Confidentiality & Client Rights

Youth In Need’s confidentiality policy regarding data collected for the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), used by the Street Outreach Program, Emergency Shelter and Transitional Living Program, can be found here.

Youth In Need’s full confidentiality policy and client rights can be found below. This notice describes how health information about clients may be used and disclosed and how clients can access this information.

Confidentiality

Youth In Need is required by law to disclose or report certain information that we may have received in the course of providing services. Such disclosures include, but are not limited to:

  1. Disclosures mandated by federal, state, or local law (i.e., suspicion or knowledge of child abuse/neglect, proceedings to terminate parental rights, etc.).
  2. Disclosures specifically ordered by a court of law.
  3. Disclosures to prevent a serious threat to health or safety, for example, when there is imminent risk or serious threat of physical harm to self or others (including suicidal or homicidal thoughts).

In addition:

  1. For counseling services provided in a group session, Youth In Need will inform participants of the need to respect the privacy rights of all other participants and will stress that there should be no disclosure to others of information learned or acquired during the course of a group session. Youth In Need cannot control the conduct or actions of other group members; and hence makes no representation or agreement concerning their conduct.
  2. For confidentiality as it relates to Quality Improvement activities, Youth In Need uses various tools including client databases (primarily Efforts to Outcomes, Child Plus, HMIS, Caseworthy and Serve Point), outcome questionnaires, surveys and file reviews. Results and reports from these activities are used to continuously monitor progress, to assess areas of risk and to ensure clients are receiving the greatest possible benefit from services. All data collected is maintained in a secure, confidential manner. Summarized information and statistical data are used for reports to Youth In Need stakeholders, for grant writing and for training purposes.
  3. In addition, because Youth In Need’s services for older youth are funded primarily through the Community and Children’s Resource Board of St. Charles County, the St. Louis County Children’s Services Fund and St. Louis City Mental Health Board, client demographic data may be released to and used by these funders and/or their subcontractors for the purposes of measuring client satisfaction with services. In such cases no client records or case documentation will be released without written consent.

Client Rights

For clients with specific communication needs, Youth In Need utilizes translators/ interpreters or the necessary tools for those who are hearing impaired to ensure all persons served are effectively and appropriately informed of their rights and responsibilities.

The nature of Youth In Need’s services is voluntary (unless mandated by law or court order), and persons served have the right to refuse specific services or treatment. If a client refuses a recommended service, treatment or medication, Youth In Need staff (direct service personnel assigned to the client and/or program director/manager, as appropriate) will discuss this choice to ensure understanding of potential consequences (including potential discharge) and will document such in the case record.

All clients will receive fair and equitable treatment, which will cover:

  • The right to receive services in a non-discriminatory manner.
  • The consistent enforcement of program rules and expectations.
  • The right to receive services that are respectful of, and responsive to, cultural and linguistic differences.

Clients will be provided with sufficient information to make an informed choice about accessing services through Youth In Need, including information needed in order for Youth In Need to provide services to them.

Description of the client’s rights and the obligations the organization has to the client include but are not limited to:

  • Basic expectations for use of the organization’s services.
  • Hours that services are available.
  • Rules, expectations and other factors that can result in discharge or termination of services.
  • Limitations on confidentiality, if any.
  • Clear explanation of how to lodge complaints, grievances or appeals.
  • Participate in all service decisions.
  • Receive service in a manner that is non-coercive and that protects the person’s right to self-determination.
  • Request a review of their care, treatment and service plan.
  • Information on the benefits and alternatives to planned services.

Website and Email Confidentiality

Our Commitment to Your Confidentiality

Confidentiality is of the utmost importance to Youth In Need. Youth In Need safeguards information that is shared and obtained on our website. Appropriate procedures and secure servers are used. This policy outlines a description of these procedures. If a website visitor shares personal information, we will not sell, share or exchange the information to third parties.

The Information We Collect

Youth In Need collects and interacts with information provided for various purposes such as email, employment inquiries, telephone requests and donation submissions. The types of personal information collected at these pages may include:

  • First and Last Name
  • Address/City/State/ZIP
  • Email address
  • Phone Number (Home, Work and Cell)
  • Credit/Debit Card Information (collected by a secure third-party billing service)

How We Use Your Information

Emails: We will respond to email inquiries sent to the emails listed on our website and will not share email address information with outside parties.

Employment Inquiries: Employment inquiries are submitted through a general email address. Our Human Resources staff monitors the employment email address and will collect employment candidate information, including personally identifiable information, via submitted résumés and related email correspondence.

Forms: In some instances, Youth In Need may provide online forms through a third-party service, like Microsoft Forms. The purpose of these forms varies, but may include mailing list enrollment, collection of agency success stories or program inquiries. Form submissions are voluntary as the provided information is at the user’s discretion. (Please see Google’s Privacy and Terms for more information.) Youth In Need also may seek your opinion through Survey Monkey. (Please see Survey Monkey’s Privacy Statement for more information.) In addition, we also communicate via email through MailChimp. (Please see MailChimp’s Privacy Statement for more information.)

Donations: When a visitor makes an online donation through Youth In Need’s website, Blackbaud processes the transaction and is responsible for providing online security measures to the donor. When donors enter sensitive information, such as credit or debit card numbers, that information is encrypted and is protected with encryption software. Blackbaud uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to keep your personal information as secure as possible. (Please see Blackbaud’s Privacy Policy for more information.)

Additionally, Youth In Need also will list your name in various publications, including agency newsletters, unless you indicate a desire to remain anonymous. Likewise, when you make a donation in honor or memory of another person, we may list that person’s name, in addition to your name as the donor, in our publications, unless you indicate a desire to remain anonymous.

Privacy of Children

Youth In Need’s website is designed for a general audience. It is not Youth In Need’s policy to intentionally collect information on minors on our website. Minors are asked not to submit any personal information on the website but rather call one of several help lines for assistance. Personally identifiable information provided over the phone also is safeguarded and not shared with third parties.

Cookies

Youth In Need’s website and email communications may use “cookies” to enhance the user’s experience. A cookie is a small text file that a website’s server places on a user’s computer, mobile phone or other device. Users may choose to set their web browser to refuse cookies, or to alert them when cookies are being sent. If they do so, note that some parts of the website may not function properly.

Cookies can transmit information back to the website’s server about the browsing activities of the user on the site. This includes information such as pages and content viewed, the time and duration of visits and whether user clicked on an advertisement.

Cookies also can be used to recognize users and maintain data related to a particular individual, including passwords. In some contexts, such as where a number of separate websites participate in a network, cookies can be used to track a computer user across different sites.

Links

Youth In Need’s website contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of any other site that collects personally identifiable information.

Our Commitment to Data Security

It’s important to note that any Internet communications are not completely secure and are subject to errors or malfunctions in transmissions or storage. Therefore, Youth In Need cannot guarantee complete security but does ensure that it takes appropriate actions to prevent such occurrences and safeguards all information submitted on its website.

How to Contact Us

If you wish to discontinue receipt of postal mail or email, if you have questions or concerns regarding the website and email privacy practices as outlined here or to correct factual errors in your personally identifiable information, please contact Youth In Need at development@youthinneed.org or 636-757-9347. To protect your privacy and security, we also will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections.

Use of Youth In Need’s website signifies acceptance of these privacy practices. Youth In Need reserves the right to modify its website and privacy practices at any time without notice.