BC Association of Social Workers Personal Information and Protection of Privacy Policy

Preamble:

BC Association of Social Workers maintains a database of members of the Association. The database
contains personal information and this Policy is adopted in compliance with the requirements of the
Personal Information Protection Act, (2003).
Therefore, this Policy is intended to:
• ensure that personal information is stored, used and disclosed in compliance with the provisions of
the Act
• protect our employees, contractors, members, volunteers and contributors against unintentional
disclosure of personal information in a manner which is consistent with BC Association of Social
Workers’ need to collect, use or disclose personal information for purposes that a reasonable person
would consider appropriate in the circumstances.
Definition of personal information
In this Schedule, “personal information” means information about an identifiable individual solicited,
collected, or created by BC Association of Social Workers.

Accountability
BC Association of Social Workers is responsible for personal information under its control. All BC
Association of Social Workers employees, contractors, and volunteers who collect, maintain and/or use
personal information shall ensure that the collection, use, disclosure, and storage of that personal
information is carried out in compliance with the provisions of this Policy and the provisions of the Act.
In compliance with the Act, BC Association of Social Workers has designated a Privacy Officer to be
responsible for compliance with the provisions of the Act.
The Privacy Officer shall supervise compliance with the legislative provisions and initiate procedural
guidelines for giving effect to this Policy and the provisions of the Act.
The Privacy Officer is the individual to whom complaints and queries concerning the application of this
Policy and adherence to the provisions of the Act may be directed. Employees, contractors, and
volunteers in receipt of queries or complaints will forward them to the Privacy Officer for resolution.

Identifying the Purposes
BC Association of Social Workers shall identify the purpose(s) for which personal information is solicited
or provided by an individual at the time that the information is collected.

Consent
BC Association of Social Workers shall not use any personal information provided to it by or about any
individual other than for the purpose for which that information was originally solicited, collected, or
created and will not disclose personal information to any third party without the knowledge and 
consent of the individual concerned.
An individual retains the right to withdraw that consent.

Limiting Collection:
BC Association of Social Workers shall limit the collection of personal information about an individual to
that which is necessary for the purposes identified at the time that the personal information was
solicited, collected, or created.

Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention:
BC Association of Social Workers shall not use personal information for purposes other than those for
which it was originally solicited or provided.
BC Association of Social Workers shall not disclose personal information to any third party without the
knowledge and express consent of the individual concerned. Personal information shall be retained
only as long as necessary for the achievement of the purposes for which it was originally solicited/
collected, or created.
In the case of employees, personal information used for the purpose of making a decision about the
individual employee will be retained for a period of one year following the date on which the decision
was rendered.

Accuracy:
BC Association of Social Workers shall ensure that the personal information under its control is as
accurate, complete and current as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used.

Security:
BC Association of Social Workers is responsible for protecting the security of personal information and
will use security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of that personal information to protect it
from loss or theft as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, modification or use.
These safeguards include but are not limited to:
• physical measures such as restricted access to the office, equipment, and files:
• organizational measures such as security clearances and publication of this Policy to all employees,
contractors and volunteers with strict instructions to act in accordance with its principle;
• technological measures, such as the use of passwords, encryption, secure networks, and firewalls
• contractual agreements with outside service providers

Openness:
BC Association of Social Workers shall make readily available to its members, volunteers, contributors,
employees, and contractors information about its policies and practices relating to the management of
personal information.

Individual Access:
Upon request by an individual, BC Association of Social Workers shall inform that individual of the
existence, use, and disclosure of his or her personal information and provide him or her with access to 
that information.
Within 30 business days, BC Association of Social Workers shall provide to an individual with a copy of
the requested personal information or with a response that includes reasons for not providing access to
such personal information, subject to the exceptions set out in the Act and Regulations.

Challenges to Accuracy:
An individual shall have the right to challenge the accuracy and completeness of personal information
in the control of BC Association of Social Workers.
BC Association of Social Workers will correct personal information that it has verified is inaccurate or
incomplete.
If such a correction is made, BC Association of Social Workers shall send a copy of the corrected
personal information to each person or organization to which the incorrect or incomplete information
was disclosed within the previous year.
If no correction is made in response to an individual’s request, BC Association of Social Workers shall
annotate the personal information to indicate that a correction was requested but not made.

Providing Recourse:
An individual has the right to address a challenge concerning BC Association of Social Workers’
compliance with the provisions of this Policy and/or the provisions of the Act to BC Association of
Social Workers’ Privacy Officer.
The Privacy Officer shall investigate all complaints and take appropriate measures to correct
information handling practices and polices.

Privacy Officer: Executive Director

Privacy Statement

Personal Information and Protection of Privacy
BC Association of Social Workers is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information of
its members, employees, volunteers and other stakeholders and to complying with legislation regarding
protection of personal information. To meet our mandate and provide quality services, we gather and
use personal information by consent and take responsibility for being transparent and accountable in
how we deal with that information.

1. Personal information is any information that can be used to distinguish, identify or contact a specific
individual, with the exception of information that is publicly available, such as names, addresses,
telephone numbers and other electronic communications that are published in telephone or other
directories. Business contact information, including where home contact information is used as
business contact information, is also not subject to protection as personal information.
2. We collect, use and disclose personal information only for the purposes that a reasonable person
would consider appropriate in the circumstances. We routinely inform and offer our members the
opportunity not to have the information used for purposes beyond which it has been collected.
3. Personal information gathered by BCASW is kept in confidence and safeguards are in place to ensure
that the information is not available or disclosed or shared more widely than is necessary to achieve
the purpose for which consent has been received.
4. Information collected and stored electronically is appropriately protected through up-to-date and
regularly reviewed procedures and software, including password protocols.
5. BCASW has a staff member appointed as Privacy Officer who provides leadership to the privacy
program and reports to the Board of Directors on a yearly basis with an audit of BCASW’s privacy
compliance.
6. BCASW promptly responds to questions, concerns or complaints concerning this policy or its use of
personal information.