Adopted in August 2025

1. Introduction

At Wattle Pathways, your privacy matters. We are an education social enterprise committed to supporting school-aged children through paid and free tutoring and civic and career services. In doing so, we often collect and use personal information from students, parents, tutors, volunteers, donors, staff, and supporters. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information, and how you can access or update it.

We comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), including the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and where relevant, with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and Health Records Act 2001 (Vic).

By interacting with us, whether online, in person, or through our services, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

2. What Information We Collect

We may collect personal information directly from you, through your participation in our programs, communication with our team, online interactions, or third-party referrals. The type of information collected may include:

• Personal identifiers through online forms, tutoring sessions, enrolment processes, parent/guardian communications, event registrations, donations or newsletter sign-ups: Name, age, date of birth, gender, and contact details (email, phone number, address)
• Educational details: school year, learning needs, academic goals, tutoring history
• Tutor, volunteer and employment details: CVs, referees, background checks, Working with Children Check in Victoria [or equivalent check from other states and territories], emergency contacts
• Financial details: donation history, payment details (note: card details are processed through a secure server)
• Communication records: email correspondence, survey responses, program feedback
• Website and social media interactions: IP address, browser type, device information, geolocation (if enabled), cookies, pages viewed, time spent, referring website, forms accessed and submitted

Where appropriate and with consent, we may also collect limited sensitive information, such as cultural background or language preferences, when it supports tailored program delivery.

3. Why We Collect and Use Personal Information

We only collect information that is reasonably necessary for our operations. We use your information to:

• Enrol students and deliver educational services
• Manage relationships with families, tutors, volunteers, and donors
• Assess eligibility for subsidised or funded programs
• Respond to enquiries and feedback
• Send communications such as newsletters, event invites, or impact reports
• Comply with legal, financial, and child safety and wellbeing obligations
• Process payments and issue receipts
• Evaluate program effectiveness and improve services

We use your data to monitor website performance, improve usability, and understand user engagement. You can manage cookie settings in your browser but disabling them may affect site functionality.

We may use aggregated, de-identified information to report to funders or inform advocacy and policy work, without identifying individuals.

Our website may also include links to third-party sites (e.g., funding partners, social media). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of external websites and recommend reviewing their privacy policies.

4. Disclosure of Personal Information

We will not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may only disclose personal information in limited circumstances to:

• Service providers who support our operations (e.g. IT support, secure payment processors, cloud storage providers)
• Government departments, funding bodies, or regulators (where required by law or funding agreements)
• Emergency services if there’s a health or safety concern
• Our legal or financial advisors where necessary

Where information is transferred or stored outside Australia, we take reasonable steps to ensure that privacy protections travel with it.

5. Data Security and Retention

We take data security seriously. Your information is protected by physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards. These include:

• Access restrictions to databases and files
• Confidentiality agreements with staff and board members
• Secure third-party platforms for data storage and communication
• Regular system updates and risk reviews

We retain personal information only as long as it is required for the purpose for which it was collected or as required by law. After that, it is securely destroyed or de-identified.

6. Your Rights: Access, Correction, and Control

You have the right to:

• Access personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Update your communication preferences or unsubscribe
• Withdraw consent where applicable

Requests can be made by contacting us via below email or phone number. We may need to verify your identity before providing access. In some cases, we may be legally required to retain certain records.

7. Privacy and Children

We take extra care when handling information relating to children and young people. Parental or guardian consent is obtained before collecting personal information from minors. We are guided by our Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and the principle of acting in the best interests of the child in all our decisions.

8. Complaints and Enquiries

If you have a question, concern, or complaint about how we handle your personal information, we encourage you to contact us. We are committed to resolving issues fairly, respectfully, and promptly.

If you have any questions, please contact us via admin@wattlepathways.com.au

9. Policy Review

This Privacy Policy is reviewed every two years or sooner if required by changes to legislation, operations, or best practice. The most current version will always be available on our website.

10. Acknowledgment

This Privacy Policy has been informed by and draws upon publicly available materials from Indigo Foundation, Save the Children Australia, and the Victorian Government. We gratefully acknowledge these organisations for providing policy frameworks that support the development of robust and responsible privacy practices in the community sector.