and Heidi, comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

7. Complaints

If you have a concern or complaint about how your personal information is handled, please contact us directly. We will respond promptly and work with you to resolve the matter.

Adele Musco – Complaints Officer

0494 173 669

PO Box 616 Moonee Ponds VIC 3039

If you are not satisfied, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC): www.oaic.gov.au or Department of Communities, Disability Services & Seniors on 1800 080 464

8. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we manage personal information, please contact:

Growing Occupational Therapy
Email: hello@growingot.com.au
Phone: 0494 173 669

Last Amended: September 2025