Privacy Policy

Statement of Information Practices

At Kinark Child and Family Services (Kinark), we are committed to meeting the highest standards with respect to the collection, use, disclosure, storage, retention, and destruction of the personal health information of clients.

We are committed to meeting or exceeding the privacy standards established by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) and relevant legislation, including the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA). 

Collection of Personal Health Information

Personal Information (PI) Is any information that would help identify you as an individual. 

Personal health information (PHI) is any identifying information about your health or the services you receive. Depending on the service this may include:  

• your name 
• date of birth 
• address 
• health history, clinical notes, assessments, diagnosis, treatment plans, and progress
• information shared by you, your child, family members, or caregivers
• information from other health or service providers involved in your care
• reports and documents of the care and services you receive

We only collect what we need to provide safe and effective care and to meet legal or program requirements. 

PHI may be collected directly from you or from someone legally authorized to consent on your behalf. In some situations, we also collect PHI from other healthcare providers, or provincial digital health systems with your consent or if the law permits.  

The collection of PHI is limited to that which is reasonable under the circumstances and will only be used for the purpose for which it was collected.  

Use and Disclosure of Personal Health Information

Kinark uses your Personal Health Information to: 

• plan, deliver, and coordinate clinical services to support your treatment planning and service provision to ensure your care team is fully informed. 

• connect you with new programs and keep you updated on available services. 

• support billing, secure funding, and handle administrative requirements. 

• conduct quality improvement (e.g., satisfaction surveys), risk management, internal evaluations, and service planning. 

• support the training and teaching of staff, students, and volunteers. 

• conduct research. 

• comply with legal and regulatory reporting requirements, and fulfill other purposes permitted or required by law. 

We do not use your information without consent unless required or permitted by law. 

Use of Digital Tools & Provincial Systems

To support coordinated and informed care, authorized Kinark clinicians may access information through approved provincial digital health systems, such as ConnectingOntario when necessary for your treatment. 

These systems may include records created by hospitals, physicians, labs, mental health services, or other providers. Access is only used when it directly supports your care.  

You have a right to:  

• place a consent directive “lockbox” on your provincial health record if desired. 
• ask questions about what information was accessed and why. 
• request an audit report showing who accessed your ConnectingOntario record.

Sharing and Disclosure of Your Information 

Kinark may share your information in the following ways: 

With your implied or expressed consent 

We may share PHI with other health or community service providers involved in your care (e.g. physicians, hospitals, mental health partners, schools, or community programs), unless you tell us not to. 

Without consent where required or permitted by law 

This includes situations such as: 

• mandatory reporting related to child protection. 
• court orders or legal demands. 
• regulatory reporting to professional colleges or funders. 

We share the minimum amount of information necessary in those cases. 

External Support Partners:  

We sometimes work with external support partners to help manage our systems, protect your information, or deliver specialized programs. These partners may have limited access to your personal health information (PHI) and Personal Information (PI) when supporting our systems or programs. All external support partners are bound by strict confidentiality agreements and are required to meet privacy standards set out in Ontario’s legislations.

Requesting Client Records

If you are a former client of Kinark and wish to request your records, please complete, sign, and return the form below to records.info@kinark.on.ca.

Request to Access PHI Form

To confirm your identity, you must also provide: 

1. a photo of a piece of valid government-issued photo identification (e.g., driver’s license or passport). 
2. a photo of yourself holding your government-issued photo identification (beside your face). 

In accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), clients aged 16 and older must request their own records. For any questions or concerns, please contact: records.info@kinark.on.ca.

We will respond to your request for access within 30 days. 

Requesting A Correction to Your Record 

If you believe that your personal health information held by Kinark is inaccurate or incomplete, you may request a correction. Please complete, sign, date, and return the form below to: records.info@kinark.on.ca 

Request to Correct Information Form

To confirm your identity, you must also provide: 

1. a photo of a piece of valid government-issued photo identification (e.g., driver’s license or passport). 
2. a photo of yourself holding your government-issued photo identification (beside your face). 

Please include on the form the information to be corrected and provide documentation to support your correction request. 

We will respond to your request for correction within 30 days. 

Safeguarding your Privacy

We take steps to protect your personal health information. We use physical, administrative, and technical safeguards to protect your information from theft, loss, and unauthorized copying, modification, use, disclosure, and disposal. 

We regularly review and update our privacy practices to reflect changes in legislation, technology, and service delivery. We conduct audits and complete investigations to monitor and manage our privacy compliance.  

We take steps to ensure that everyone who performs services for us protects your privacy and only uses your personal health information for the purposes you have consented to.  

Your Choices (Your Rights Under PHIPA) 

You have important rights regarding your personal health information (PHI) including the right to:  

• access your record and request copies. 
• request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete information. 
• withdraw or limit consent for certain uses or disclosures unless restricted by law. 
• place consent directives on your health record. If you choose to limit access, our team will explain what this means for your care. 
• receive information about our privacy practices and ask questions. 

If a decision is made to deny access or decline a corrections request, we will explain why and outline your options. 

You have the right to access and correct your personal health information or withdraw your consent for some of the above uses and disclosures by contacting our privacy office (subject to legal exceptions).  

For questions or complaints relating to privacy and personal health information, please contact:

Kinark Child and Family Services
Privacy Officer
7271 Warden Ave
Markham, ON L3R 5X5

Email: privacy@kinark.on.ca
Telephone: 905-474-9595
Toll Free: 1-800-230-8533
Fax: 905-474-1448

You have a right to complain to the Information Privacy Commissioner if you think your rights have been violated.

Information and Privacy Commissioner
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400
Toronto, ON M4W 1A8

Email: info@ipc.on.ca
Toronto Area: 416-326-3333
Toll Free: 1-800-387-0073
Fax: 416-325-9195

Website: www.ipc.ca