Privacy Policy

Foundations Therapy & Support
Effective date: 4 August 2026
Review date: 4 August 2027
Version 1.0

1. About this policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all personal information collected by Du Chateau Therapy Services Pty Ltd (ABN 54 639 489 446), trading as Foundations Therapy & Support, a paediatric occupational therapy practice delivering outreach services across the inner suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria.

We are committed to handling your personal information, including sensitive health information, with care, transparency and respect, in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic).

This policy also reflects our use of AI-assisted tools in clinical documentation and administration, and our commitment to maintaining appropriate safeguards when using them.

2. What is "personal information"?

Under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), "personal information" means information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable, whether true or not, and whether recorded in material form or not.

"Sensitive information" is a subset of personal information that includes health information and is given a higher level of protection under the APPs and under Victorian health records legislation.

3. Information we collect

3.1 Website visitors

  • Your name, email address and phone number when submitted via our contact or referral forms

  • Technical information such as your IP address, browser type and pages visited

  • Cookie data used to customise your experience of the website. Cookies do not personally identify you

3.2 Children, families and referrers

In the course of providing therapy services, we collect personal and health information including:

  • Full name, date of birth and contact details for the child and their parents or carers

  • Details about where therapy will take place, including the school or kinder your child attends

  • NDIS participant numbers, Medicare details and private health insurance information

  • Medical history, diagnoses, referral letters and correspondence from other health professionals

  • Assessment results, clinical observations, therapy session notes and progress reports

  • Audio or video recordings and transcripts of online sessions, where consent has been provided and recorded in your child's file

  • Information provided by schools, kindergartens, teachers, education support staff and other professionals involved in your child's care

  • Notes recorded by our therapists after sessions, which may be drafted with AI assistance

  • Billing, payment and funding claim information

4. How we collect your information

  • Directly from you or your child's parent or carer, during enquiry, intake, appointments or ongoing communication

  • Through our online referral and intake forms

  • From referrers such as GPs, paediatricians, support coordinators, teachers or other treating health professionals

  • From schools and kindergartens where therapy is delivered on site

  • Through our practice management software and video conferencing platforms

  • Via recording or transcription of online sessions, where prior consent has been obtained and recorded in your child's file

  • Via notes created by your therapist after a session

  • Through email, phone, text or in-person interactions

We will always seek your consent before collecting sensitive health information, unless otherwise required or permitted by law.

5. Purpose of collection and use

We collect and use your personal information to:

  • Provide, coordinate and improve paediatric occupational therapy services

  • Communicate with you about appointments, reports and care planning

  • Process NDIS, Medicare and private health insurance claims and payments

  • Liaise with schools, kindergartens and other professionals involved in your child's care

  • Meet our legal, professional and regulatory obligations, including Ahpra and Occupational Therapy Australia standards

  • Support documentation and administrative functions

6. Disclosure of your information

6.1 Disclosure with consent

We will only share your personal information with third parties where you have provided consent, or where disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.

6.2 Schools and education settings

Much of our therapy is delivered in schools and kindergartens. Where your child is seen on site, we will need to share some information with the education setting so that we can attend and support your child effectively. We seek your consent before sharing information with a school, and we share only what is necessary for your child's participation and support.

6.3 Permitted disclosures without consent

We may disclose your information without consent only where:

  • It is necessary for the provision of coordinated health care, for example to another treating professional

  • It is required or authorised by law, including mandatory reporting under child protection legislation

  • It is disclosed to contracted technology service providers operating under strict confidentiality and data protection obligations

  • There is a serious and imminent threat to someone's life, health or safety

6.4 Technology platforms and artificial intelligence

We use technology platforms to support clinical documentation and business operations, some of which include AI-assisted features. These platforms are selected for their privacy and security credentials and operate under data protection agreements. Some may process data overseas, including in the United States, with contractual safeguards in place.

Providers may only use your information for the specific purpose it is shared for. We do not sell, trade or rent your personal information to any third party, and access is restricted to authorised personnel.

We do not use AI to make automated decisions about your child's care. A clinician reviews and approves all AI-assisted documentation before it forms part of the clinical record.

We seek your consent for AI-assisted tools at intake. You may give, decline or change that consent at any time by contacting us, and your decision will not affect the care your child receives.

7. Session recordings and transcription

Recording and transcription are limited to online sessions. We never record in-person sessions, whether at school, at home or in the community. Where an online session is to be recorded or transcribed, we will:

  • Seek your consent before any recording or transcription takes place, and note that consent in your child's file

  • Explain the purpose, how it will be stored and how long it will be retained

  • Give you the right to decline without any impact on the care your child receives

  • Store recordings and transcripts securely, with access restricted to relevant clinical staff only

You may withdraw consent for recording or transcription at any time by advising your therapist or contacting admin@foundationstherapy.com.au. Withdrawal applies to future sessions and does not affect recordings already made under prior consent.

8. Data security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Our measures include:

  • Password-protected, access-controlled systems across all platforms

  • Encryption of data at rest and in transit

  • Restricted staff access on a need-to-know basis

  • Staff training on privacy obligations and data handling

  • Formal data protection agreements with third-party technology providers that handle health information

9. Retention of your information

We retain clinical records in line with our legal and professional obligations. For children, this generally means records are kept until the child turns 25, or for at least 7 years after our last service, whichever is longer.

When information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it. Recordings and transcripts used to prepare clinical documentation are retained only as long as needed for that purpose.

10. Access and correction

Under Australian Privacy Principle 12 you have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you or your child, and to request corrections where information is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete.

To make a request, please contact us using the details in Section 12. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with our obligations under the Privacy Act.

11. Complaints

If you have a concern about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us in the first instance:

We will acknowledge your complaint promptly and aim to resolve it within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au, or the Health Complaints Commissioner (Victoria) at hcc.vic.gov.au.

12. Contact us

We deliver outreach occupational therapy across the inner suburbs of Melbourne. We do not operate a public clinic address.