Adoption Services Victoria (ASV), part of the Department of Justice and Community Safety, is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal and health information in accordance with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic), the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and the Adoption Act 1984 (Vic).
Services we provide
This privacy statement applies to all services we provide, including services for people:
- Adopting a child
- Considering adoption for their child
- Applying for a birth certificate
- Seeking the records created at the time of the adoption
- Seeking support to locate or connect with natural family.
Our approach to privacy
This privacy statement applies to services provided by Adoption Services Victoria (ASV). It is based on how the department handles personal information more generally. To find out more, please refer to the Department of Justice and Community Safety's Information Privacy Policy.
ASV may update this privacy statement from time to time. Any changes to this privacy statement will be published on this page.
Collection of your personal information and health information
We may collect personal and health information directly from you when you contact us, submit an application or enquiry, provide supporting documents, or speak with our staff. In some circumstances, we may also collect information from records held by the department or from other organisations where authorised or required by law.
ASV may collect personal information needed to keep full and accurate records of work-related contact, actions, decisions and assessments, including details about when, how, where and why decisions were made, and who authorised them.
Please ensure that the personal or health information you provide is accurate, current, complete and relevant, and let us know if your details change.
Use and disclosure of personal information
ASV will not use or disclose any personal information that it collects in the delivery of services unless the use or disclosure is:
- for the primary purpose for which the information was collected
- for a secondary purpose related or directly related to the primary purpose for which the information was collected and which the person would reasonably expect
- for any other purpose permitted under the Adoption Act 1984 (Vic), the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) or Health Records Act 2001 (Vic)
- required or authorised by law
- Subject to the requirements of the Adoption Act 1984 (Vic) and the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic), the department may disclose personal information it collects from or about you where permitted or required by law.
Security
ASV and the department take reasonable steps to retain, store, archive and dispose of personal information in accordance with applicable privacy, health records and public records laws and standards. Read more about public records laws and standards.
Questions and complaints about privacy
More information about privacy, including how the department handles privacy complaints, is available in the Department of Justice and Community Safety’s Information Privacy Policy.
Privacy on vic.gov.au
You can find information about our approach to privacy when accessing this website at Privacy on vic.gov.au.
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