Communities and Justice

Information sharing and privacy

How is personal information used in Safer Pathway?

To minimise you re-telling your story and to offer you support the following information is shared when a referral is made to Safer Pathway:

  • your name
  • your date of birth
  • your phone number
  • your address
  • information about what has happened
  • information about the person who harmed or threatened to harm you and/or your children
  • information about any court notices or protection orders, e.g. Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders (ADVOs)
  • a copy of the safety assessment

Your information is confidential and will not be shared with the person who threatened or harmed you or with anyone else involved in the domestic and family violence.

If a report is made to NSW Police, information collected by the police officer will be included in the referral to the specialist Safer Pathway support service.

The Safer Pathway support worker in your local area will use the information in the referral to contact you via telephone, ask you about your support needs and discuss support options with you.

Your information will only be used to support access to services or to reduce the domestic violence threat to you and others. It will not be used for any other reason unless you are assessed as at ‘serious threat’.

Who can access personal information?

Will the person that harmed or threatened to harm me be allowed to see my personal information?

No, we will never share information with the person that harmed you or is threatening to harm you.

Can my personal information be shared with anybody else?

Your personal information is strictly confidential and we will not share your information unless you are assessed as at ‘serious threat’.

If your safety is at risk, information may be shared at a local Safety Action Meeting to protect your life, health or safety.

How is privacy protected?

Will the person that harmed or threatened to harm me know that I have been referred to Safer Pathway?

No, your privacy and safety are very important to us. We will never contact the person that harmed you or is threatening harm.

We will try to contact you at a safe time when that person is not around. If you tell the police officer or Safer Pathway support worker that it is unsafe to contact you at a certain time, we won’t call at that time. If the support worker cannot get in touch with you by phone, they will only leave a message on your voicemail if they are sure it is safe to.

Where will my personal information be stored?

Once a Safer Pathway referral is made, your personal information will be stored securely. This information can only be accessed by the Safer Pathway support service in your local area. Nobody else is allowed to access this information.

How can I make a complaint if I believe my privacy has been breached?

You can make a complaint directly to the organisation that you feel has breached your privacy. The organisation will then conduct an internal review to examine whether privacy laws have been breached.

You can also make a complaint to the NSW Privacy Commissioner if you believe a NSW Government agency has misused your personal information.

Reports concerning child protection

Child protection laws require certain information to be shared if there are child protection concerns.

More information about children and domestic and family violence.

What will happen if there are child protection concerns?

Safer Pathway specialist domestic violence services are mandatory reporters under child protection legislation.

This means that that where they suspect that a child or young person is at risk of significant harm, they must report this to the Department of Communities and Justice (which used to be called Family and Community Services). Safer Pathway does not change this.

Wherever possible, the specialist service will discuss these concerns with you before making a report. Safer Pathway support services will also seek to work with you to improve both your safety and the safety of children and young people including offering you referrals to help address your children’s needs.

Last updated:

06 Oct 2023