Your Client Rights
As a client of Strides Toronto, you have a number of rights. We have many policies and procedures in place to ensure Strides Toronto delivers the highest quality care to our clients and families.
General Information
As a Strides Toronto client, you have the right to:
- Privacy and confidentiality
- Make a complaint
- Be treated with dignity and respect without any discrimination
- A safe and secure environment
Protecting Privacy and Confidentiality
At Strides Toronto, we collect personal information about our clients and participants and inform you of how and why this information will be used. Since personal information can help to identify a person, we treat this information with the utmost care. All Strides Toronto employees, students, and volunteers must sign an oath of confidentiality prior to their involvement with the agency and are expected to uphold this agreement.
We are committed to protecting the privacy of our clients/participants in accordance with the Canadian Centre for Accreditation (CAA) standards, the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), and The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Unless required by law, personal information is not disclosed without client consent.
E-communication, which includes the use of cell phones, e-mail, video call, social media outlets, etc., may be used for the purpose of programming and communication with Strides Toronto programs and staff. Strides Toronto clients understand that if they choose to communicate by email/text/video call, Strides Toronto cannot guarantee complete confidentiality. Examples of how security may be breached include, but are not limited to:
- Use of public computer, sharing your computer and/or cellular phone
- Leaving or storing confidential material on a computer screen and/or a cellular phone for others to see
- Loss of computer and/or cellular phone
- Computer or communication service being hacked or use of monitoring software
If you have any concerns regarding privacy or a breach of privacy/confidentiality, please contact Darryl Nurse, Strides Toronto’s Privacy Officer, at privacy@stridestoronto.ca.
Sharing Client Personal Information
We document all inquiries for information that is in the client record. If at any time Strides Toronto receives a request for information, we will contact the client/participant to let them know about the request. Where appropriate, we will ask for consent to disclose the information that has been requested.
In cases where clients are at risk of being physically, sexually, and/or emotionally harmed or there is an imminent danger to self, others, or property, Strides Toronto has a legal obligation to break confidentiality. Strides Toronto staff, students, and volunteers are required by the Child and Family Services Act to report to the appropriate authorities any instance of a child or youth who needs protection.
If you have any concerns regarding privacy or a breach of privacy/confidentiality, please contact Darryl Nurse, Strides Toronto’s Privacy Officer, at privacy@stridestoronto.ca.
Destroying A Client Record
Clients requesting the destruction of their client file must wait until their 28th birthday (as per Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services guidelines) at which point they can request, in writing, that their file be destroyed. Please email your request to Darryl Nurse, Strides Toronto’s Privacy Officer, at privacy@stridestoronto.ca.
Children and Young Persons’ Rights
In Ontario, the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 outlines your rights as a child or young person receiving services related to foster homes, group homes, youth justice, secure treatment facilities, mental health, developmental and/or physical disabilities. This includes counselling services and many more. If you have questions about the Child, Youth and Family Services Act or to find out about the laws that protect you, click here or visit ontario.ca/RightsResource.
Accessibility
Strides Toronto is committed to providing a welcoming environment for all individuals who visit our Centre. We strive to provide facilities to accommodate individuals with disabilities by eliminating accessibility barriers.
Complaint Procedure
Strides Toronto is committed to offering the best service possible. Your thoughts and suggestions are important to us. If you have an issue or concern about your service, please see our procedure for providing feedback.
Cookie Policy
Strides Toronto collects information and tracks user patterns anonymously on its website by using a browser feature called a “cookie”, which is able to identify your browser—but not you—to our computers. This information is used solely to enable us to provide you with a useful online experience and to find ways to improve our site. Although cookies are widely used, it may be possible to disable cookies via the browser settings on your computer. However, doing so may affect the functioning of some websites. We cannot use cookies by themselves to disclose the individual identity of any site user, and we never combine information gathered by a cookie with personally identifiable information like your name, telephone number, or even your e-mail address, without your consent.
Other Policies
Strides Toronto has unified the policies of our two legacy agencies. If you would like a copy of any of the policies listed below, please talk to your Strides worker.
- Privacy and Confidentiality
- Privacy and Confidential Personal Health Information
- Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources
- Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility