Privacy Practices
Website Privacy Policy
Effective Date: July 30, 2026
Privacy Policy
SOS Youth and Family, Inc., d/b/a Chesed Youth and Family Services (serving Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties) - Effective Date: July 30, 2026
SOS Youth and Family, Inc., d/b/a Chesed Youth and Family Services ("SOS," "we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect through our website (the "Website"), how we use and protect it, and the choices available to you. This Policy applies to information collected through the Website only. By engaging with this Website and submitting any information, you are agreeing to the privacy practices described in this Policy.
This Policy does not govern your health information. If you are enrolled in an SOS program, information about your care - including behavioral health, case management, and Enhanced Care Management (ECM) records - is instead governed by our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices, which is provided to you at intake and is available upon request. Please do not submit personal health information through general Website contact forms, as they are not a secure or confidential channel.
1. Information We Collect
We collect information in the following ways:
| Category | Examples | How It's Collected |
|---|---|---|
| Information you provide directly | Name, email address, phone number, mailing address, and the content of any message you send us (for example, through a "Contact Us" or referral inquiry form) | Submitted voluntarily through a website form or email |
| Automatically collected technical information | IP address, browser type, device type, pages viewed, referring URL, and approximate location | Collected automatically through cookies, log files, or similar technologies when you visit the Website |
| Donation or event information (if applicable) | Billing name, address, and payment details processed by a third-party payment processor | Collected if you make a donation or register for an event through the Website |
We do not knowingly collect protected health information, Social Security numbers, or Medi-Cal identification numbers through general Website forms.
Policy Terms
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information described above to:
- Respond to inquiries, referral requests, and general questions about our programs;
- Send requested information about SOS's community services and behavioral health programs;
- Operate, maintain, and improve the Website;
- Process donations or event registrations, where applicable; and
- Comply with legal, regulatory, and grant-reporting obligations, including those tied to our Medi-Cal and CalAIM contracts.
3. Cookies and Analytics
The Website may use cookies or similar tracking technologies (for example, analytics tools such as Google Analytics) to understand how visitors use the site and to improve its content and functionality. You can disable cookies through your browser settings; doing so may affect some Website functionality.
4. How We Share Information
We do not sell your personal information. We may share information collected through the Website only in the following circumstances:
- Service providers: with vendors who help us operate the Website (such as web hosting, email, or payment processing providers), under confidentiality obligations;
- Legal requirements: when required to comply with a subpoena, court order, or other legal process, or to protect the safety of any person;
- Business operations: in connection with a merger, reorganization, or transfer of SOS's assets, subject to continued protection of your information; and
- With your consent: in any other case where you have given us explicit permission to share your information.
Information about clients enrolled in SOS programs is shared only as described in our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices, applicable signed releases of information, and the laws referenced below - not under this Website Privacy Policy.
5. Your Privacy Rights (California Residents)
Depending on SOS's size, revenue, and data practices, some or all of the rights created by the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (Cal. Civil Code § 1798.100 et seq.) ("CCPA/CPRA"), may apply to information collected through the Website. Where applicable, California residents generally have the right to:
- Know what personal information has been collected about them;
- Request deletion of personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions;
- Correct inaccurate personal information; and
- Not be discriminated against for exercising these rights.
Protected health information governed by HIPAA and the state health-confidentiality laws described in Section 7 below is generally exempt from the CCPA/CPRA and is instead handled under those health-specific laws. To exercise a privacy right regarding Website data, contact us using the information in Section 11.
6. Children's Privacy
The Website is intended for a general audience and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through the Website in a manner inconsistent with the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). If you believe a child has submitted personal information to us through the Website, please contact us so we can delete it. This Website privacy policy is separate from, and does not limit, the intake and consent procedures SOS follows when enrolling minors in direct services, which are addressed in program-specific documentation.
7. Relationship to Health Privacy Laws
Because SOS provides behavioral health and Medi-Cal/CalAIM-funded services, client information created through direct services (rather than through general Website use) is separately protected under:
- The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164;
- California's Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, Cal. Civil Code § 56 et seq.;
- Welfare and Institutions Code § 5328 (mental health treatment record confidentiality);
- 42 C.F.R. Part 2 (federal confidentiality of substance use disorder treatment records);
- Welfare and Institutions Code § 14100.2 (confidentiality of Medi-Cal program information); and
- Welfare and Institutions Code § 827 (confidentiality of juvenile court and probation records, relevant to SOS's justice-involved youth programs).
These laws - not this Website Privacy Policy - govern how SOS collects, uses, and discloses information created in the course of providing services to clients.
8. Data Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect information submitted through the Website from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
9. Data Retention
We retain information submitted through the Website only as long as necessary to respond to your inquiry, fulfill the purpose for which it was collected, or comply with legal and grant-reporting obligations, after which it is securely deleted or anonymized.
10. Third-Party Links
The Website may link to third-party sites, such as our managed care plan partners (for example, CenCal Health) or state agencies (for example, the California Department of Health Care Services). This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third-party sites, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies separately.
11. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise a privacy right described above, please contact us at:
1430 Cooley Drive, Suite 220
Colton, California 92324
(909) 533-4889
[email protected]
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. The "Effective Date" at the top of this page indicates when it was last revised. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
1430 Cooley Drive, Suite 220
Colton, California 92324
(909) 533-4889
[email protected]
© 2026 SOS Youth and Family, Inc. All rights reserved.