Privacy Policy

By accessing this website or using information contained on this website, you agree to the following Privacy Policy, which is hereinafter called the Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the Privacy Policy, you are not permitted to use this website or its information.

Use of the Alberta Foster and Kinship Association (AFKA) website constitutes acceptance of the Privacy Policy and any changes therein. AFKA reserves the right to change its website and Private Policy without prior notice to you.

AFKA Website Privacy Policy

General

The AFKA recognizes its obligations with respect to privacy and the sensitivity of the personal information it collects, uses or discloses in the course of providing support services to foster families, kinship families, and children.

This privacy policy has been developed with the above obligations in mind. The AFKA Privacy Policy also outlines the principles and practices for protecting personal information.

What is Personal Information?

The AFKA website is hosted on an isolated VPS (Virtual Private Server) in Canada; all website data is stored on this server. The laws of Alberta govern the collection, use and disclosure of personal information stored on the AFKA website server.

Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act (“PIPA”) regulates the way private sector organizations within Alberta collect, use and disclose personal information. “Personal Information” means information about an identifiable individual, including but not limited to an individual’s name, home address, phone number, age, marital or family status, and financial information.

PIPA does not apply to personal information in AFKA’s custody if the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act (FOIP) applies to personal information (e.g., personal information collected under the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act). In such cases, the FOIP Act shall govern the AFKA’s collection, use and disclosure of personal information.

Collection, Use and Disclosure of Personal Information

Personal information is collected through the AFKA website only to the extent that is reasonable for meeting the purposes for which the information is collected, except with the individual’s consent or as permitted by law. Such purposes may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Evaluation of program and service effectiveness;

Determination of program and service trends;

Collection and reporting of statistics to third parties and stakeholders;

Delivery of requested programs and services;

Enrollment in AFKA-administered programs and services; and

Sending out AFKA membership information.

By accessing and using the AFKA website, you consent to the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information as necessary for the AFKA to meet the above-stated purposes. AFKA may not be able to provide certain services if you are unwilling to consent to the collection, use or disclosure of certain personal information.

Personal Volunteer Information

Personal volunteer information is personal information about a volunteer collected, used or disclosed solely for establishing, managing or terminating a volunteer work relationship. Personal volunteer information may, in some circumstances, include (but is not limited to) the following:

Contact information such as name, home address, and telephone number;
Performance review;
Reference checks; and
Criminal record checks.

AFKA can collect, use and disclose your personal volunteer information without your consent to establish, manage or end the volunteer relationship. AFKA will provide current volunteers with prior notice about what information AFKA collects, uses or discloses and the purpose for doing so.

The AFKA collects, uses and discloses personal volunteer information for various purposes, including (but not limited to) the following:

Determining eligibility for volunteer work, including verifying qualifications and references;

Establishing training and development requirements;

Assessing performance and managing performance issues, if applicable; and

Complying with applicable laws.

AFKA will inform volunteers of any new purpose for which personal employee information is collected, used or disclosed. AFKA will obtain your consent before or when the information is collected.

AFKA will obtain your consent to collect, use and disclose your personal information for purposes unrelated to the volunteer relationship.

Consent

Before or at the time of collecting personal information, the AFKA shall inform you of its purposes for collecting it. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the collection of this information, you may contact AFKA’s Acting Privacy Officer:

Acting Privacy Officer
Melissa Jones
Alberta Foster and Kinship Association
303, 9488 – 51st Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T6E 5A6
P: 780-429-9923 or 1-800-667-2372
F: 780-426-7151

AFKA shall also obtain your consent before collecting, using or disclosing personal information.

In some circumstances, PIPA permits the AFKA to collect, use or disclose personal information about an individual without the individual’s consent. Such circumstances include, but are not limited to, situations in which:

Collection, use or disclosure is clearly in the interests of the individual, and consent cannot be obtained in a timely way;

Collection, use or disclosure is reasonable for an investigation or proceeding;

The personal information is available to the public from a prescribed source; or

Collection, use, or disclosure is required or authorized by a statute or regulation of Alberta or Canada.

Deemed Consent

PIPA provides that an individual is deemed to consent to the collection, use or disclosure of personal information about that individual for a particular purpose if the individual voluntarily provides the information for that purpose and it is reasonable that a person would voluntarily provide that information.

When you volunteer personal information for an obvious purpose, AFKA may not provide notification or seek consent for collecting, using, or disclosing that personal information. Examples of obvious purposes for which you might volunteer personal information include, but are not limited to the following:

Producing credit card information to pay a membership fee to the AFKA, when the personal information will be used only to process the payment;

Producing credit card information to fund a donation to the AFKA, when the personal information will be used only to process the donation;
Providing personal information to complete online surveys, including but not limited to feedback surveys to assist the AFKA with improving its services; or

Providing personal information to register for an AFKA program or service.

Once AFKA has collected your personal information, AFKA will assume your continued consent for the use and disclosure of your personal information only for the purpose for which the information was collected. If AFKA wishes to use or disclose your personal information for a new purpose, AFKA will ask for new consent, except as permitted by law or where consent is deemed.

Withdrawal of Consent

You may withdraw consent to the use and disclosure of personal information at any time unless the personal information is necessary for AFKA to fulfil its legal obligations. AFKA will respect your decision but may be unable to provide you with certain services if AFKA does not have your consent to collect, use and/or disclose the necessary personal information.

Security of Personal Information

AFKA recognizes both its professional and legal obligations to protect the personal information it receives in the course of providing support services for foster families, kinship families, children in care and/or any other individuals, agencies or organizations registering, applying for or participating in AFKA programs, services or functions. AFKA has therefore made arrangements to secure against the unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, disposal or destruction of personal information.

AFKA makes every reasonable effort to ensure that personal information is accurate and complete. AFKA relies on individuals to notify it if a change to their personal information may impact their relationship with the AFKA.

AFKA protects personal information in a manner appropriate for the sensitivity of the information. AFKA makes every reasonable effort to prevent any loss, misuse, disclosure or modification of personal information and any unauthorized access to personal information.

AFKA uses appropriate security measures when destroying personal information, including but not limited to the following:

Shredding paper records; and

Permanently deleting electronic records.

AFKA retains personal information only as long as it is reasonable to fulfil the purposes for which the information was collected or for legal or business purposes.

Access to Personal Information

You have a right to access your personal information in a record in the custody or under the control of AFKA, subject to some exceptions. The law provides that AFKA must not disclose personal information in the following circumstances:

The disclosure could reasonably be expected to threaten the safety or physical or mental health of an individual other than the individual making the request;

The disclosure would reveal personal information about another individual; or

The disclosure would reveal the identity of an individual who has, in confidence, provided AFKA with an opinion about another individual, and the individual providing the opinion does not consent to the disclosure of their identity.

Additionally, the law provides that AFKA may choose to not disclose personal information in the following circumstances:

The personal information is protected by any legal privilege;

The disclosure of the information would reveal confidential commercial information, and it is not unreasonable to withhold that information;

AFKA collected the personal information for an investigation or legal proceeding

The disclosure of the personal information might result in similar information no longer being provided to AFKA when it is reasonable that it would be provided;

the personal information was collected or created by a mediator or arbitrator in the conduct of a mediation or arbitration for which they were appointed to act

under an agreement,
under an enactment, or
by a court; or
the personal information relates to or may be used in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion.

If AFKA refuses a request in whole or in part, AFKA will provide the reasons for the refusal. In some cases where exceptions to access apply, AFKA may withhold that information and provide you with the remainder of the record.

You may make a request for access to your personal information by writing to AFKA’s Acting Privacy Officer:

Alberta Foster and Kinship Association
Attn: Melissa Jones
Acting Privacy Officer
303, 9488 – 5st Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T6E 5A6
P: 780-429-9923 or 1-800-667-2372
F: 780-426-7151

You must provide sufficient information in your request to allow AFKA to identify the information you are seeking.

You may also request information about AFKA’s use of your personal information, and any disclosure of that information to persons outside the AFKA. In addition, you may request a correction of an error or omission in your personal information.

AFKA shall endeavour to provide individuals with access to their own personal information and allow for corrections to that information, so long as the request is reasonable and exceptions or exemptions do not exist that prevent access or corrections. AFKA reserves the right to charge reasonable fees for providing individuals with access to personal information as contemplated in this privacy policy.

Contacting or Communicating with us

If you have any questions with respect to AFKA’s policies concerning the handling of your personal information, or if you wish to request access to, or correction of, your personal information under the care and control of AFKA, please contact AFKA’s Acting Privacy Officer at: