Question 1

Privacy and Complaints Policy

Accepted Answer

Why we collect your personal information
We collect your personal information (including sensitive information) so we can:
 • Identify you
 • Issue, manage and administer services and products provided to you
 • Provide support in the event of an emergency or crisis
 • Improve our products and services eg training and development
 • Facilitate communication with your doctors or other health professionals to ensure the best possible care for you

What happens if you don’t give us your personal information?
If you choose not to provide us with the information we have requested or correct information, we may not be able to provide you with our services or products or properly manage and administer services and products provided to you or others.

How we collect your personal information
We collect your personal information from you directly, either by telephone, e-mail or face to face. This may include data you input directly via email, by telephone or in writing. We collect personal information directly from you unless:
 • You have consented to collection from someone else
 • There is a risk of harm to you or someone else
 • The law permits us to collect your information from someone else

With your consent, we may also collect additional personal information from other third parties such as your GP. This helps us to provide you with more informed support.   
 
Who we disclose your personal information to
Amaya Wellbeing will never disclose your personal information to a third party without your consent, as per the “Confidentiality” section above. Please note that if you intend to claim rebates from Medicare or another organisation then your clinician must provide summary reports to external agencies regarding treatment progress. Under the Medicare scheme these reports will normally be sent to your GP or psychiatrist. Please note that signing our practice consent form acknowledges your consent to allow us to provide these Medicare reports to the referring clinician.

Complaints
Any complaints should initially be made to Amaya Wellbeing on 02 9521 5485 or in writing to jessica@amayawellbeing.com.au (mailto:jessica@amayawellbeing.com.au) Every reasonable measure will be taken to address your complaint. Should you continue to feel unsatisfied with the response you receive, you can escalate your concern via the Australian Association of Social Work Ethics Complaints process ethicscomplaint@aasw.asn.au (mailto:ethicscomplaint@aasw.asn.au)or by leaving a message on 03 9320 1044.

Contact us
Privacy Officer
Amaya Wellbeing ABN 15 162 941 442
Email jessica@amayawellbeing.com.au(mailto:jessica@amayawellbeing.com.au)
Phone: 02 9521 5485

Question 2

Respectful Behaviour Policy

Accepted Answer

We are committed to providing a high standard of service to all our clients and believe that everyone has a right to be heard, understood, and respected. We also believe that our team have the right to work in a safe environment and expect anyone engaging with our practice to always treat our people with courtesy, consideration, and respect. This applies to all means of communications, such as verbal, in person and written.
We want our practice to be a safe space for those engaging with our service and encourage our clinicians to make individual assessments about situations that may arise where they feel uncomfortable.
Our policy enables us to manage unacceptable client behaviour in a professional and consistent way. We have taken the time to consider how we can keep our staff and clients safe while engaging with our practice and have outlined examples of behaviours of concern below.

Aggressive or abusive behaviour
This consists of behaviour (written or verbal) that may cause our team to feel intimidated, offended, bullied, or harassed:
• Threatening language, emails and telephone calls.
• Inappropriate comments on social media.
• Inappropriate banter, including innuendo, jokes or stories.
• Malicious allegations.
• Any form of physical violence or threats of physical violence.
• Derogatory, racial, sexist, ageist, or homophobic remarks.
• Comments relating to disability, perceived gender, religion, belief or any other protected characteristic.

Unreasonable demands and vexatious complains:
What amounts to unreasonable client demands will depend on the circumstances of the complaint and the seriousness of the issues raised. Some factors may include: 
• Amount of information sought.
• Nature and scale of service expected.
• Volume of correspondence generated.
• Time or resources consumed. 
We accept that persistence is not necessarily a form of unacceptable behaviour. Examples of behaviour that would fall within unreasonable demands and vexatious complaints include but are not limited to:
• Refusing to follow a reasonable process in relation complaints.
• Insisting on seeing or speaking to a particular member of the team when a suitable alternative has been offered.

Our Procedures
No member of our team should tolerate unacceptable or vexatious behaviour when communicating with clients. When this occurs, they have the right to:
• End the phone call.
• Not reply to an abusive email or letter.
• Ask you to leave the practice.
It is reasonable to expect that you are warned that your conduct is considered to be offensive to allow you the opportunity to moderate your behaviour. Where these circumstances arise, we may take the following steps:
• We will ask you to modify your behaviour and explain why.
• If the behaviour continues the member of staff will remove themselves for the situation.
• If the communication is by telephone/video call you will be informed the call will be terminated.
• The incident may be formally documented.
• The incident or situation will investigated and further action may be determined. This action may include the termination of your service.
• We will refer the matter to the police where we consider a criminal offence might have been threatened or committed.

Client Conduct Policy Complaints and Enquiries
If you have any queries or complaints about our Client Conduct Policy please contact us via phone, email or in person to discuss this further. A copy of our complaints and privacy policy is on our website.

Question 3

Separated Parents Policy

Accepted Answer

Our primary focus is the support and wellbeing of the families and children we see. 
Amongst the children and young people that attend our practice, many come from separated families. The purpose of this policy is to outline our practice’s obligations to our families, ensuring that the best interests of our clients are always prioritised, as well as abiding by our legal and ethical requirements.

Please read carefully and fully. 
 • It is the parents’ obligation to advise us of the current family situation accurately and honestly, including the scope of engagement the other parent will have during the counselling process.
 • It is our expectation that separated parents work together, respectfully, cooperatively and communicate effectively, to support the counselling process and the care of the child. Where both parents are present in the child's life, it is best practice for the clinician to gather information from      both parents during the initial consultation period.
 • We generally require the consent of both parents before commencing with an assessment for your child*. It is the responsibility of the parent engaging our services to ensure the other parent has consented to the process. 
 • It is the parents’ obligation to provide us a copy of any relevant legal documents or court orders, if in place. These need to be either brought with you or provided prior to your child’s first appointment with us. 
 • Regardless of which parent is the primary carer, or has engaged our services, either parent or legal guardian can**
    • Schedule an appointment with their child,
    • Be present at their appointment
    • Request copies of notes 
    • If an appointment is made by one parent, it is the responsibility of this parent to inform the other parent, invite them to attend, and provide feedback to them.
 • Correspondence will be sent to the parent who has engaged our services and attends the      appointment(s). It is the responsibility of that parent to forward to other parent. 
 • We do not have the capacity to provide separate feedback appointments to each parent but welcome both parents to attend appointments and will provide copies of correspondence to each parent, if specifically requested.
 • Payment for the appointments must be made on the day of appointment, and it is the attending parent’s responsibility to ascertain who will be making the payment(s). We can send invoices prior to appointments occurring for pre-payment and part/split payments can be made prior to or at the time of the appointment, where both parents are in attendance. 
 • Where there is significant conflict, we reserve the right to request the court orders, obtain signed consent from both parents, or pause our services until the dispute has been resolved. If necessary, we may discharge a family from the practice if the conflict impedes the care of the child.
 • Wedo not take referrals where the purpose of the appointment is to generateinformation for legal decision making around custody issues of parentalseparation.

*There may be certain circumstances where both parents’ consent is not required. Some examples may include, the other parent is deceased, lives overseas and is non-contactable, or has never been present in the child’s life. These will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Please note that both parents consenting to the appointment is not necessarily a legal requirement but due to the at times-complex nature of supporting separated families, it is our practices’ policy. 
**Unless there is a court order specifically restricting their involvement in their child’s care. If this is the case, please ensure you provide these court orders prior to or at your first visit to the clinic.

Policy Updates
This Policy may change from time to time and is available on our website.

Separated Families Policy Complaints and Enquiries
If you have any queries or complaints about our Separated Families Policy please contact us via phone, email or in person to discuss this further.You can view a copy of our complaints and feedback process on our website.

Policies