Professional Services Agreement

Assessment Services

An assessment is used to assist in answering referral questions and to guide recommendations and treatment. Assessments vary depending on the referral question, but could include:

• Administration of standardised tests;

• Clinical interviews with parents/caregivers, teachers, medical or allied health providers, and other relevant professionals;

• Questionnaires for parents/caregivers, school teachers or support team, and the young person;

• Clinical interview with the young person; and

• Observation of the young person in the clinic and/or other settings.

Confidentiality

In the course of the provision of professional services, it will be necessary to collect and record personal information relevant to your young person. This may include written records and/or audio recordings. Information may also need to be collected from various sources including teachers, allied health and medical professionals.

All personal information gathered during the provision of services will remain confidential and secure. Only your psychologist will have access to the information, except under special circumstances.

Information will be released only when:

• Subpoenaed by a Court;

• Failure to disclose information would place your young person or another person at risk; or

• Your prior approval has been given to:

  • Provide a report to another professional or agency

  • Discuss the material with another professional or agency.

Additionally, your psychologist will occasionally consult with other health professionals, internal and external to CDN for the purposes of supervision or advice related to their work with the young person and their family. In these circumstances, any identifying information relating to the young person or family will be kept concealed and the other health professionals are also legally bound to keep all information confidential.

Telehealth Services

Where appropriate, consultations may be conducted via telephone or video call. This is known as a ‘Telehealth’ service. You are responsible for your own telecommunication costs to access this service. You will need access to a quiet, private space; and the appropriate device, i.e. smartphone, laptop, iPad, or computer, with a camera, microphone and speakers; and a reliable broadband internet connection. To support the security of your personal information this practice uses technology which is compliant with the Australian standards for online security and encryption.

Note Taking and Document Preparation

In line with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency requirements, psychologists are required to take accurate, factual and legible records. To assist with this, your psychologist sometimes utilises Heidi Health, an Artificial Intelligence note taking and smart dictation tool, to summarise notes and background information, and assist in the preparation of comprehensive and accurate file notes and reports. This does not replace your psychologist's clinical judgement. Any diagnostic opinions are made solely by your psychologist based on their review of the background information, clinical interview, observations, and formal assessment results, and your psychologistreviews and edits all documents to ensure accuracy.

Heidi Health is complaint with the Australian Privacy Principles and the Privacy Act and information management systems are ISO27001 accredited for data security. All data is encrypted and securely and confidentially stored on servers located within Australia to comply with local jurisdiction requirements. No data is used for secondary purposes. Additionally, data is deleted from the Heidi Health server as soon as the final assessment report is completed. You can choose to opt-out of the use of Heidi Health at any time.

Communication Preferences

Reports are typically provided by email in due course after the feedback session and after the account has been paid in full.

Fees and Cancellation Policy

Fees

Fees are to be paid on the date of the service provided. A breakdown of fees would have been provided to you via email with your confirmation of appointment schedule. If you did not receive this email, you must notify the clinic immediately. In some instances, your psychologistwill recommend a change to the number of assessment sessions that have been booked. If this is the case, you will be provided with a quote outlining any fee changes that might apply.

Cancellation / Non-attendance Policy

Should you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment please contact the clinic.

Please note appointments that are cancelled or rescheduled within 48hours prior to your appointment a fee will be invoiced per the Child Development Network policy.

All appointments that are cancelled or rescheduled with less notice than 2 full business days will be charged a late cancellation/ rescheduling fee of 100% of the booked consultation. Likewise, if you do not attend a booked appointment, you will be charged a non-attendance fee of 100% of the booked consultation. You can read more about the Child Development Network Policy here.

Exceptions to the Late Cancellation Policy

*A noted exception to the late cancellation/non-attendance policy is in the event of illness of the young person undergoing assessment. It is accepted that young people become unwell and often with little warning. Being unwell can negatively impact on assessment results. If your young person is unwell, I kindly ask that you contact the clinic immediately advising that your young person is unwell. The administrative staff will assist you in rebooking the assessment appointment. In these circumstances, the assessment must be rescheduled and attended, or the non-attendance fee will apply regardless of illness. This is because substantial effort goes into the preparation of an assessment and late cancellations mean the appointments are often unable to be utilised by other families in need of assessment services.

Please note that if an appointment does need to be rescheduled due to the illness of the young person being assessed then the feedback session will need to be rescheduled accordingly. As the Child Development Network is a medical clinic, I ask that families observe any QLD Health required or reasonable exclusionary periods to ensure the safety of our clients and our clinicians.

Child Minding Policy

The CDN administrative staff are not in a position to provide child care or supervise your child.

If you anticipate that your child might be required to spend time in the waiting room without you, and would require supervision during that time, then please arrange for a suitable adult to attend your consultation with you, so that they can be with your child as they wait.

If you are unsure if this applies to your circumstances then please ask your Clinician or the administration staff prior to your visit.

Acceptance of Service Agreement