When you and your child use a learning support service, we collect personal information.

This privacy statement explains:

• why we collect personal information
• how we use it
• who we share it with
• how we keep it safe.

It is for tamariki | children, ākonga | students, parents or guardians, and mātua | caregivers.

What learning support is#

Learning support covers a range of our services for tamariki enrolled in early learning services, schools or kura who need extra help to take part in education.

It includes help to make these environments safe and accessible for ākonga, staff and regular visitors.

Why we collect personal information#

We collect information about your child to:

• assess if they are eligible for support
• deliver services to them.

We also collect basic information about you so we can work with you to support your child. Providing personal information is your choice. But if you do not provide it, we may not be able to provide the right support.

How we collect personal information#

Requests for service#

Most requests for support are made online by your child’s early learning service, school or kura. Sometimes, a doctor or nurse will submit the request. Sometimes you might submit the request yourself.

In all situations, we expect the person making the request to:

• talk with you first and get your agreement to submit the request (often called consent)
• tell you what personal information will be shared with us
• give you a copy of or a link to this privacy statement.

Service delivery#

Our service delivery staff will collect personal information directly from you and your child. With your agreement, they may also collect personal information from a third party.

What personal information we collect#

Requests for service#

The information we collect in a request depends on the type of support your child needs. You can expect a standard request to include:

• identity information for your child, including their:
  • full name
  • National Student Number
  • date of birth
  • gender
  • ethnicity
• the learning, social or developmental challenges your child is facing
• what improvements or outcomes the support will achieve for your child
• you and your child’s views on goals and support needed
• your contact details.

Some service types also collect:

• detailed health information if relevant to the type of support being requested. This may include:
  • hearing or vision
  • mobility
  • communications
  • health needs
  • condition, diagnosis or medical statements
• details on service history, enrolment history, and/or history of the presenting issues
• involvement with other agencies, for example, Oranga Tamariki.

If the request is about support for you (for example, you are requesting a change to school property so that you can access it), information about your needs and your condition or diagnosis will be collected.

Service delivery#

Service delivery staff collect personal information through the records they make working with you and your child about the support delivered. This includes:

• agreements
• case notes
• goals or plans
• emails
• messages and recordings. 

How we use personal information#

As well as assessing whether you are eligible, and delivering support, we also use information for:

• making decisions about future requests for your child
• updating your child’s current early learning service, school or kura on what support has been approved
• reporting and quality checks
• improving services
• research, evaluation and analysis – when we use information in this way, it is made anonymous and no individual person is identified in published results.

The above activities may involve linking your child’s learning support information with information we hold about them in other Ministry systems.

Who we share personal information with#

Your education provider#

We share summary information about the learning support your child receives with their early learning service, school or kura. Usually, this sharing is with staff who have a learning support role, such as a Learning Support Coordinator (LSC) or Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO).

If your child moves to a new early learning service, school or kura, the same information will automatically be shared with them.

Our service delivery staff will ask for your agreement if they think sharing detailed information with the early learning service, school or kura will help your child. For example, they may need to share a learning support agreement.

Your support person#

Some requests for service let you choose another person to get updates about the request outcome and review reminders. If you choose this, we will share information with them.

Third-party providers#

We may need to share information with other organisations or professionals outside the Ministry so that they can provide support. Our staff will talk with you about this.

Learn more about this approach on our He Pikorua website.

He Pikorua in action – He Pikorua

For some services, such as early intervention, you may choose support from:

• a Ministry of Education staff member
• a third-party provider contracted by us.

If you choose a third-party provider, we will need to share information with them so they can support you and your child. They will also give us progress updates.

Learning support in the early years

Some services, such as Te Kahu Tōī Intensive Wraparound Service, involve several third parties. The information shared with them will depend on their support role and will only be shared with your agreement.

Te Kahu Tōī Intensive Wraparound Service

Other government agencies or third parties#

Information may also be shared with other agencies or third parties. This only happens if allowed by the Privacy Act or other legislation such as the Data and Statistics Act, the Oranga Tamariki Act or Family Violence Act.

For example, we may:

• check visa details with Immigration New Zealand to confirm eligibility for learning support services
• share information with the Ministry of Social Development about ORS-funded students if they can show they have your agreement.

How we look after personal information#

Your child’s learning support request is stored in our learning support case management system. Records about the support provided are stored there too. Some information may also be kept in paper files stored securely in our regional offices.

Our staff who work with you and your child have access to the information. Staff responsible for support, reporting and quality checks also have access.

Staff from the early learning service, school or kura that sent the request can access the information they submitted. They cannot access detailed information collected later by our service delivery staff while supporting your child.

If you receive a service from a third party, they collect, use and store personal information in their own business systems.

Your rights#

Under the Privacy Act and Health Information Privacy Code, you have the right to ask for a copy of your personal information and ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong.

If you are an ākonga receiving support, you can do this yourself or ask a trusted adult to help you.

You can request a copy of the information we hold about you by emailing us.

Email: [email protected]