Privacy & Consent: Your Rights When Services Change

1) The basics: privacy, consent, and what they mean

Privacy means your personal information is only used for the purpose it was collected, and only shared with the people who are allowed to know. That includes your health details, contact information, disability support needs, appointments, and any notes about how you want services delivered. Under the NDIS, providers must handle your information carefully, keep it secure, and follow privacy laws. If something feels unclear, it’s okay to ask how your information will be used and who can access it.

Consent means you choose whether something happens or not. In practice, this should be informed, voluntary, and ongoing—not a one-time signature that you can’t change your mind about later. Consent is required before personal information is collected, used, or shared (unless an exception applies), and before supports are changed in a way that affects you. If services change—like moving times, changing a support worker, changing providers, or changing how goals are supported—make sure you understand what’s changing and why before you agree.

Key takeaway: If you don’t understand what’s being proposed, or you haven’t agreed to it, you can ask questions and request your consent be explained before anything proceeds.

You also have options when deciding how services should run. For example, if you’re comparing providers (or deciding whether to switch), My Care Finders can help you understand what to ask and what to look for, so you can compare privacy and consent processes more confidently. If your plan is managed, you might also need to understand how plan management works when supports change—MyMoney NDIS (www.planmanager.net.au) is one resource for seeing how plan-managed funds may work, while the service provider still must respect your privacy and get your consent for support decisions.

• Ask: What information do you hold about me, and who can see it?
• Check: Do I have to sign anything for changes, and can I say no or request alternatives?
• Clarify: Will my support worker, provider, or allied health team be sharing my details?