Good privacy practice

Your client gives you the information you require trusting that you will use it in the way stated up front, and that you will make the necessary efforts to protect their information. Client Voices has layers of security and privacy built in to protect your client information, but records still need to managed properly by users of the application.

Here are some good privacy practices we strongly recommend when using Client Voices.

Only collect or upload the minimum amount of information necessary

A good rule of thumb is to only collect as much information as is necessary for you to do your job. You need to make sure information entered is in line with the privacy agreement agreed to up front by your client.

Notes: Your client's story will likely be contained in the notes, and may contain very sensitive information about your client. When entering notes into Client Voices, consider including only the most essential points in the story. Some Financial Mentors prefer to write client notes on paper when the client is present, and will summarise the notes in Client Voices later.

Uploading files: Make sure you only upload files you need to support the case, and no more than that. Consider removing files as soon as you no longer have a use for them. Files should be deleted when you close the client case.

Only view client information necessary to do your job

As a Financial Mentor, you will have access to multiple client records. You should only access these records while your client is present, or when you need to complete work to support your client outside of face to face sessions.

This is especially important in services where one client is able to be serviced by multiple financial mentors.

Disclosing client information to a client's partner or other family member

You should only disclose information about your client to their partner or other family members when your client is present. This will ensure you and your organisation avoid a privacy breach.

Keep client information safe and secure

Paper records must be kept in a safe place, locked away in a cabinet to prevent people who shouldn't have access from seeing them. Digital client records need to be handled with the same caution as paper records.

In Client Voices, this means ensuring everyone has the appropriate permissions. Managers should review permissions regularly, and only authorise the strictest permission level necessary for staff to do their job.

This also means knowing how long to retain client information. Read more about that here.