Privacy Policy
Bloom Supports is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal and health information with care, respect and transparency.
1. About this Policy
{name}{abnSuffix} is a Registered NDIS Provider operating across Gympie, Sunshine Coast and the Wide Bay region of Queensland, Australia. We provide disability supports under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose and protect personal information, including sensitive and health information, in accordance with the *Privacy Act 1988* (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and consistent with our obligations under the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission framework.
By using this website or submitting a referral or enquiry, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy. This policy applies to all personal information we handle, whether collected online or offline.
2. What personal information we collect
Personal information is any information or opinion that identifies you, or could reasonably identify you. The types of personal information we may collect include:
- Name, date of birth and contact details (phone number, email address, postal address)
- Organisation name and professional role (for referrers, support coordinators and allied health professionals)
- Information about the person being referred — including first name or initials, approximate age, suburb or town, and living situation
- NDIS plan details and funding information
- Correspondence and communications with us (emails, phone calls, messages)
- Information submitted through our careers expression of interest form, including your work history, qualifications and availability
3. Sensitive and health information
We may collect sensitive information, including health information, where it is relevant to the supports we provide or are being asked to consider providing. This may include:
- Disability type, diagnosis or medical history
- Behaviour support requirements or the existence of a Behaviour Support Plan
- High intensity daily personal activity needs (for example, complex bowel care, enteral feeding, wound management, ventilator support)
- Mobility or hoist requirements
- Mental health information, where relevant
- Any other health or clinical information relevant to assessing a referral
We only collect sensitive information with your consent (or that of an authorised representative), or where it is reasonably necessary for the delivery or assessment of NDIS supports, or as otherwise permitted under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
Our referral form asks referrers to use first name only or initials at the initial stage, and to avoid including full names, dates of birth or NDIS numbers at the point of submission.
4. How we collect information
We collect personal information in a number of ways, including:
- **Referral form:** When a support coordinator, allied health professional, hospital social worker, family member or guardian submits a referral through our website at bloomsupports.me/refer
- **Contact and enquiry:** When you contact us by phone, email or through the website
- **Careers form:** When you submit an expression of interest for employment with Bloom Supports
- **Directly from you:** During intake, assessment or service delivery conversations
- **Third parties:** From your support coordinator, plan manager, allied health professionals, family members or authorised representatives, where appropriate
- **Website:** Through website analytics tools and cookies (see Section 9)
Where possible, we collect personal information directly from the individual it relates to, or from their authorised representative.
5. Why we collect information
We collect personal information to:
- Assess and respond to referrals for NDIS disability supports
- Determine whether we are able to meet a participant's support needs
- Communicate with support coordinators, plan managers, families and participants during intake and onboarding
- Comply with NDIS registration, reporting and quality assurance obligations
- Manage our employment and recruitment processes
- Respond to enquiries and provide general information about our services
- Improve our website and services
We will not use your personal information for any purpose other than those described in this policy without your consent, unless required or permitted by law.
6. How we use your information
Personal information collected through the referral form is used by Bloom Supports' intake and clinical team to assess whether we can appropriately support the participant being referred. We will contact the referrer to discuss the referral and, if appropriate, begin an intake process.
Information collected through the careers form is used by our team to assess suitability for current or future employment opportunities. Submission does not guarantee an interview or offer of employment.
We may use contact details to send information about our services in response to a specific enquiry. We do not send unsolicited marketing communications.
7. Who we share information with
We may share personal information with third parties only where necessary and appropriate, including:
- **The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA)** — as required for NDIS registration, reporting and compliance
- **NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission** — as required for our registration and regulatory obligations
- **Support coordinators and plan managers** — as part of coordinating supports for a participant
- **Allied health professionals** — for clinical consultation, Behaviour Support Practitioners, occupational therapists and other professionals involved in a participant's support team
- **Authorised representatives** — nominees, guardians or family members who have authority to act on behalf of a participant
- **Emergency services** — where there is a serious and imminent risk to the health or safety of any person
- **Third-party service providers** — such as our cloud hosting provider, software platform providers and business support services, where those providers are bound by appropriate confidentiality and data protection obligations
- **Regulators or government agencies** — where required or permitted by law
We do not sell, rent or trade personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. We do not transfer personal information overseas unless required by law or consented to by you, and appropriate safeguards are in place.
8. How we store and protect your information
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and from unauthorised access, modification and disclosure. Our website referral submissions are stored in a secured database. Access to referral data is restricted to authorised Bloom Supports staff.
We retain personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law or our registration obligations under the NDIS.
While we take reasonable precautions, no data transmission over the internet or storage system can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. If you have concerns about the security of your information, please contact us.
9. Website analytics and cookies
Our website may use standard web analytics tools (such as Google Analytics or similar) that collect anonymised information about how visitors use our site, including pages visited, time spent and referring sources. This information is used in aggregate to improve the website and is not linked to any personally identifiable information.
Cookies are small files placed on your device by your browser. You can configure your browser to refuse cookies or alert you when cookies are sent. Disabling cookies may affect your experience on some parts of our website.
10. Accessing and correcting your information
Under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), you have the right to request access to personal information we hold about you, and to request corrections if the information is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.
To make a request, please contact us using the details in Section 12. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe. We may need to verify your identity before providing access. In some circumstances, we may be unable to provide access (for example, where it would reveal information about another individual) — in which case we will explain our reasons.
There is no charge for making a request, although there may be a reasonable charge for the cost of providing access in some cases.
11. Privacy complaints
If you believe we have handled your personal information in a way that does not comply with the Australian Privacy Principles or this policy, please contact us in the first instance. We take privacy complaints seriously and will respond within 30 days.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at [www.oaic.gov.au](https://www.oaic.gov.au).
Matters relating to NDIS supports may also be raised with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission at [www.ndiscommission.gov.au](https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au).
12. Contact us about privacy
For privacy enquiries, requests for access or correction, or to make a complaint, please contact us:
13. Updates to this policy
Bloom Supports may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements or operational changes. The updated version will be published on this page with a revised "last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
Continued use of our website or submission of information to us after any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.