Privacy Policy

Southern Cross Speech & Language Institute (referred to as "we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals who visit our site or use our services. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and protect personal information in connection with our online platform and the services we provide, including stuttering assessment and therapy, speech and language pathology training programs, professional development courses, online therapy services, clinical supervision, and assessment and diagnosis of communication disorders.

Information We Collect

We collect information necessary to provide our services and operate our online platform. The types of personal information we may collect include:

• Identity and Contact Data: Name, email address, postal address, phone number, date of birth, gender.
• Health and Clinical Data: Information related to your health, medical history, clinical assessments, diagnoses, therapy progress, and other sensitive health information necessary for providing speech and language pathology services or clinical supervision.
• Professional and Educational Data: Information about your professional background, qualifications, training needs, and educational history, particularly relevant for training programs and professional development courses.
• Payment Data: Information required to process payments for our services.
• Usage Data: Information about how you use our site and services, such as IP address, browser type, referring pages, pages visited, and time spent on our site.
• Communication Data: Information you provide when you contact us or we communicate with you.

We collect information when you provide it directly to us, for example, when you register for services, fill out forms, participate in therapy sessions, enrol in training, or communicate with us. We also collect some technical and usage data automatically as you interact with our site through cookies and similar technologies.

How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for various purposes based on lawful grounds, including:

• Providing and Managing Services: To deliver the speech and language pathology services, training programs, clinical supervision, and other services you request, manage your account or enrollment, and process transactions.
• Communication: To communicate with you regarding your services, appointments, enrollment, inquiries, and provide updates.
• Improving Services: To understand how our site and services are used, analyze trends, and improve the content, features, and functionality of our online platform and service offerings.
• Compliance with Legal Obligations: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and professional standards, including healthcare and education regulations.
• Protecting Our Interests: To protect the rights, property, or safety of Southern Cross Speech & Language Institute, our clients, or others, and to detect and prevent fraud or security issues.
• With Your Consent: For any purpose for which you have given us explicit consent.

When processing sensitive health data, we do so primarily for the purposes of medical diagnosis or the provision of health care or treatment, and typically with your explicit consent where required by law. Other processing activities may be based on the necessity to perform a contract, our legitimate interests, or legal obligations.

Sharing Your Information

We may share your personal information with third parties in limited circumstances:

• Service Providers: We may share information with trusted third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, such as payment processing, IT support, data storage, and analytics. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them.
• Professional Referrals: In the context of healthcare, we may share relevant information with other healthcare professionals involved in your care, with your consent or as otherwise permitted by law.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, court order, or governmental regulation, or if we believe that such action is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect our rights or property, or prevent harm.
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

We do not sell personal information to third parties.

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures designed to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. While we strive to protect your data, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The retention period for health records is determined by applicable healthcare laws and professional standards.

Your Rights

Depending on your location and applicable data protection laws (such as the General Data Protection Regulation, where relevant), you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. These rights may include:

• The right to access the personal information we hold about you.
• The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
• The right to request erasure of your personal information under certain conditions.
• The right to request restriction of processing your personal information.
• The right to object to the processing of your personal information.
• The right to data portability, allowing you to receive your data in a structured, commonly used format.
• The right to withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent.

These rights may be subject to certain exceptions and limitations.

International Data Transfers

As we operate our online platform and services, your personal information may be stored and processed in countries outside of your own. We take steps to ensure that any such international transfers comply with applicable data protection laws, including by relying on legally recognized transfer mechanisms where required.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our site may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.

Children's Privacy

Our services are not primarily directed to individuals under the age of 16, unless providing therapy services directly to a child with appropriate parental or guardian consent or as otherwise legally permissible. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children without a valid legal basis.

Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this privacy policy or our data practices, or if you wish to exercise your rights regarding your personal information, please contact us in writing at our physical address:

Southern Cross Speech & Language Institute
350 Spencer Street, Level 8, Suite 801
Melbourne, Victoria, 3000
Australia

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.