Information privacy

Our commitment to privacy

The Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety (the department) understands that visitors and users of our website are concerned about their privacy and the confidentiality and security of information that is provided to us.

The department is committed to protecting your privacy. The fact sheet Protecting your privacy (PDF, 194 KB) (DOCX, 469 KB) summarises our obligations. The fact sheet is also available in plain English (PDF, 150 KB) (DOCX, 401 KB)

Privacy policy - personal information held by the department

The department manages personal information in accordance with the Queensland Privacy Principles (QPPs) and other obligations contained in the Information Privacy Act 2009 (the IP Act).

The department’s Privacy Policy (PDF, 552 KB) (DOCX, 747 KB) contains information about how your information will be handled.

Privacy policy -  personal information associated with the National Redress Scheme

In April 2018, the Premier of Queensland announced that the Queensland Government would participate in the National Redress Scheme.

To ensure the efficient management of the Queensland Government’s participation in the National Redress Scheme, the department is the central contact point responsible for facilitating communication between all participating Queensland government institutions and the Commonwealth. The department coordinates and manages information requests from the Commonwealth and liaises with other Queensland government agencies.

The Redress Privacy Plan (PDF, 229 KB) (DOCX, 682 KB) outlines the department’s obligations in relation to the collection, storage, use and disclosure of personal information associated with the National Redress Scheme.

Information collected on this website

When you visit this website, our web measurement tool and Internet Service Providers record anonymous information for statistical purposes only, including:

  • the type of browser, computer platform and screen resolution you are using
  • your traffic patterns through our site such as:
    • the date and time of your visit to the site
    • the pages you accessed, and documents downloaded
    • the previous page you visited prior to accessing our site
    • the Internet address of the server accessing our site

Our web measurement software uses cookies when collecting this information. We use Google Analytics to gather statistics about how the website is accessed. Google Analytics also uses cookies to gather information for the purpose of providing statistical reporting.

No attempt is or will be made to identify you or to use or disclose your personal information except where required under a law, for example, if a law enforcement agency obtains a warrant to inspect our service providers' logs.

This website contains links to third party sites, both government and non-government. The department is not responsible for the privacy or security practices or content of such websites.

How we handle email and feedback

This is a Queensland Government website. Email correspondence sent to this site will be treated as a public record and will be retained as required by the Public Records Act 2023 and other relevant regulations.

Your name and address details will not be added to a mailing list, and we will not disclose these details to third parties without your consent unless required by law. Website support staff may monitor email messages for system troubleshooting and maintenance purposes.

Personal information collected via surveillance camera systems

The department collects personal information via surveillance camera systems at some locations. The Surveillance cameras and privacy fact sheet  (PDF, 154 KB) (DOCX, 466 KB) provides information about how this personal information is handled by the department, and how you can request access to footage that contains your image.

Information privacy and carers

The About your privacy - for carers (PDF, 244 KB) (DOCX, 473 KB) fact sheet provides carers with information on how we will handle their personal information, and their obligations to respect the privacy of children in their care.

Additional information is available on the department's page : Resources and publications | Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety.

Information privacy - contracted service providers

The department provides funding to the non-government sector for the delivery of some services. Where the performance of the contract involves handling personal information, the standard Queensland Government contract terms bind contractors to comply with the Information Privacy Act 2009 in relation to personal information.

The department cannot provide advice to contracted service providers about how to meet their information privacy obligations, but the following resources are available on the department’s website.

Additional information is available on the Office of the Information Commissioner website.

Access to and correction of your personal information

Information about how to request access to, or correction of, your personal information held by the department can be found on the department’s Right to Information page.

Breaches and complaints

Breaches

The department respects your privacy and has implemented policies and procedures to protect your personal information. However, if a privacy breach does occur, the department has a process for responding to the breach which includes identifying and taking appropriate containment action, conducting a risk assessment, deciding whether the Office of the Information Commissioner and affected people should be notified, and making recommendations to prevent a recurrence.

If a serious data breach occurs, the department has an Information Privacy Breach Response Plan (PDF, 398 KB) (DOCX, 421 KB), which sets out in detail what steps should be taken.

Complaints

If you are concerned about how the department has handled your personal information, you can make a privacy complaint.

A privacy complaint is a complaint about an act or practice of the department in relation to your personal information that is a breach of the department's obligations under the Information Privacy Act 2009. For example, you can make a privacy complaint if you have concerns about how the department has used or disclosed your information.

Information about how to make a privacy complaint is available on the department’s Compliments and Complaints page.

If you are not satisfied with how your privacy complaint is handled, you may refer your complaint to the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) if:

  • 45 business days have elapsed since you made your complaint, and you have not received a response from the department, or
  • you have received a response, but you do not consider it to be an adequate response.

Information about OIC’s processes is available at Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC).

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the OIC complaint process, you may ask the OIC to refer the matter to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Information about their process is available at Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.