Our policies and procedures

We aim to give families consistent, regular appointment times each term, which only works if cancellations are managed carefully.

• Cancel before 10:00am the day before your session: no fee.
• Cancel after 10:00am the day prior, or no-show: 90% of the session fee is charged.
• We accept cancellations by email or voicemail outside business hours, including Sundays for Monday sessions, as long as they reach us before the 10:00am cut-off.

We always want to know if something isn't right, and most issues can be resolved quickly once we hear about them. Feedback can be shared directly with your therapist, or by phone, email, or through our website.

Complaints are managed in line with the NDIS (Complaints Management and Resolution) Rules 2018. If you would like to escalate a concern, you can contact:

• Practice Manager (Chelsea): chelsea@kidlink.net.au
• Director (Jackie Sikic): (03) 9879 7019 or jackie@kidlink.net.au
• NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission: 1800 035 544

We comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, including the amendments made by the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024, as well as the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), the Spam Act 2003 (Cth) and the NDIS (Provider Registration and Practice Standards) Rules 2018. Where we deliver services under contract to a Victorian Government agency, the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) also applies.

Participant records are kept in Splose, a secure cloud-based practice management system, protected by firewalls, passwords, multi-factor authentication, access limited to staff who need it for their role, and annual staff privacy training. Any paper records are held in locked cabinets. Online payments are processed by Stripe through Splose; card details are held by Stripe in encrypted form and are not stored by Kid Link. Records are kept for a minimum of 7 years from the last service (where information was collected while a person was under 18, until they turn 25 or for 7 years, whichever is later). Five consents are confirmed in our Service Agreement.

We only send marketing communications where a person has consented, and every marketing email includes a way to unsubscribe. Our website and booking portal may use cookies and analytics tools; these do not collect health information. If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm, we notify the affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

You can access or correct the information we hold about you by contacting the Director at admin@kidlink.net.au or (03) 9879 7019; we respond within 30 days. Privacy complaints are raised with the Director in the first instance and can be escalated to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, the Health Complaints Commissioner (Victoria), or, for NDIS participants, the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

We are committed to providing a safe setting for participants, visitors, and staff, while recognising that meaningful therapy sometimes involves supported, appropriate risk-taking. Full procedures are available on request.

We manage risk across governance and clinical practice, compliance (including AHPRA registration and worker checks), business operations, and the safety of staff and visitors. Strategies include insurance, feedback mechanisms, staff training, and regular audits via our Risk Management Register.

Incidents are identified, recorded, assessed, and investigated in line with the requirements of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Full procedures are available on request.

To keep our clinic safe and welcoming for everyone, we ask families to:

• Communicate respectfully and with a considerate tone.
• Arrive 5 to 15 minutes before sessions.
• Help keep the facility clean and supervise all children in waiting areas.
• Avoid food without OT approval, and no animals without prior permission.
• Attend and actively engage in sessions unless an alternative has been arranged.

We may refuse or discontinue service where a child or family is unwell or has been exposed to bodily fluids, where behaviour is violent, threatening, sexually inappropriate, or harassing, or in cases of unethical goals, excessive cancellations, or repeated code-of-conduct breaches. The Director has final discretion.