Protecting the privacy of your information at Peel Children’s Centre and Nexus Youth Services
We will protect the privacy of all the information you give us
Peel Children’s Centre/Nexus Youth Services are community agencies that work together to help children and youth. Peel Children’s Centre provides mental health treatment services to children and youth up to age 17 and their families. Nexus Youth Services provides counselling and other services to youth up to age 24. Staff from the agencies work together as a team of mental health care professionals.
The information you give us about yourself and your family is important to our work. It is important to the treatment you may receive and to any study you or your family may be taking part in.
To provide the best service possible, we need to collect and use information about you and your family. We promise to make sure that all your information is kept private and secure.
This page explains why we collect information about you and your family, and how we use it.
To learn more about how Peel Children’s Centre protects the privacy of your information, call our Privacy Officer at 905-795-3500 ext. 2647.
How We Use Your Information
We have rules, set out in a policy, about keeping your information private. We also have a Privacy Code that is based on the law. You may request a copy of our Privacy Code.
We collect basic information about you and your family so that we can provide the best service possible. We also collect information for our records, as the law requires us to.
Each time you visit us, we collect information about you. Your information is given to your clinician, other professionals involved in your treatment, and students who are part of your treatment team. This information helps us find out what your concerns are. It also helps us provide the best treatment for you and your family, and it helps us track your progress in treatment.
Sometimes the information we collect may be used as part of a study to help us make children and youth healthier. It may also help us improve the way we run our organizations and the quality of service we give.
At times we may use your name and address to send you a client feedback survey by mail and ask you to complete it. Your feedback from the survey helps us improve the services we offer.
We may also write you to help raise money for our programs, equipment, buildings and research.
Who can look at your information
When you seek mental health services from us, we assume that we have your permission to collect, use and share your personal health information among the health care providers who provide or assist in providing health care to you.
We give your information to only those people who need it for their work. We also give your information to those who have a right to it by law. These are the people who may see your information:
Your Rights and Choices
Seeing your information
You have a right to see your personal health information and to get a copy of it by asking us. We may require your request in writing. Some exceptions may apply. For example, when the information relates to law enforcement, legal proceedings or another individual, you may not get to see the record.
We must reply to your request to see your information within 30 days, or later if it is reasonable to do so. You are entitled to be told how long it will take to get back to you if it will be longer than 30 days.
Correcting your record
Once you have seen your record of personal health information, if you believe it is inaccurate or incomplete, you may ask for a correction. We may require your request in writing. We must reply to your request for a correction within 30 days, or later if it is reasonable to do so. You are entitled to be told how long it will take to get back to you if it will be longer than 30 days.
We may not correct a record that was created by someone else. You are entitled to be told the reasons for not making a correction and of your right to have a statement of disagreement attached to your record.
When we correct a record, it must be done carefully so that the full corrected record remains visible, or by ensuring that the corrected version is readily available.
Information about our organizations, client feedback surveys, research, and raising money
Sometimes we may use your information to write you or your family about
Information about Our Organizations
We may use only your name and address to send you information about our organizations and our services, for example, brochures or newsletters.
Client Surveys
We may ask you to complete a client satisfaction survey by mail. If we ask you to complete one of these mail surveys, this is what happens:
Research
If you agree to take part in a study, it is important to know that a Research Ethics Committee has already approved the study and the use of client or family information. The Research Ethics Committee is a group of people who make sure that all studies meet the highest standards for doing science properly.
Raising Money
We may write you or your family when we are raising money. If this happens,
The service you and your family get from our organizations will not be affected if you do not want to get information about our organizations, answer a client feedback survey, take part in a research study, or give money.
If you do not want us to use your information for certain purposes, such as writing you about our organizations, client feedback surveys, research, or raising money, please contact us. Give us your full name and a home phone number so we can call you in case we need to check the information.
Who to talk to about your privacy concerns
Please come to us if you are unhappy about something that has been done with your personal health information. We want to work out your concern with you. To talk about your concern and see what can be done to fix the situation, please speak to our Privacy Officer at:
Peel Children’s Centre / Nexus Youth Services
85A Aventura Court
Mississauga, ON
L5T 2Y6
Telephone: 905-795-3500 ext. 2647
Who to contact if we are unable to work out your concern about how your personal health information has been handled
You may get in touch with the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario about any decision, action or inaction that you believe does not follow the Personal Health Information Protection Act. For instance, you may wish to get in touch with the Commissioner if: