Read our Privacy Policy to understand your rights and our commitment to privacy and learn how Oz Education collects, uses, and protects your personal information.
Introduction of our Privacy Policy
Oz Education Early Learning (“Oz Education”) owns and runs each local Oz Education Early Learning centre. Oz Education also employs the staff who work at each local Oz Education Early Learning centre. Oz Education is committed to safeguarding your privacy. The Privacy Act 1998 (Cth) (“Privacy Act”), Australian Privacy Principles and any relevant registered privacy codes govern the way we must manage your personal information. This policy demonstrates how Oz Education collects, uses and discloses the personal information and manage photogrgaphy during your interaction with Oz Education.
Collection of Personal Information
Purpose
Oz Education collects and holds personal information about you or your child (that is, information relating to an individual or which can be used to identify an individual), that is reasonably necessary for or related to our activities and the services we provide. The purposes for which your personal information is collected will usually be obvious at the time it is collected. Oz Education collects personal information of parents and guardians, children, employees and stakeholders for the primary purposes of providing early childhood education and care services and advocating for the well-being, protection and development of children. Oz Education will only use your personal information for the purpose it was collected or a reasonably expected or related secondary purpose.
We aim to ensure the collection and use of photographs or video of children complies with privacy laws and related legislation. We are committed to creating and maintaining a child safe environment by adhering to the Child Safe Standards.
Kinds of Information Collected
Kinds of personal information Oz Education collects and holds may include your: name, gender, address, phone numbers, facsimile number, email address, date of birth, bank account details, credit card number, tax file number, Centrelink Customer Reference Number, date of birth (for CRN holder), custody arrangements and/or other information relevant to providing you with services .
Additional specific information Oz Education collects and holds about children may include their: name, former name, gender, address, Centrelink Customer Reference Number, immunisation status, date and place of birth, birth certificate, Medicare number, custody arrangements or parenting orders, dietary requirements, languages spoken, doctor’s details, medical conditions , additional needs, photographs and videos of children, samples of children’s work and general information about your child and your family that assists us in providing individualised early learning and care to children.
Method of Collection
Personal information will generally be collected from you directly through the use of our standard forms, over the internet via our website, via email or written communication with you, or through a telephone conversation with you. Photos and videos of children and children’s work samples are collected at their Oz Education centre. Name, address and phone numbers of children’s additional emergency contact people are collected from children’s parents or guardians.
There may be on occasion be instances where personal information about you will be collected indirectly because it is unreasonable or impractical to collect the personal information from you directly. We will usually notify you about these instances in advance, or where that is not possible, as soon as reasonably practicable after the information has been collected.
Failure to Provide Information
If you do not wish for your personal information to be collected you should discuss this with an Oz Education employee. Oz Education employees will act strictly in accordance with this policy and will be happy to discuss the reasons for seeking to collect your personal information. They will also discuss with you any consequences of not providing your personal information, or providing incomplete or inaccurate personal information, which may include an effect on what services Oz Education can provide to you.
Use of Personal Information
Oz Education takes seriously its obligations when dealing with your personal information. Oz Education will collect, hold, and use that personal information for purposes associated with: providing early childhood education and care services; advocating for the well-being, protection and development of children; documenting children’s learning; managing children’s current or prospective enrolment; providing you with information about our organisation, services and activities via letters, email, SMS and other centre or organisation communication channels; and requesting information from you about our organisation and services via surveys.
Direct Marketing
If Oz Education has collected your information directly from you and we believe you reasonably expect us to, we will use or disclose your personal information to communicate directly with you to promote our services. Oz Education will provide you with a way to easily opt out of receiving direct marketing messages, and will stop sending direct marketing communications if you ask us to.
Job Candidates
If you apply for a job with Oz Education we will collect and hold personal information about you relevant to your application for employment, including your name and contact details, curriculum vitae or resume, employment history, academic records, working with children and police checks, and comments made to Oz Education or its agents about you by your referees. We will use reasonable endeavours to keep such information confidential and if you do not commence employment with Oz Education, we will destroy such records when no longer required in relation to your application. We reserve the right however to retain for our records any file notes or observations we make in interviews with you or your referees with respect to your qualifications and suitability for a role.
Sensitive Information
In some circumstances Oz Education may seek to collect personal information that is sensitive. This may include information such as your child’s racial or ethnic origin or any cultural or religious requirements. We are also required by the Education And Care National Regulations to collect and hold details of your child’s medical conditions, immunisation history and additional needs. We collect this information as it is reasonably necessary for ensuring the well-being, protection and development of children in our care.
For example staff may wish to develop an educational program that includes reference to a child’s country of origin.
Oz Education will only collect your sensitive information with your consent and will ensure that it is stored securely. If you do not wish for your sensitive information to be collected by Oz Education, you should discuss this with an Oz Education employee.
Oz Education employees will act strictly in accordance with this policy and will be happy to discuss the reasons for seeking to collect your sensitive information. They will also discuss with you any consequences of not providing your sensitive information which may include an effect on the services your Oz Education Early Learning centre can provide to you.
Disclosure
Oz Education will only disclose your personal information for the purpose it was collected or a reasonably expected or related secondary purpose.
We may disclose personal information about you or your child to:
- third party service providers, who assist us in operating our business (including credit reporting bodies, collection agencies, legal advisors and technology service providers). We will take reasonable steps to ensure these service providers do not breach the Australian Privacy Principles. These providers may be based overseas or use overseas infrastructure to perform services for us, including in the U.S.A..
- a purchaser of the assets and operations of our business or a part of it, provided those assets and operations are purchased as a going concern
- child protection agencies or family support agencies when we reasonably believe that a child is at risk of significant harm, as required by Oz Education’s Child Protection Procedure.
Oz Education will not otherwise disclose personal information to a third party for any other purpose without your consent unless it is authorised or required by law.
Access and Correction
You may request access to your personal information. Ordinarily Oz Education will require you to make a request for access in writing directed to the Oz Education Privacy Officer. Oz Education employees other than the Privacy Officer are not generally able to provide you with access.
If at any time you believe that Oz Education’s record of your personal information is incorrect, please let Oz Education know. We will take reasonable steps to correct the information so that it is accurate, complete and up to date.
In some circumstances which are prescribed by the Privacy Act, such as where to do so might put a person at risk of harm or have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of others, Oz Education may decline access to personal information. If your request for access is denied, Oz Education will tell you why.
Internet
If you access our website, we may collect additional personal information about you in the form of your IP address or domain name. Our website may contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of linked websites and any linked websites are not subject to our privacy policies and procedures.
Information Storage and Security
Personal information collected by Oz Education will be stored securely in paper form or electronically at an Oz Education Early Learning centre and/or at a Oz Education Centre Support Office. Oz Education may store, process or back-up your personal information on computer servers that are located overseas, including through third party service providers who assist us in operating our business. Only authorised employees from Oz Education and third party service providers will have access to your information and this access will be structured in such a way as to ensure the use and disclosure as stated above. We will take reasonable steps to protect any personal information that we hold from unauthorised access, modification, misuse, loss and disclosure.
Photography Policy
Oz Education is committed to creating and maintaining a child safe environment where children are safe and feel safe and their voices are heard about decisions that affect their lives. Child safety is embedded in our organisational leadership, governance, policies and procedures and culture. Children have the right to be protected from the misuse of photographic and video images whilst at the Service. To ensure the privacy of children and families is respected, our Service will only use photographs of children to support their learning and to record individual developmental progress with written authorisation from parents/guardians.
Oz Education may take photographs to share moments of joy and learning across our community. The displaying of photos provides children and families with a sense of belonging. Photographs allow children to see themselves at play, are a topic of conversation for children and parents, allow families to see their child at play, and convey the message to children that what they are doing is important. However, it is fundamental to respect the rights of all children and families to privacy and ensure child safety is embedded in our policies and procedures.
The Centre Nominated Supervisor and Responsible Person will ensure:
• we are maintaining children’s safety and respecting their right to privacy
• families provide written permission/consent for photographing or recording video of their child by the Service (see: Enrolment form)
• processes are in place to ensure families who speak languages other than English understand the requirements within this policy and the enrolment form
• every child in our care is protected from any exploitation of photographic and video images of themselves taken whilst they attend the service
• children participate in decisions affecting them including permission to have photographs taken of them
• personal information about the child’s surname, age or any other information that reveals their identity is not published
• access to publish photographs and videos of children are limited to only authorised staff
• posting of photos on social media does not include the location and address of the child,
is delayed (not real-time).
• photographs taken by educators support the children’s learning and record children’s individual progress
• photographs recorded at the centre (service) as part of a normal day are taken using an authorised or centre owned electronic device and are only taken by authorised members of the staff team, or by practicum students with written parental permission
• at no time are staff permitted to bring in a camera/electronic device from home or use their mobile phone to take photographs, videos, or audio recordings of children whilst being educated and cared for
• that the centre (service) seeks written permission from families for their child to be photographed when an outside photographer/agency is contracted to take photographs for marketing purposes or to take individual and group photos once a year. Only children who have written permission from their parent/guardian will be included in any photography
• that the Service notifies parents of the purpose of taking photographs such as use on the Service’s website, advertising flyers/brochure, parent handbook and Social Media Policy
• parents are aware that photographs or images may be taken of their children by other parents at various times of the year (e.g. during an end-of-year production or other event). Should parents not want their child photographed at any time, they must provide written notification to Oz Education (Approved Provider) or the Centre Director (Nominated Supervisor) at time of enrolment or if their decision for consent changes
• a record of all children who are NOT to be photographed will be developed, maintained and shared with educators and staff
• this record will remain private and confidential to staff only
• that the children of parents/carers who do not wish their child to be photographed or videoed are provided with other activities when an outside photographer/agency is engaged
• parents/carers have the choice to withdraw consent for their child to be photographed or filmed in certain circumstances
• photographs, video or other recordings of children are securely stored and disposed of from centre-owned and authorised devices after 3 years.
• individual photographs/videos (with child’s face) are mainly taken to:
- support the individual learning of each child for their formal record
- record children’s work and activities within the centre (Service) environment including:
- group projects that children are actively participating (staged performance)
- centre event and celebration where the parent/guardian or educator is present in the photo
Parents/ Carers:
• will complete the Service’s enrolment form at time of enrolment and provide written notification (Yes/No) to the Nominated Supervisor/Responsible Person if they do NOT want their child to be photographed or their photo published in any form. The Nominated Supervisor/Responsible Person will keep a record of children who are not to be photographed and notify relevant educators/staff
• will be invited to record only their child’s individual during centre events and celebrations through the use of photographs or video on the understanding that they will not publish any material on the Internet, including on their personal social media, as the Service has no control over these images once they are in the public domain.
• will be requested to provide written permission/consent for educators, students or volunteers to take photos of their child/ren for assignments as part of their children services/university course
• will be requested to provide written permission/consent for individuals visiting the Service to take photographs of their child/ren (e.g. professional photography for marketing, school photos etc.)
• are aware they have the choice to withdraw consent for their child to be photographed or filmed in certain circumstances
• written notification is required if parents/families do NOT want their child included in
photography opportunities which may include:
- photographs taken to be used in each child’s portfolios as these may contain other
children - video of children taken for the children to be able to watch themselves at play. These
videos may be made available to all families to view at various times. - when children/families are provided with a photo of their child to take home- these may include images of other children in the photo
- when children are invited to take photographs or video either with digital cameras or
tablets with story-making apps to support language and literacy development. Hard
copies of these may be printed and made into a book produced by children. These will remain within the Service but may be viewed by families and visitors
Amendments to this Privacy Statement
Oz Education may change this Privacy Statement at any time without prior notice. When we do so, we will notify you of the changes by posting an updated version of the policy on our website.
Privacy Act 1998 (Cth)
This notice is provided for your information and is not intended to limit or exclude your rights under the Privacy Act 1998 (Cth).
Complaints and Feedback
If you wish to make a complaint about a breach of the Privacy Act, Australian Privacy Principles or a privacy code that applies to us, please contact us as set out below and we will take reasonable steps to investigate the complaint and respond to you. If you are not happy with our response, you may complain directly to the Australian Information Commissioner.
If you have any queries or concerns about our privacy policy or the way we handle your personal information, please contact us at:
Email address: info@ozeducation.com.au
Telephone: 1300 644 125
More information about our privacy policy
For more information about privacy in general, you can visit the Australian Information Commissioner’s website at www.oaic.gov.au .