Practice Policies
The Speech Trail Speech Pathology Services
ABN 82 835 867 112
Last updated: 19 August 2026
1. Privacy Policy
Part 1 — About this Policy
1.1 Purpose
The Speech Trail is committed to protecting the privacy of personal information it collects and holds about individuals.
The Speech Trail complies with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), other privacy laws governing how private-sector health service providers handle personal and health information — including the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) — and Speech Pathology Australia's Code of Ethics.
This Privacy Policy explains how The Speech Trail manages the personal information it collects, uses, and discloses.
The Speech Trail is a private speech pathology practice.
Privacy Officer: onthespeechtrail@gmail.com — is the designated Privacy Officer for all privacy-related questions, access requests, or complaints.
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Part 2 — How The Speech Trail handles your personal information
2.1 Legal obligations
In order to provide the speech pathology services requested, The Speech Trail needs to collect and use personal information. If information provided is incomplete, inaccurate, or withheld, it may not be possible to provide the service being sought.
2.2 What information does The Speech Trail collect?
Only the information needed for the particular function or activity being carried out is collected.
Depending on the context of the engagement (kindergarten-based, private, or NDIS-funded), this may include: a child's full name, date of birth, and address; parent/guardian contact details; relevant case history, developmental background, and family history; health fund or NDIS plan details where applicable; and observations and clinical notes made during sessions.
This information is required to assist in understanding and supporting the child's speech, language, and communication needs.
2.3 How does The Speech Trail collect health information?
Health information is usually collected directly from the parent/guardian. Sometimes information is collected from a third party, such as a kindergarten educator, another health professional, or service already involved in the child's care.
2.4 How does The Speech Trail use your information?
Information is used for the purpose it was provided, including to deliver speech pathology services, manage the client relationship, and communicate about matters concerning the child's care. Information may also be used for other purposes permitted under the Privacy Act 1988.
Who might this information be disclosed to?
(a) Other health professionals involved in the child's care Information is generally only used by The Speech Trail, but where care is provided alongside other professionals (e.g. occupational therapists, paediatricians), information may be disclosed to them as part of coordinating that care, with parent/guardian consent.
(b) The referrer or kindergarten Where relevant, a summary of outcomes may be provided to a referrer or to kindergarten educators, as part of standard support. Parents/guardians may request this not occur.
(c) Relatives, guardians, or legal representatives Information about a child's progress may be shared with a parent, guardian, or other responsible person for the child, unless told otherwise.
(d) Other uses and disclosures Information may also be used or disclosed where necessary for invoicing and account management; liaising with an NDIS plan manager or support coordinator; and sending appointment or session reminders by email.
(e) Other uses with consent Information will only be used for marketing, newsletters, or research with express consent. Personal information is not disclosed to any individual or organisation outside Australia.
2.5 Access to and correction of your health information
Parents/guardians have a right to access, and request correction of, the personal and health information held about their child. Where a requested correction is not agreed to, a statement of the requested change will be attached to the record. The Privacy Officer (see 1.1) can provide more detail on this process. Reasonable costs may be recovered for supplying access to information.
2.6 Data quality
Reasonable steps are taken to ensure personal information collected, used, or disclosed is accurate, complete, and up to date.
2.7 Data security
Client records, case notes, and payment information are stored in Halaxy, a practice management platform used by Australian health practitioners, which protects data with bank-grade (256-bit) encryption at rest and in transit, hosts data in Australia-based data centres, and performs daily backups.
Access to Halaxy is protected by a unique login and two-factor authentication, limited to The Speech Trail as the treating clinician.
Any records held outside Halaxy (e.g. on a personal device) are kept on password-protected, encrypted devices and transferred into secure storage as soon as practicable. Physical notes, if any, are kept to a minimum.
Information no longer needed for the purpose it was collected will be destroyed or permanently de-identified, unless The Speech Trail is required by law to retain it. Records are otherwise retained for a minimum of 7 years from last contact, or until a client who is a minor turns 25, in line with health record-keeping requirements.
2.8 What to do if you have a complaint about privacy issues
If you have questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, believe The Speech Trail has not appropriately provided you with access to your information, or have a complaint about information handling practices, you can lodge a complaint with the Privacy Officer. Complaints will be reviewed promptly and a response provided.
If you are not satisfied with the response, you have the right to take the matter to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), which handles complaints about breaches of the Australian Privacy Principles. The OAIC can be contacted at oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.
2.9 How to contact us about privacy issues
By email: onthespeechtrail@gmail.com By phone: 0408 995 686
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Part 3 — How The Speech Trail handles your personal information via enquiries
This section explains how personal information is handled when a parent/guardian makes contact to enquire about services.
3.1 Collection
At present, enquiries are made by email at onthespeechtrail@gmail.com. Personal information is only collected where it is specifically provided — for example, in a general enquiry, or a case history shared as part of registering interest in services. A website enquiry/intake form may be introduced in future, at which point this section will be updated to reflect that channel, including any related website data practices (e.g. cookies).
3.2 Links to third-party websites
Where The Speech Trail's future website links to third-party sites, The Speech Trail is not responsible for the content or privacy practices of those sites.
3.3 Use and disclosure
Any personal information collected via enquiry is used and disclosed in accordance with this Privacy Policy (see Part 2 above).
If you have any questions about this policy, or concerns about personal information you or others have provided, please contact The Speech Trail using the details in 2.9 above.
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2. Cancellation Policy
Kindergarten-based sessions (School Readiness Funding) Sessions are scheduled directly with the kindergarten/centre. Where a session is cancelled by the centre with limited notice, this will be discussed directly with the centre to reschedule where possible.
Private clients (including privately-funded and NDIS plan-managed/self-managed clients)
24 hours' notice is requested for cancellations or rescheduling of an individual appointment.
Cancellations with less than 24 hours' notice, or non-attendance without notice, may incur a cancellation fee of 50% of the session fee.
All clients
Repeated late cancellations may be discussed with the family/referring service to review scheduling.
Sessions cancelled due to illness (child or clinician) will be rescheduled where possible.
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3. Consent Policy
Written or verbal consent is obtained from a parent/guardian prior to a child being assessed, observed, or discussed as part of speech pathology support.
Consent covers the collection of relevant background information from teachers/educators and, where applicable, sharing of information with other involved professionals.
Parents/guardians may withdraw consent at any time; this will be discussed with the relevant kindergarten to determine next steps.
For private and NDIS clients, a Service Agreement is provided and agreed to before services begin, setting out: scope of services, fees, cancellation terms, consent to collect and share information, and (for NDIS clients) how services will be claimed against the client's plan.
For NDIS clients, consent also covers liaison with any plan manager, support coordinator, or other NDIS-funded providers involved in the child's supports, where relevant to service delivery.
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4. Confidentiality
Information about a child is treated as confidential and is only discussed with those directly involved in supporting the child (educators, parents/guardians, and, with consent, other professionals).
Conversations with teachers about a child's needs are kept professional and focused on what is necessary for supporting that child in the kindergarten setting.
Any de-identified case discussion (e.g. for professional development or supervision) will not include identifying details.
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5. Complaints and Feedback
Parents, guardians, or educators with a concern about the service provided are encouraged to raise it directly with The Speech Trail at onthespeechtrail@gmail.com in the first instance.
If a concern cannot be resolved directly, it can be escalated to Speech Pathology Australia, or the relevant kindergarten's management, as appropriate.
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6. Scope of Service
Services are provided as:
Part of the School Readiness Funding program and/or direct engagement with kindergartens, focused on supporting children's speech, language, and communication development in the early learning setting; and/or
Direct, ongoing therapy to private and NDIS-funded clients, where The Speech Trail acts as the treating clinician.
In the kindergarten context, The Speech Trail is not typically the child's ongoing treating clinician unless separately engaged for that purpose.
SRF support is not delivered with reference to, or informed by, an individual child's NDIS plan or goals. The Speech Trail does not have access to a child's NDIS plan in the SRF/kindergarten role, and SRF is a universal, cohort-based funding stream separate from NDIS funding. Families seeking support specifically aligned to their child's NDIS goals should engage The Speech Trail privately (see Section 7).
For NDIS clients engaged privately, services are provided in line with the child's NDIS plan goals and the NDIS Practice Standards. The Speech Trail is an unregistered NDIS provider, meaning services can be delivered to self-managed and plan-managed NDIS participants, but not to participants whose plan is agency-managed by the NDIA for this support.
Referrals to other services (e.g. NDIS access, paediatric speech pathology, audiology, other allied health) will be suggested where appropriate, with parent/guardian consent to make such a referral.
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7. Conflict of Interest
The Speech Trail may work with the same families in two distinct capacities: as part of School Readiness Funding (SRF) kindergarten-based support, and/or as a private or NDIS-funded treating clinician. To manage the potential conflict of interest between these roles:
SRF/kindergarten-based support and private/NDIS therapy are treated as separate engagements, each with their own scope, records, and (where applicable) Service Agreement.
The Speech Trail does not directly solicit or offer private/NDIS services to a family while providing SRF-based support to their child at kindergarten.
Families interested in private or NDIS services outside of the SRF program may seek these out independently — for example, by word of mouth — and register interest by contacting The Speech Trail directly at onthespeechtrail@gmail.com. This ensures the family initiates contact, rather than the referral originating from the SRF role.
Where a family who is already a private/NDIS client of The Speech Trail is separately encountered through an SRF-funded kindergarten placement, this overlap will be disclosed to the kindergarten and managed transparently — for example, by another clinician covering the SRF session for that child where practicable, or by clearly separating the scope of each role.
This separation also reflects the funding boundary described in Section 6: SRF support is not aligned to, or informed by, a child's NDIS plan, so there is no basis for SRF work to overlap with an existing private/NDIS engagement's goals.
This approach is intended to align with Speech Pathology Australia's Code of Ethics regarding dual relationships and conflicts of interest.