Personal information gathered by Child Witness Centre is kept in confidence. Our personnel are authorized to access personal information based only on their need to deal with the information for the reason(s) for which it was obtained. Physical and electronic safeguards are in place to ensure that the information is not disclosed or shared more widely than is necessary to achieve the purpose for which it was gathered. We also take measures to ensure the integrity of this information is maintained and to prevent its being lost or destroyed.
The Child Witness Centre collects, uses and discloses personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in light of the circumstances.
We collect, use and share personal information to:
- Provide services through our Child Witness Program and Child and Youth Advocacy Program;
- Plan and manage services, including making referrals to appropriate services;
- Aid a law enforcement agency in an investigation;
- Seek consent (or consent of a substitute decision-maker) where appropriate;
- Receive payment or process, monitor, verify or reimburse claims for payment as related to our mandate;
- Detect, monitor or prevent fraud or any unauthorized receipt of services or financial benefits;
- Conduct risk management, error management and quality improvement activities;
- Conduct service recipient surveying;
- Conduct research (subject to certain rules);
- Compile statistics;
- Report to the government as required by law;
- Allow for the analysis, administration and management of our programs;
- Comply with legal and regulatory requirements; and
- Fulfill other purposes permitted or required by law.
Our records can also include personal information collected to provide services to you including: your date of birth, contact information, records of meetings with you and/or your family, the services you received, the programs you attended, details of your physical and mental health, medical, psychological or psychiatric reports, school information, financial information, employment history, court documentation, police interventions, criminal history, your views or opinions, the views and opinions of others about you and information about your race, ancestry, place of origin, ethnic origin, citizenship, family diversity, disability, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, cultural or linguistic needs, and marital or family status.
We also collect potentially personally identifying information like Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. We do not use IP addresses to identify website visitors, however, and do not disclose such information, other than under the same circumstances that we use and disclose personally identifying information, as described below.
