Privacy and Confidentiality
York Hills is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information of its employees, consultants, placement students, volunteers, clients, donors, and other shareholders. York Hills is committed to meeting or exceeding the privacy standards established by the Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) and relevant legislation, including the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA).
The purpose of this policy is to inform stakeholders of York Hills about internal standards and practices.
This policy will be made public and posted on the York Hills website.
Privacy and confidentiality of Information
At York Hills, the information collected about our clients and participants is taken very seriously.
Many safeguards are in place to protect your personal information and/or personal health information. All York Hills programs follow the privacy principles as outlined in the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA). Unless required by law, this information is not disclosed without permission and consent.
E-communication, which includes the use of cell phones, e-mail, video call, social media outlets, etc., may be used for the purpose of programming and communication with York Hills. Our clients understand that if they choose to communicate by email/text/video call, York Hills cannot guarantee complete confidentiality. Examples of how security may be breached include, but are not limited to:
- Use of public computer, sharing your computer and/or cellular phone
- Leaving or storing confidential material on a computer screen and/or a cellular phone for others to see
- Loss of computer and/or cellular phone
- Computer or communication service being hacked or use of monitoring software
Purpose of Information Being Collected and Used
York Hills only collects information necessary to provide service and to support clients. A file is kept to document and track your participation in a York Hills program(s) and may include:
- Educating York Hills Personnel and students
- Providing assessment, counselling, treatment planning, and service provision
- Case notes regarding meetings or sessions we have;
- Information we collect on your behalf, including any previous involvement with other organizations, assessments, counselling reports, medical and/or school information.
On an ongoing basis, York Hills is required to report non-identifying information collected from our clients to our funders or Lead Agency (including but not limited to the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services, Kinark Child and Family Services, etc.). Examples of what would be reported include number of families served, number of clients reporting a positive experience, number of clients on a waiting list, etc.
Storage of Records
Client files may be in paper and/or electronic format. Paper files are kept in a locked file cabinet within a locked room. Electronic files are part of a web-based client information system that has many security features in place.
Electronic Communication Consent
At York Hills we recognize that the use of technology can be a timely and friendly way to communicate however before we agree to communicate via email or text, it is important that everyone understands and accepts the risks and guidelines involved. This is outlined in the orientation and intake process with clients. Clients are given the option to opt out of electronic communication.
Donor Privacy Policy
The contact information York Hills receives from a donor and the amount of your donation is the minimum required by Canada Revenue Agency for the issuance of an official tax receipt. York Hills will not provide or share your personal information with third parties unless:
- Authorization to share the information is received.
- Sharing the information is necessary to process a donation.
- York Hills is required to by law.
Links to Third Party Sites
York Hills website contains some hyperlinks to websites operated by parties other than York Hills. These hyperlinks are provided for your convenience only. York Hills does not control such websites and is not responsible for their contents. The inclusion of hyperlinks to other websites does not imply any endorsement of the material on those websites by York Hills.
Cookie Policy
York Hills collects information and tracks user patterns anonymously on its website by using a browser feature called a “cookie”, which is able to identify the users browser to York Hills computers. This information is used solely to enable York Hills to provide a useful online experience and to find ways to improve our site. Although cookies are widely used, it may be possible to disable cookies via the browser settings on an individuals computer. However, doing so may affect the functioning of some websites. York Hills cannot use cookies by themselves to disclose the individual identity of any site user, and will never combine information gathered by a cookie with personally identifiable information.