Privacy Policy

Introduction

Sections of the Privacy Act 1988 which broadened the legislation include the private sector organizations came into effect on 21st December 2002.

The aim of the legislation is to
a) Ensure that organizations that hold information about people handle that information responsibly;
b) Give people some control over the way information about them is stored, distributed and destroyed.

St. Columba’s Anglican Church, Scarborough has chosen to comply with the National Privacy Principles of the Privacy Act.

Information kept by St. Columba’s Anglican Church

Two documents of the Anglican Diocese of Perth that control most of the information gathering and distribution are the Parochial Statute 1971-2002, and the Pastoral Handbook (2002). Copies of these are available for perusal in our Parish Office and at Anglican Church Office, Perth.

Parish Roll
The information collected for the Parish Roll is in accordance with Schedule 1 of the Parochial Statute of the Anglican Diocese of Perth. The signed forms are kept in the Parish Office and are used in accordance with Schedule 1. The Churchwardens are responsible for maintaining the Roll.

Parish Directory
The Directory is information collected and distributed within the community of St. Columba’s and is used to assist parishioners to contact one another as necessary. It includes the following information:

1. Names, home address, postal address, home phone, work phone, fax, mobile phone, personal and work email address;
2. Dates of birthdays, weddings, bereavements and other significant life events, which may be used to assist in the pastoral care of parishioners;
3. Records of baptism, welcome to communion, confirmation or reception, and attendance at Parish services are records the Communicant status of parishioners.

A copy of the Parish Directory is kept in the Parish Office, and clergy, wardens and some pastoral assistants also have copies. The Directory is maintained in a password-protected file on the Parish Computer. The Parish Priest and Rector’s Secretary maintain the records.

Statutory Records
The Rector of the Parish has custody of and is responsible for all church registers and records (Parochial Statute S34). Where there is no Rector, churchwardens take on the responsibility.

A number of records of pastoral rites are recorded and distributed as follows:

1. Baptism: Relevant information is recorded in the Baptism Register in accordance with Section 11 of the Canon Concerning Baptism 1992 (No 21 of 1988) Statute, Section 34 of the Parochial Statute, and page B3 of the Pastoral Handbook. No information is passed on to a third party, except in the case where the family resides in another parish, in which case baptismal information may be passed on to the rector of that parish. The Baptism Register is kept in the Parish Office.

2. Welcome to Communion: The child’s full name, address and age is forwarded to the Regional Bishop in accordance with the Pastoral Handbook, guideline 4, page C1. A Register of Welcome to Communion is kept in the Parish Office.

3. Confirmation: The candidate’s name, address and age are forwarded to the Regional Bishop, in accordance with the Pastoral Handbook, guideline 6, page C10. In accordance with Section 34 of the Parochial Statute a copy is kept in the Confirmation Register in the Parish Office.

4. Marriage: Relevant information is recorded in the Register of Marriages and a copy is forwarded to the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, in accordance with the requirements of the Marriage Act 1961. In accordance with Section 34 of the Parochial Statute a copy is kept in the Register of Marriages in the Parish Office.

Where the marriage of those previously divorced is proposed, relevant information is gathered for the purposes of making a recommendation to the Regional Bishop for permission to remarry (Pastoral Handbook, page M14). The Application Form with the information may be sent to the Regional Bishop. This information is not otherwise available to third parties because of its personal and sensitive nature.

Where the couple do “Prepare” as part of their marriage preparation, the results of the questionnaire are retained by the Parish Priest for a period of two years and are then destroyed. This information is not made available to third parties because of its personal and sensitive nature.

5. Funeral: Relevant information is recorded in the Burial Register in accordance with Section 34 of the Parochial Statute. No information is passed on to a third party, except in the case where the bereaved family is a member of another parish, in which case names and addresses may be passed on to that parish priest (Pastoral Handbook, page F2, section 3). The information may be used in the pastoral care of bereaved families. The Burial Register is kept in the Parish Office.

6. Annual Returns: Wardens are responsible to furnish to the Diocesan Secretary annual returns detailing the names, addresses and phone numbers of newly elected or appointed officers in the Parish (Parochial Statute S37h). By accepting election or appointments, officers give their permission for their personal information to be forwarded to Anglican Church Office and to be used for communication purposes.


The Coracle
Information from the Parish Directory may on occasion be published in our weekly news bulletin (“The Coracle”) in connection with the organising of events or the celebration of special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. Celebration information may be entered into our Anniversary book. By placing their information into the Anniversary Book the person gives consent to have the information published in the Coracle.

The Coracle lists names and phone contacts of key leaders in the Parish.

Welcome Pack
Our Parish mission includes an intention to be a welcoming community. To this end the Welcome Pack summarises information on Parish organisations and bodies. It lists contact names and phone numbers for each of these. The information is stored on the Parish Computer, and is revised by the Rector’s Secretary and reprinted from time to time. It is distributed to newcomers to the Parish.

Parish Web Site
The information in the Welcome Pack is substantially replicated on the Parish web site

Access to information:
Anyone wishing to access information stored in Parish registers can do so by contacting the Parish Office and making arrangements with the Priest Rev'd Gail Falconer or .

 

 

 

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