Westcoast Family Centres Society Privacy Policy (Canada)

Effective upon: April 20, 2026

Last updated: March 23, 2026

At Westcoast Family Centres Society (“our”, “we” and “us”), we are strongly committed to transparency and to treating all personal information provided to us with the utmost confidentiality. We want you to understand how we collect, use, disclose and protect your personal information, as well as how you can manage the information we collect from you.

This Privacy Policy applies to your use of our websites located at https://westcoastfamily.org/ and https://www.wstcoast.org/ (the “Websites”), any related software, applications, webpages, and any information and content relating to the foregoing, including without limitation, HTML, software, code, data, text, documents, images, photographs, videos, icons, and designs, as well as any in-person interactions, telephone communications, and other forms of communication with us (collectively, the “Services”).

By using the Services, you are accepting the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Services. If you do not understand, or if you have questions about, this Privacy Policy, please contact us before using, or continuing to use, the Services.

The date on which the Privacy Policy was last amended is indicated above. We reserve the right to change our Privacy Policy from time to time. If we choose to amend this Privacy Policy, we will revise the “last updated” date at the top of this policy when we post the updated version. We will display a prominent notice that the Privacy Policy has been amended on our software for a period of 30 days. The amended Privacy Policy is effective when posted. Your use of the Services after we have made changes to our Privacy Policy will mean that you have accepted those changes.

Information

Personal information means information about an identifiable individual (collectively, “personal information”), and does not include information that cannot be attributed to an identifiable individual, such as information of an aggregate or anonymous nature (collectively, “non-personal information”). We will only collect, use, and disclose the personal information that we need in order to provide you with the Services.

Consent

We will obtain your express consent prior to or when collecting, using, or disclosing your personal information for any purpose not described in this Privacy Policy or for a purpose that was not identified to you nor reasonably expected at the time of collection, unless we are required or permitted by law not to obtain your consent. For example, we will ask you to complete a “Consent to Share Information” form before sharing your personal information with third parties except in certain circumstances as described in this Privacy Policy.

We may rely on your implied consent in certain circumstances, after taking into account factors such as the sensitivity of the personal information and your reasonable expectations. We will limit the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information to only that which is necessary for the purposes identified, unless you have otherwise consented, or when such collection, use, and/or disclosure is permitted or required by law.

You can always refuse to provide your personal information, except that it may prevent you from using our Services or receiving responses to your inquiries or other information of interest.

Types of Personal Information we Collect

We may collect various types of personal information from you depending upon on how you interact with us or use or interact with our Services. This personal information may include your:

• Contact/Location Information. Name, email address, postal address(es), phone number(s), and other contact information.
• Payment Information. Credit card number and other billing information.
• Employment Information. Resume, cover letter, employment history, educational background, professional qualifications and certifications, references, and any other information you choose to provide in connection with your application.
• Family and Household Information. Family composition, household members, custody arrangements, family relationships, and emergency contact information.
• Child and Youth Information. Information about children and youth receiving services, including age, developmental history, educational information, and any protection or safety concerns.
• Program Enrollment and Participation Information. Information about the programs and services you or your family members are enrolled in, attendance records, progress notes, and service outcomes.
• Referral and Case Information. Information received from or shared with referring agencies, including child protection agencies, healthcare providers, schools, and other service providers involved in your care.
• Cultural and Language Information. Preferred language, cultural background, and any cultural considerations relevant to providing culturally competent services.
• General Location Data. Information generated from your IP address that permit us to determine your general location.
• Device Information. IP address, operating system and platform, browser type and version, browser plug-in types and versions, device type, device identifiers, and other information about how you use the Services.
• Inferences. Inferences drawn from or created based on any of the information identified in this list.

If you provide us with personal information about another individual (for example, emergency contact information), you represent and warrant that you have the lawful authority to do so and, where required by applicable law, that you have provided any necessary notices and obtained any required consent from that individual for our collection, use, and disclosure of their personal information as described in this Privacy Policy.

We strive to uphold data minimization principles and only seek to collect personal information from you for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

When we combine non-personal information with personal information, we treat the combined information as personal information. You can always refuse to provide the personal information, but please note that some personal information is necessary to provide the Services.

How we Collect Personal Information

We need to collect personal information from you in order to provide you with our Services, as well as to improve the experience of using our Services. You may provide us with personal information in several ways, including, for example when you:

• use our Services;
• complete forms on our Websites, such as contact inquiries, registration forms, donation forms or when you apply for a library card;
• respond to a job posting;
• correspond with us;
• sign up to receive our newsletter or promotional information;
• ask for customer service, support or other assistance;
• contact us by phone, email, or social messaging;
• participate in counselling sessions, parenting programs, or other in-person services; or
• interact with us in any other way, online or offline, including through our Services.

We may also collect personal information from other sources, including the British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development, and from references if you apply for a job position with us. This information helps us complete, verify, or update personal information contained in our records and better customize the Services we provide.

Web Beacons & Cookies

Like many websites, we use web beacons and “cookies”, which are small text or image files that are stored on your computer or equipment when you visit certain online pages that record your preferences and actions, including how you use a website. We use this information for analytics purposes which allows us to improve your experience. The information we collect through these technologies will also be used to manage your session. Out of these, the files that are categorized as “necessary” are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Disabling these necessary files may result in a website not functioning properly.

You can set your browser or device to refuse beacons or cookies or to indicate when they are being sent. If you delete them or if you opt-out, or if you set your browser or device to decline these technologies, some Services may not function properly. The Services do not currently change the way they operate upon detection of a Do Not Track or similar signal.

Online Analytics

We also use various types of online analytics including Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”), on our Websites. Google Analytics uses cookies or other tracking technologies to help us analyze how users interact with and use the Websites, compile reports on the related activities, and provide other services related to website activity and usage. The technologies used by Google may collect information such as your IP address, time of visit, whether you are a return visitor, and any referring website. The information generated by Google Analytics will be transmitted to and stored by Google and will be subject to Google’s privacy policies. To learn more about Google’s partner services and to learn how to opt-out of tracking of analytics by Google click here.

We also use Meta Analytics, a data analytics service provided by Meta Platforms, Inc. (“Meta”), to help us understand how users interact with our Websites and digital advertising campaigns. Meta Analytics collects and processes data such as user behaviour, browsing activity, device information, demographic information, and engagement patterns across Meta’s platforms (including Facebook and Instagram). This information is used to measure the performance of our advertising campaigns, analyze audience trends, and improve our products and services. Data collected through Meta Analytics may be processed and stored on Meta’s servers, and Meta may use this data in accordance with its own privacy policies. If you wish to opt out of Meta’s data collection, you may do so through your device’s ad setting or by visiting the Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out page at https://optout.aboutads.info.

Social Media Integration

The Services may, from time to time, contain links to and from social media platforms. You may choose to connect to us through a social media platform, such as Facebook, Instagram or X (formerly Twitter), and when you do, we may collect additional information from you, including the information listed in the Types of Personal Information We Collect section above. Please be advised that social media platforms may also collect information from you. When you click on a social plug-in, such as X’s “Tweet” button, that particular social network’s plugin will be activated and your browser will directly connect to that provider’s servers. We encourage you to review the social media platforms’ usage and disclosure policies and practices, including the data security practices, before using them.

Surveys

From time to time, and subject to your consent where required by applicable local law, we may provide you with the opportunity to participate in surveys, some of which might be sponsored or conducted by a third party. Participation in these surveys is completely voluntary. If you choose to participate, we will request certain personal information from you. If there is a third-party sponsor involved in the survey, we may provide certain personal information to the third-party sponsor. Please make sure to review the sponsor’s privacy policy and be aware that any surveys offered by us may be governed by specific rules, terms and conditions that are separate from and in addition to this Privacy Policy. By participating in any such surveys, you will become subject to those rules, including but not limited to receiving emails containing survey communications.

How we Use Personal Information

Unless otherwise consented by you in advance, or as may be permitted or required by law, we will only use and disclose your personal information to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected (and in accordance with this Privacy Policy).

We may use personal information to do any or all of the following:

• provide you with the Services;
• provide counselling, parenting education, and family support services;
• assess the needs of you and your family and develop appropriate service plans;
• monitor progress, track outcomes, and evaluate the effectiveness of our programs;
• coordinate care with other service providers, such as child protection agencies, healthcare providers, and schools, where appropriate;
• comply with reporting obligations, including mandatory reporting requirements under child protection legislation;
• process donations;
• communicate with you about appointments, programs, and services;
• analyze trends and support business decisions;
• facilitate your interactions with us, including requests for support, referrals, or additional services;
• administer our relationship with you and your family;
• respond to your requests, communications, suggestions, comments, and inquiries, including your feedback about the Services;
• analyze and measure performance, maintenance, and operations (such as our customer care interactions with you);
• develop new programs and services to better serve families in our community;
• conduct surveys and research to better understand the needs of the families we serve and improve our programs;
• provide you with information about our programs, services, and community resources;
• share information about events, workshops, funding needs, volunteer opportunities, open houses and educational opportunities;
• evaluate candidates for employment opportunities within our organization;
• coordinate with partner agencies, funders, and community organizations to support service delivery;
• ensure our systems are secure;
• respond to legally binding demands from law enforcement, regulatory authorities or other third
  parties;
• defend, protect, or enforce our rights or applicable terms of service;
• to prevent fraud or the recurrence of fraud;
• assist in the event of an emergency; and
• comply with applicable law.

We may also combine your personal information collected through various sources, including personal information collected through the Services, and develop a profile that will be used for the purposes above.

In many cases, we de-identify your personal information as soon as we collect it. In these cases, such information is non-personal information. We may use non-personal information for any legitimate business purpose.

How we Disclose Personal Information

Except as set forth in this Privacy Policy, or as required or permitted by law, we do not disclose your personal information to any parties other than to our service providers (including contractors and third party research and development entities) and our affiliates, and their respective directors, officers, employees, agents, consultants, advisors or other representatives that have a need to use your personal information to provide or improve our Services, to legal or regulatory authorities, or for other purposes for which you have provided your consent. We collect, use and disclose personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in light of the circumstances. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information or our mailing lists.

We may disclose personal information in the following circumstances:

• to our third party service providers to help us with the uses described in the How We Use Personal Information section above, for example, our client management system service providers. We may process, store and transfer your personal information in and to a foreign country, with different privacy laws that may or may not be as comprehensive as Canadian law, for example, cloud hosting and analytics providers. We may also engage third‑party service providers for hosting, analytics, security, and related services, and we limit their access to personal information to what is necessary to perform services on our behalf.  Personal information in the custody and control of a third party service provider is subject to the laws of the jurisdiction applicable to that third party service provider. We will act in a reasonable manner, including by contractual or other means, to ensure that the third party service provider agrees to similarly be bound by this Privacy Policy or a privacy policy that provides substantially similar measures to those employed by us to protect the privacy and security of your personal information and to similarly comply with applicable privacy legislation with respect to your personal information, but we cannot guarantee such latter compliance by the third party;
• to comply with your directions or any additional consent you have provided us;
• when our personnel have a duty to report suspicion of child abuse or neglect, or suspicion that you pose a risk of harm to yourself or to someone else;
• to the referring authority, who has access to all details of service provision, including all elements of a client’s record;
• to other professionals supporting you and your family on a need-to-know basis;
• to our accreditation governing body, the Council on Accreditation (“COA”), during our accreditation process, which occurs every four years. During this period, COA is granted temporary access to a selection of client files to verify accuracy and confirm that our records meet required standards. The information reviewed may include location, case goals, mandatory documents, reports, and surveys. Incident reports may also be reviewed; however, these contain only statistical data and no identifying information such as client names;
• to personnel of the mandating agency, where services to clients are mandated under the provisions of the Child, Family, and Community Service Act of British Columbia. In these situations, we will strive to adhere to this Privacy Policy and engage you in a cooperative manner;
• to other persons or organizations at the request of mandated clients, provided such requests are referred to the supervising social worker;
• to other parties where we are under a duty to disclose your personal information in order to comply with any applicable legal obligation including a regulatory process, or an order of a government institution, investigative body, regulatory body or judicial authority of competent jurisdiction;
• where we transfer or are considering transferring control of any or all of our assets, operations or services to a third party acquirer of all or substantially all of our assets, including our rights and obligations relating to our Services, to a third party. The third party may continue to retain and use the personal information that you provided to us. We will act in a reasonable manner, including by contractual or other means, to ensure that the third party agrees to similarly be bound by this Privacy Policy or a privacy policy that provides substantially similar measures to those employed by us to protect the privacy and security of your personal information and to similarly comply with applicable privacy legislation with respect to your personal information, but we cannot guarantee such latter compliance by the third party acquirer; and
• where we merge, consolidate, or amalgamate with a third party, the merged, consolidated, or amalgamated entity may continue to use and disclose your personal information. We will use our best efforts to ensure that the merged, consolidated, or amalgamated entity agrees to similarly be bound by this Privacy Policy or a privacy policy that provides substantially similar measures to those employed by us to protect the privacy of your personal information and to similarly comply with applicable privacy legislation with respect to your personal information, but we cannot guarantee such compliance.

We disclose non-personal information to third parties as reasonably necessary to meet our business needs. We do not disclose your personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing purposes without your consent.

How we Protect Personal Information

We are concerned about ensuring the security of your personal information, and we have taken appropriate measures to ensure its security and confidentiality. We use administrative, technical and operational safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse and disclosure. We exercise great care in providing secure transmission of your personal information from your browser or device to our servers. For example, we use an encrypted channel(s) between our front-end web service and our APIs, and we store encrypted personal information that we have collected in secure operating environments. In addition to standard encryption, we employ endpoint intrusion detection, email security measures, and two-factor authentication to further protect against unauthorized access.

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected. We may also retain personal information as required to meet our legal, accounting, tax, and audit obligations. Non-personal information may be retained for as long as we have a legitimate business need to do so.

Our Services may utilize third party systems, programs, websites, solutions, and/or applications, including to host the Services and store personal information on our behalf.

An organization must protect personal information that is in its custody or under its control by making reasonable security arrangements against such risks as unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, disposal or destruction. All of our service providers and contractors are contractually obligated to employ appropriate data security measures with respect to your personal information and to collect/use/disclose/retain it only within the scope required for the provision of our Services.  However, we are not responsible for the actions and privacy policies of these third parties and their systems, programs, websites, solutions and/or applications. Check the privacy policies of these third parties for information on their privacy practices.

We try our best to safeguard personal information once we receive it, but please understand that no transmission of data over the Internet or any other public network can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. If you suspect an unauthorized use or security breach of your information, please contact us as soon as possible.

Your Choices

We offer you certain choices in connection with our Services.

Access to your personal information

On your reasonable written request, we will provide you, not later than 30 days from our receipt of your request, or such additional time as required by law, with access to or information about your personal information (if any) under our custody or control, and the names of persons to whom, and any circumstances in which, your personal information has been and is being disclosed by us. You must provide sufficient information in your request to allow us to verify your identity and identify the information you are seeking.

If you request a copy of your personal information and the personal information can reasonably be reproduced, we will provide you with a copy of the personal information, or, if applicable, we will give you reasons for any delay in providing a copy of the requested personal information. All requests may be subject to minimal costs, in accordance with applicable privacy legislation.

We reserve all rights not to disclose personal information, in whole or in part, in certain circumstances permitted or required by law, including but not limited to where:

• the personal information is protected by any legal privilege;
• the disclosure of the personal information would reveal confidential commercial information;
• the disclosure could reasonably be expected to threaten the life or security of another individual. Decisions to refuse access for this reason are reviewed and approved by our Chief Executive Officer;
• the personal information was generated in the course of a formal dispute resolution process; or
• the personal information was collected by us without your knowledge and consent for reasonable purposes related to investigating a breach of an agreement or a contravention of the laws of Canada or a province. 

If access to your personal information is refused, in whole or in part, we will provide you with the reasons for the refusal, the provision of applicable privacy legislation on which the refusal is based, and the contact information of the Privacy Officer who can answer your questions about the refusal, and will inform you that you may ask for a review of the refusal in accordance with applicable privacy legislation. 

Records from third-parties or service providers are not released directly to clients. Instead, clients are informed when such records are included in their file and are assisted in obtaining them from the originating professionals or organizations.

To submit a request to access your personal information or designate an authorized agent to make a request to access your personal information, please contact us. Our security procedures mean that we may request proof of identity before we disclose your personal information to you.

Updating your personal information

The accuracy of the personal information we have about you is very important. To submit a request that we update your personal information, please contact us.

On your request, we will make every reasonable effort to correct outdated personal information, or errors or omissions in your personal information where that personal information is in our custody or control. Such request must be in writing, signed by you, and include sufficient detail to enable us to identify any personal information in our custody or control in relation to the request.

We will, as soon as reasonably practical and not later than 30 days from our receipt of your request, or within such additional time as permitted or required by law, either correct the personal information and, if applicable and reasonable to do so, send correction notifications to any third party to whom we disclosed the incorrect personal information, or decide not to correct the personal information, but we will annotate the personal information under our control to indicate that a correction was requested but not made.

We will inform you of the action that we have taken in response to your request for correction, the contact information of the Privacy Officer who can answer your questions about your request for correction, and that you may ask for a review of the action taken in accordance with applicable privacy legislation.

Electronic communications

We may offer you the opportunity to receive marketing communications, for example, about our programs, services, special events, funding needs, volunteer and giving opportunities, open houses, and other events. If you provide your email in order to receive communications, you can opt out of marketing emails at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” button at the bottom of our emails and adjusting your preferences. Please note that some emails are necessary for the operation of our Services, and you will continue to receive these essential communications even if you unsubscribe from optional marketing messages.

Third Party Websites & Apps

The Services may contain links to other websites operated by third parties. Please be advised that the practices described in this Privacy Policy do not apply to information gathered through these third-party websites. We have no control over, and are not responsible for, the actions and privacy policies of third parties and other websites.

Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or would like to access/update/change your personal information, you can contact us in the following ways:

Email	Privacy@westcoastfamily.org
Phone	604-254-5457
Mail	Westcoast Family Centres Society  2780 E. Broadway Vancouver, BC V5M 1Y8 Canada  Attention: Privacy Officer

For your protection, we may need to verify your identity before assisting with your request, such as verifying that the information used to contact us matches the information that we have on file.