Youthline Client Privacy Statement
This privacy statement explains how Youthline manages the health information we collect about our clients. It explains what information we collect, why we need it, how we will use it and who we might need to share it with. It also explains how we protect health information and your rights to access or correct the information we hold about you.
We have also developed a summary of this privacy statement for children and young people.
We may update this privacy statement from time to time, to reflect changes to privacy law or our operations. This privacy statement was last updated in June 2022.
We support young people throughout Aotearoa New Zealand
Youthline is a "with youth, for youth" organisation. Youthline’s purpose is to strengthen hauora through youth voice and youth choice. Within Youthline hauora means “health and wellbeing”. Youthline supports young people throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. We have been providing support to Kiwis aged between 12-24 years for more than 50 years. We offer a free 24/7 Helpline service (text, phone, webchat & email), free face-to-face counselling services, youth mentoring, training and programmes in schools and communities to help people grow and develop.
This work requires us to collect, use and share sensitive health and other information about the young people we work with. We know that you need to trust us to take good care of your information. We are committed to ensuring that you understand how we use and share your information and that we always operate in accordance with the law and the expectations of our clients and community.
We collect information from you and from others
We need to collect and create health information so we can deliver our services. Not all the information we collect is mandatory, but we may not be able to properly deliver the services you really need without it. If you have any concerns about providing us with information, talk to us about it and we can help you understand why we need it.
1. How we collect your information
A) We collect health information from you directly, for example when you interact with us via our Helpline, counselling services, or mentoring and development programmes.
B) We may receive health information from your healthcare provider when they refer you to us.
C) We may also collect health information about you from other third parties, where required and usually with your authorisation, such as your school or whānau, or other healthcare providers.
D) We also create health information about you when we are delivering services, such as carrying out assessments, creating contact information when you call our Helpline, or communicating with you or other healthcare providers about you.
2. What information we collect about you
We may collect or create the following health information about you:
A) General information – your name, contact details (address, email and phone number), date of birth, gender or preferred pronoun, ethnicity, school details, your whānau details, and emergency contact details
B) Healthcare provider information – your primary or secondary healthcare provider, the healthcare provider who referred you to us, and other health professionals involved with you
C) Referral and risk information – if you have been referred to us by your healthcare provider, information they share with us as part of your referral, including risk indicators we should know about to give you the best service possible
D) Relevant medical history – if we are delivering counselling or therapy services, clinical notes, and information about relevant medical conditions or mental health issues
E) HEEADSSS and other assessment information – if you have had a HEEADSSS or PHQ-9 assessment, or other assessment, this may be relevant to some of the services we deliver such as counselling, therapy or development services
F) Information we create about you – assessment reports, contact information and consultation notes
G) Information about our interactions with you – date, time and duration of your contact with our Helpline, and communications with you or about you (see more on this below)
H) Information about your use of our website – IP address, cookie data, contact form information, and webchat information
I) Feedback you provide to us and complaints – we often ask for comments, or feedback about our services, and you can make complaint if you are unhappy with something we have done
A word about cookies
We use cookies (text files that are placed on your hard disk by our web server) to manage the way you can interact with our website. You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser settings to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of our website or apps.
3. We use your information to deliver services
In order to deliver effective youth services, we must use and share the health information we collect about you. We make sure that your information is used and shared only for the delivery of services, to keep you or others safe, or to manage our relationships with other healthcare providers or funding agencies. We anonymise information before using it for reporting purposes.
We will use your health information to:
A) Understand your situation and needs, to provide you with the best possible information and support
B) Deliver the services you or your referrer have requested
C) Communicate with you or your whānau
D) Communicate with your referring healthcare provider, your school or agencies with a role in your care
E) Make referrals to other healthcare providers where required
F) Keep you and others safe
G) Meet our internal and external reporting requirements, including to our funding agencies (such as the Ministry of Health or Ministry of Social Development), using only anonymised information
H) Develop and improve our services and resources, to ensure they are operating well and meeting the needs of our clients and stakeholders
I) Conduct research into youth issues, to inform policy, develop resources, guidance and training, and better inform our community, using only anonymised information
4. When we share your information with others
The health system depends on responsible and legitimate sharing of health information to ensure that healthcare providers and others have the information they need to ensure your safety and wellbeing, and the safety of others. We think it is important that you have no surprises about the way your information may be shared.
We may disclose health information about you to:
A) The healthcare provider who referred you to us, such as mental health services, your GP, or your school health or counselling staff. If you have self-referred, we may still share information with your primary healthcare provider
B) Other providers we refer you to, such as Oranga Tamariki, mental healthcare providers, youth providers, or emergency housing providers
C) Your parent, guardian, authorised representative or whānau, where you have authorised this or where necessary to ensure your safety and wellbeing
D) Your school, if you are a school-age child, where necessary to ensure your safety and wellbeing
E) Health New Zealand and the Ministry of Health, as part of our reporting requirements, using only anonymised information
F) The Ministry of Social Development, if they have referred you to us as part of a Youth Services programme
G) Oranga Tamariki, as part of our reporting requirements, using anonymised information
H) The Ministry of Social Development, as part of our reporting requirements under the Youth Services contract, using only anonymised information
I) Auditors, when required under our contracts with funding organisations, including Health New Zealand, Oranga Tamariki, Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Social Development, who may review a small number of client files in person and are only anonymised information
J) The Police, if we believe this is necessary to keep you or others safe
K) Our trusted IT service providers, including data storage providers l) other third parties, or in other situations, where you have given us your permission to do so or we have told you we will, including from programme enrolment forms or contact information
We will take good care of your information
We are required by law to retain health information about our clients for at least 10 years after the last contact we have had with them.
We store all information in secure systems that can only be accessed by the right Youthline people, and only when they need it. We use secure cloud platforms to store and process information, including Microsoft 365 and other secure applications. All paper records we collect or create are stored securely.
We take all reasonable steps to protect the health information we hold from loss, misuse or unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, including:
You have privacy rights
You have important rights in relation to your information, and we respect these. To make a privacy request, update your information, or tell us about any concerns, please:
You can access or correct your information
You have the right to ask us for a copy of the information we hold about you, or to ask us to correct it if you think it is wrong. We will never charge you for making a request.
Help us identify you
We will need to verify your identity before releasing or correcting your information, such as by sighting a copy of your driver’s licence or birth certificate. If you ask someone (like a family member) to make a request on your behalf, we will need to see written authorisation from you and we may give you a call to check if we are unsure. Please understand that all these steps are intended to protect your privacy.
We will be as open as we can with you
We will always seek to be open with you about the personal and health information we hold about you, particularly if we have created it. We will only withhold information from you for limited reasons, and will explain the reasons to you if we do. We will respond to your request as soon as we can, and no later than 20 working days after we receive it.
Likewise, we will correct factual information you think is inaccurate (such as your contact details) but may need to refuse a correction request if we think the information is accurate (such as our assessments). If we refuse a correction request, we will invite you to give us a statement of correction, which we will attach to the information you dispute.
Parents or guardians may have a right to access your information
Under the Health Act, a parent or guardian has the right to request access to health information about their child under the age of 16. We will provide parents or guardians with information about their children and young people, unless we do not believe it is in the child’s or young person’s best interests to do so, such as when we believe there is a safety issue. In this case we will remove the health information about you that your parent and guardian should not see. If we refuse a request, a parent or guardian has the right to complain about this to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (see below).
You can tell us if you have concerns about your information
If you have any concerns about the way we have collected, used or shared your health information, or you think we have refused a request for information without a good reason, then please let us know using the contact details above and we will try our best to resolve them. You can also follow our complaints procedure to make a complaint about the way we have handled your information.
If we cannot resolve your concerns, you can also make a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner by:
This privacy statement explains how Youthline manages the health information we collect about our clients. It explains what information we collect, why we need it, how we will use it and who we might need to share it with. It also explains how we protect health information and your rights to access or correct the information we hold about you.
We have also developed a summary of this privacy statement for children and young people.
We may update this privacy statement from time to time, to reflect changes to privacy law or our operations. This privacy statement was last updated in June 2022.
We support young people throughout Aotearoa New Zealand
Youthline is a "with youth, for youth" organisation. Youthline’s purpose is to strengthen hauora through youth voice and youth choice. Within Youthline hauora means “health and wellbeing”. Youthline supports young people throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. We have been providing support to Kiwis aged between 12-24 years for more than 50 years. We offer a free 24/7 Helpline service (text, phone, webchat & email), free face-to-face counselling services, youth mentoring, training and programmes in schools and communities to help people grow and develop.
This work requires us to collect, use and share sensitive health and other information about the young people we work with. We know that you need to trust us to take good care of your information. We are committed to ensuring that you understand how we use and share your information and that we always operate in accordance with the law and the expectations of our clients and community.
We collect information from you and from others
We need to collect and create health information so we can deliver our services. Not all the information we collect is mandatory, but we may not be able to properly deliver the services you really need without it. If you have any concerns about providing us with information, talk to us about it and we can help you understand why we need it.
1. How we collect your information
A) We collect health information from you directly, for example when you interact with us via our Helpline, counselling services, or mentoring and development programmes.
B) We may receive health information from your healthcare provider when they refer you to us.
C) We may also collect health information about you from other third parties, where required and usually with your authorisation, such as your school or whānau, or other healthcare providers.
D) We also create health information about you when we are delivering services, such as carrying out assessments, creating contact information when you call our Helpline, or communicating with you or other healthcare providers about you.
2. What information we collect about you
We may collect or create the following health information about you:
A) General information – your name, contact details (address, email and phone number), date of birth, gender or preferred pronoun, ethnicity, school details, your whānau details, and emergency contact details
B) Healthcare provider information – your primary or secondary healthcare provider, the healthcare provider who referred you to us, and other health professionals involved with you
C) Referral and risk information – if you have been referred to us by your healthcare provider, information they share with us as part of your referral, including risk indicators we should know about to give you the best service possible
D) Relevant medical history – if we are delivering counselling or therapy services, clinical notes, and information about relevant medical conditions or mental health issues
E) HEEADSSS and other assessment information – if you have had a HEEADSSS or PHQ-9 assessment, or other assessment, this may be relevant to some of the services we deliver such as counselling, therapy or development services
F) Information we create about you – assessment reports, contact information and consultation notes
G) Information about our interactions with you – date, time and duration of your contact with our Helpline, and communications with you or about you (see more on this below)
H) Information about your use of our website – IP address, cookie data, contact form information, and webchat information
I) Feedback you provide to us and complaints – we often ask for comments, or feedback about our services, and you can make complaint if you are unhappy with something we have done
A word about cookies
We use cookies (text files that are placed on your hard disk by our web server) to manage the way you can interact with our website. You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser settings to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of our website or apps.
3. We use your information to deliver services
In order to deliver effective youth services, we must use and share the health information we collect about you. We make sure that your information is used and shared only for the delivery of services, to keep you or others safe, or to manage our relationships with other healthcare providers or funding agencies. We anonymise information before using it for reporting purposes.
We will use your health information to:
A) Understand your situation and needs, to provide you with the best possible information and support
B) Deliver the services you or your referrer have requested
C) Communicate with you or your whānau
D) Communicate with your referring healthcare provider, your school or agencies with a role in your care
E) Make referrals to other healthcare providers where required
F) Keep you and others safe
G) Meet our internal and external reporting requirements, including to our funding agencies (such as the Ministry of Health or Ministry of Social Development), using only anonymised information
H) Develop and improve our services and resources, to ensure they are operating well and meeting the needs of our clients and stakeholders
I) Conduct research into youth issues, to inform policy, develop resources, guidance and training, and better inform our community, using only anonymised information
4. When we share your information with others
The health system depends on responsible and legitimate sharing of health information to ensure that healthcare providers and others have the information they need to ensure your safety and wellbeing, and the safety of others. We think it is important that you have no surprises about the way your information may be shared.
We may disclose health information about you to:
A) The healthcare provider who referred you to us, such as mental health services, your GP, or your school health or counselling staff. If you have self-referred, we may still share information with your primary healthcare provider
B) Other providers we refer you to, such as Oranga Tamariki, mental healthcare providers, youth providers, or emergency housing providers
C) Your parent, guardian, authorised representative or whānau, where you have authorised this or where necessary to ensure your safety and wellbeing
D) Your school, if you are a school-age child, where necessary to ensure your safety and wellbeing
E) Health New Zealand and the Ministry of Health, as part of our reporting requirements, using only anonymised information
F) The Ministry of Social Development, if they have referred you to us as part of a Youth Services programme
G) Oranga Tamariki, as part of our reporting requirements, using anonymised information
H) The Ministry of Social Development, as part of our reporting requirements under the Youth Services contract, using only anonymised information
I) Auditors, when required under our contracts with funding organisations, including Health New Zealand, Oranga Tamariki, Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Social Development, who may review a small number of client files in person and are only anonymised information
J) The Police, if we believe this is necessary to keep you or others safe
K) Our trusted IT service providers, including data storage providers l) other third parties, or in other situations, where you have given us your permission to do so or we have told you we will, including from programme enrolment forms or contact information
We will take good care of your information
We are required by law to retain health information about our clients for at least 10 years after the last contact we have had with them.
We store all information in secure systems that can only be accessed by the right Youthline people, and only when they need it. We use secure cloud platforms to store and process information, including Microsoft 365 and other secure applications. All paper records we collect or create are stored securely.
We take all reasonable steps to protect the health information we hold from loss, misuse or unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, including:
- Working closely with our IT provider, Acronym, on IT risk assessment and mitigation.
- Maintaining a Monitoring Computer Security and Usage Policy, which sets out employee expectations and obligations, including sections on security of digital technology and information, personal security of digital information and physical protection of our digital technology.
- Training our employees and volunteers on information security and awareness.
You have privacy rights
You have important rights in relation to your information, and we respect these. To make a privacy request, update your information, or tell us about any concerns, please:
- Call us on: 09 376 6645
- Email us at: privacy@youthline.co.nz
- Write to us at: Attention: Privacy Officer, Youthline, P.O Box 8670, Symonds Street, Auckland 1150
You can access or correct your information
You have the right to ask us for a copy of the information we hold about you, or to ask us to correct it if you think it is wrong. We will never charge you for making a request.
Help us identify you
We will need to verify your identity before releasing or correcting your information, such as by sighting a copy of your driver’s licence or birth certificate. If you ask someone (like a family member) to make a request on your behalf, we will need to see written authorisation from you and we may give you a call to check if we are unsure. Please understand that all these steps are intended to protect your privacy.
We will be as open as we can with you
We will always seek to be open with you about the personal and health information we hold about you, particularly if we have created it. We will only withhold information from you for limited reasons, and will explain the reasons to you if we do. We will respond to your request as soon as we can, and no later than 20 working days after we receive it.
Likewise, we will correct factual information you think is inaccurate (such as your contact details) but may need to refuse a correction request if we think the information is accurate (such as our assessments). If we refuse a correction request, we will invite you to give us a statement of correction, which we will attach to the information you dispute.
Parents or guardians may have a right to access your information
Under the Health Act, a parent or guardian has the right to request access to health information about their child under the age of 16. We will provide parents or guardians with information about their children and young people, unless we do not believe it is in the child’s or young person’s best interests to do so, such as when we believe there is a safety issue. In this case we will remove the health information about you that your parent and guardian should not see. If we refuse a request, a parent or guardian has the right to complain about this to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (see below).
You can tell us if you have concerns about your information
If you have any concerns about the way we have collected, used or shared your health information, or you think we have refused a request for information without a good reason, then please let us know using the contact details above and we will try our best to resolve them. You can also follow our complaints procedure to make a complaint about the way we have handled your information.
If we cannot resolve your concerns, you can also make a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner by:
- Completing an online complaint form at www.privacy.org.nz
- Writing to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, PO Box 10-094, The Terrace, Wellington 6143
