Parish as part of Archdiocese of sydney

Parish of St John Bosco Privacy Policy

Following proclamation of amendments to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) at the end of 2001, the Parish of St John Bosco has reviewed its records and methods for holding and collecting information about parishioners.  A Policy has been adopted by the Parish Priest.

 The Parish is part of the Church in the Archdiocese of Sydney. As part of the fulfilment of its mission to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ the Parish collects personal information in order to minister to the Faithful and to fulfil the Parish's canonical and civil law obligations.

 

This Policy deals with personal information in compliance with the 2001 amendments to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). This Policy may be reviewed and updated from time to time. The Policy applies to members of the Parish, members of the Public and to Volunteers, Contractors and Prospective Employees of the Parish. This Policy does not apply to personal information collected and held by the Parish School. The Parish School has a separate Privacy Policy, which is available upon request from the Principal.

 A copy of the Parish's Standard Collection Notice is attached.

 Purpose of Collection

The Parish will use your personal information for the primary purpose of administering the Parish in accordance with the Teachings and Laws of the Catholic Church. This information will also be used for such other secondary purposes that are directly related to this primary purpose or to which you have consented.

 Children and their parents and /or guardians

From time to time, the Parish collects personal information about children usually for the primary purpose of administering the Sacraments of the Church, for pastoral care and/or after school care and/or social/sporting facilities and activities. In some cases where the Parish requests personal information about a child or parent and/or guardian, and disclosure of the information requested is not made, the Parish may be unable to offer the child the Sacraments, or enrol or continue the enrolment of the child in a Parish programme.

 Personal information provided by other people

In some circumstances the Parish may be provided with personal information about an individual from a third party ‑ for example, in obtaining a reference from a referee about a job applicant. Often the Parish is requested to include the names of individuals in prayers ‑ for example, if a person is ill ‑ or in the Parish newsletter because of a significant event ‑ for example a wedding anniversary or other celebration. The Parish will normally seek the consent of the individual concerned before publishing such information.

 How Your Personal Information is used

The Parish will use personal information in various ways including (but not limited to): pastoral care, keeping parents/guardians informed about matters related to a child's spiritual life, planned giving programmes, contacting volunteers, assessing suitability of job applicants, seeking donations, data collection to assist the Parish/Archdiocese meet reporting/planning responsibilities, satisfying the Parish's legal obligations, newsletters and magazines and day‑to‑day administration.

 To whom might the Parish disclose personal information?

The Parish may disclose personal information (including sensitive information) to: another Parish (within the Archdiocese of Sydney or another Diocese), Catholic Church Insurances, Government Departments, the Parish School or another Catholic School, people providing services to the Parish, recipients of Parish publications (e.g. newsletters and magazines), Parents and/or Guardians and anyone to whom you authorise the Parish to disclose your personal information. Consent may often be implied for this use. In some cases the Parish will seek your consent. Where consent cannot be obtained, the Parish will have regard to the provisions of the Act prior to using or disclosing your personal information.

 Fundraising

Fundraising is important for ensuring that the Parish is able to continue to provide pastoral care and to maintain and develop the Parish Church and other property. Your personal information may be disclosed to an organisation assisting with the Parish's fundraising. Parishioners, Parish staff and contractors may from time to time receive fundraising information. Parish publications – e.g. newsletters and magazines ‑ which include personal information, may be used for fundraising purposes.

 How will sensitive information be treated?

Sensitive information will be used and disclosed only where the individual has consented to such use and/or disclosure, or for a directly related secondary purpose, or where the use or disclosure of the sensitive information is allowed or required by law.

 Management and security of personal information

The Parish will take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

 Updating personal information

The Parish endeavours to ensure that the personal information it holds is accurate, complete and up‑to­date. You may seek access to any personal information the Parish holds about you by contacting the Parish Priest in writing. You may also request in writing that any perceived inaccuracy be corrected. The Act sets out some exceptions to this right. Children will generally have access to their personal information through their Parents and/or Guardians.

 Consent and rights of access to the personal information of Children

Generally, the Parish will refer any requests for consent and notices in relation to the personal information of a Child to the Child's Parent/Guardian. A Parish will treat consent given by a Parent/Guardian as consent given on behalf of the Child, and notice to a Parent/Guardian will act as notice given to the Child.

 Denial of Access

There will be occasions when access is denied ‑ for example, where release of the personal information would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of others, or where the release may result in a breach of the Parish's duty of care to a Child.

 Enquiries and Complaints

If you wish to make an enquiry or complaint about the manner in which the Parish has handled your personal information, in the first instance please contact the Parish Priest.

 If your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may then wish to make a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, who is responsible for the enforcement of the Act.

 The Office of the Privacy Commissioner's contact details are:

 Office of the Privacy Commissioner

GPO Box 5218

SYDNEY NSW 1042

Telephone: 1300 636 992

Facsimile: (02) 9284 9666

Email: privacy@privacy.gov.au

Website www.privacy.gov.au

 

Parish of St John Bosco within the Diocese of Sydney 

Privacy Collection Notice  

1.. The Parish collects personal information, including sensitive information, about members of the Faithful. The primary purpose of collecting this information is to enable it to administer the Sacraments of the Church and provide pastoral care to the Faithful and to their Children. Information may be required to allow the Parish to meet some of its legal obligations, provide care for a Child while under supervision and discharge its duty of care. If you reside in the Parish or otherwise continue to use its services and ministries, the information may also be used to solicit donations and/or request your services as a volunteer from time to time.

 2. The Parish discloses personal and sensitive information to others for administrative purposes. This includes other Parishes, the Archdiocese, other Dioceses and people providing services to Schools, including volunteers.

 3. If we do not obtain the information requested, we may not be able to administer the Sacraments of the Church.

 4. Personal information collected from Children is disclosed to their Parents or Guardians. Parents or Guardians may seek access to personal information collected about them and their Child by contacting the Parish Office

 5. Adults may also seek access to information collected about them in the same manner.

 6. As the Parish is largely reliant upon locally raised funds and local effort for its continuation, information received from those who reside in the Parish or avail themselves of its services may be used to solicit donations and other forms of support from them. On occasions it uses the resources of the Archdiocese to support this process and in the course of this, information is made available to those people. We will not disclose your personal information to other third parties for fundraising purposes without your consent.