Privacy Policy

At Left Write Hook, we’re committed to protecting your privacy. Your privacy and sense of psychological and emotional safety are important to Left Write Hook. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we keep it safe, and your rights.

What information we collect

We may collect information like:

  • Your name, phone number, email, and address

  • Your age, date of birth and demographic info

  • Health or mental health details (relevant to your participation)

  • Survey responses, clinical notes, and outcome data

  • Feedback or conversations (from forms, calls, emails etc.)

  • Website or social media interaction data

  • Any info you voluntarily give us

Sometimes, we may receive your info from a third party, like a referral service, but only if you’ve given consent.

Why we collect your info

We only collect what’s necessary to:

  • Deliver programs safely and effectively

  • Record, monitor and improve the support we offer

  • Meet legal, research or funding requirements

  • Communicate with you and your support people

  • Keep participants and staff safe

Evaluate impact (we only share de-identified data)

How your info is stored

We take your privacy seriously. Your information is stored securely using trusted platforms:

  • Cliniko – for clinical intake records and session notes, used only by mental health clinicians

  • monday.com – for expression of interest and registration tracking

  • Mailchimp – for newsletters and general communication (only if you subscribe)

  • Stripe – for secure donation processing

  • Raisely – for donor information and fundraising activity tracking

These platforms are encrypted and access-controlled. Only staff who need access for their role can view your information. Sensitive data is handled by qualified team members only.

Unless required for legal or regulatory reasons, we retain personal data for up to 7 years from the date of your last interaction with us, in line with Australian privacy and health record-keeping obligations.

Confidentiality in practice

When you take part in our programs, we ask that you respect the privacy of other participants. What’s said in a group stays in the group.

Private conversations with staff take place in confidential settings. We only share your information with others if you give us permission. In rare cases, such as medical emergencies or legal obligations (e.g. a subpoena), we may be required to share relevant information. We’ll always limit disclosure to what’s strictly necessary for the situation.

Program Evaluation & Research

We may invite you to complete surveys or outcome measures to help evaluate and improve our programs. Participation is entirely voluntary and will not affect your access to support. Responses are confidential, and research-related data is de-identified before reporting. These processes help us remain accountable and improve our services over time.

Your rights

You have the right to:

  • Access the personal info we hold about you

  • Ask us to correct it if it’s wrong

  • Withdraw your consent (for specific uses)

  • Make a privacy complaint

To do any of the above, email us at: hello@leftwritehook.org

Freedom of information & corrections

Even though we’re not a government agency, we’ll do our best to provide you with any records you ask for. If you think something is wrong or outdated, let us know and we’ll correct it where possible. (See Australian Privacy Principle 13 for more details.)

Data breach protection

We comply with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme. If a data breach occurs that’s likely to cause harm, we’ll notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

How to make a complaint

If you think we’ve mishandled your personal info, please contact us directly first at hello@leftwritehook.org.

We’ll respond within 30 days. If you’re not satisfied, you can escalate the issue to the OAIC:

👉 www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints

Keeping your data secure

We use anti-virus software, access restrictions, and regular reviews of our systems. Our staff and volunteers are trained in privacy and data safety. We also include privacy awareness in our orientation and volunteer training.

We don’t share your personal info overseas, and we don’t sell it to marketers

Contact us

If you have questions or concerns about your privacy, please contact us at:

📧 hello@leftwritehook.org

🌐 www.leftwritehook.org