Vulnerable Persons Safeguarding Policy
How we aim to support customers experiencing vulnerability, digital exclusion, scam exposure or reliance on others.
Before you join or participate
Our referral, partner, ambassador, student, provider and community pathways are designed to help eligible participants explore suitable referral, support, service, campus, community, administration, marketing, project, technology and related opportunities.
Participation does not guarantee jobs, income, referrals, leads, bookings, reviews, skill tags, ongoing work, future paid work, commissions, margins, bonuses or any particular outcome.
Participants are not employees of thefixers.app or Your IT & Tech Mates unless a separate written employment agreement is made. Participation does not automatically create an employment, contractor, agency, partnership, joint venture or franchise relationship.
Participants must only accept suitable tasks or referrals, follow all safety, conduct, privacy, guidance and platform rules, comply with any campus, community, provider, customer or partner requirements, and meet any age, tax, legal, insurance, consent, qualification, licensing or parent/guardian requirements that apply.
Australian visa, work rights and eligibility obligations: Participants are responsible for ensuring they have the right to participate, volunteer, refer, provide services, receive payments or undertake any work-related activity in Australia. This includes complying with any visa conditions, work rights, tax, superannuation, ABN, reporting, study, placement, internship, volunteer, contractor or employment obligations that apply to them.
thefixers.app and Your IT & Tech Mates may request reasonable information or evidence to confirm eligibility. Participation may be refused, paused or ended if required information is not provided or if participation may breach legal, visa, work rights or platform requirements.
Student pathway eligibility and review
The student pathway is designed for Australian university and TAFE students whose course, skills or study area match the type of help they want to offer.
Students do not all need to be IT students. Suitable pathways may include technical and non-technical roles, depending on the student’s course, skills, experience and the type of task.
- IT, cybersecurity, networking, software, web and digital media students may be suitable for technology-related tasks.
- Business, management, marketing, accounting and administration students may be suitable for support, coordination, content, customer follow-up, local outreach, ambassador or business-help tasks.
Students must only offer or accept tasks that match their skills, course area, confidence level, location, availability and any safety, legal, visa, work rights, insurance, consent or campus requirements that apply.
Student registration does not mean automatic approval. Before a student can be activated for suitable tasks, The Fixers may review their course or study area, skills, location, age, availability, eligibility and suitable task type. The Fixers may approve, limit, pause or decline student participation if the pathway, task type or eligibility requirements are not suitable.
Student insurance and suitability
Students must only offer or accept tasks that are suitable for their course, skills, experience, age, location, availability, visa conditions and work rights.
Students may be required to show that they are covered by suitable insurance before they can accept certain tasks. This may include public liability insurance for in-person, customer-facing, pickup, delivery, home, business, campus or community tasks, and professional indemnity insurance for advice, consulting, planning, tutoring, training, business support or technical recommendation tasks.
Insurance may be held by the student, their business, an approved provider, an education provider, a placement program, or another approved arrangement, where we accept that arrangement in writing.
Student registration does not mean insurance is approved. We may refuse, limit, pause or remove access to tasks if suitable insurance or eligibility evidence is not provided.
1. Our commitment
We aim to provide patient, respectful and fair support. We do not pressure vulnerable persons to buy services they do not need. We encourage trusted support people to be involved where appropriate.
2. Who may be vulnerable?
A person may be vulnerable due to age, disability, cognitive impairment, grief, stress, domestic/family violence, financial hardship, language barriers, digital exclusion, scam victimisation, isolation, illness, reliance on another person or limited technology confidence.
3. Consent and authority
- We seek consent before contacting a referred person.
- We may ask whether a support person, guardian, carer or family member should be involved.
- We do not accept instructions from a third party if we suspect the customer does not consent or is under pressure.
- For minors, a parent/guardian or responsible adult should be involved.
4. Scam and cyber safety
If a customer appears affected by scam, coercion, account compromise or urgent cyber risk, we may recommend safety steps such as contacting their bank, securing accounts, reporting to Scamwatch/ReportCyber, and involving a trusted support person.
5. Financial and service safeguards
- We explain costs, quote status and payment steps clearly.
- We avoid unnecessary upselling.
- We may pause work if the customer seems confused, distressed or pressured.
- Referral rewards may be declined where a vulnerable person appears pressured or exploited.
6. NDIS, aged care and government funding
We do not claim to be an NDIS registered provider, aged care provider, care-service provider, NDIS-approved provider or government-endorsed provider unless expressly and lawfully stated in writing. Customers, support workers, carers and organisations using funding must confirm their own eligibility, authority, consent and claim process.
7. Privacy and sensitive information
We collect only information needed to assist. We avoid collecting unnecessary sensitive information and do not request PINs, passwords, TFNs, MFA codes or banking codes through public forms.
8. Complaints
Concerns can be raised by the customer, a trusted support person or an authorised representative by contacting [email protected] or 0452 323 571.
Provider referrals and pickup services
Provider staff must not pressure or unduly influence residents, families, parents, students, staff, clients or vulnerable persons to make a referral, approve a quote or use our services. Provider referral incentives should be disclosed where relevant, and organisation service credit is preferred over personal staff payout.
For aged care, school, disability, community or provider pickup services, only the information reasonably needed to identify the device/order should be collected. Medical details, care-plan details, unnecessary student-sensitive details, device passcodes and banking information should not be submitted through public or customer-facing forms.
Campus, school, seniors and neighbourhood safeguards
Integrated 18 May 2026 Master Guidance and Directory Terms
Campus Help, Neighbourhood Help and Ambassador Network pathways may involve students, seniors, carers, vulnerable persons, school communities, families, NDIS-adjacent requests, home visits or other contexts where extra care is required.
- School or under-18 support may require parent/guardian involvement, Working with Children Check and additional controls.
- Campus Help must follow academic integrity expectations and must not involve cheating, assignment writing or impersonation.
- Home visits, aged care, NDIS-adjacent or vulnerable-person support may require extra verification, public meeting place rules, provider insurance or other safeguards.
- Ambassadors are referral connectors only unless separately approved as providers.
NDIS, aged care and support-organisation technology requests
Your IT & Tech Mates and Quick Help are not NDIS registered providers, aged care providers, health providers, personal care providers, support coordinators, plan managers, transport providers, crisis services or care-service providers unless expressly and lawfully stated in writing.
Our role is limited to IT and technology help, device support, home technology support, repair, pickup/return coordination and related customer-service support. Where a request comes from an NDIS service provider, aged care service provider, support worker, carer, family member or organisation, we may assist that organisation and its client, resident, participant or customer with technology needs only, subject to consent, authority, privacy, safety and provider suitability checks.
We do not provide disability supports, aged care services, health services, personal care, therapy, plan management, support coordination, care advice, emergency support or government-funded care services. The person or organisation requesting support remains responsible for confirming funding eligibility, authority to request the work, consent, care-service obligations and any NDIS, aged care, workplace, privacy or safeguarding requirements that apply to them.
Senior, support-organisation, accessibility and assisted-booking technology support
Our guided intake may provide dedicated pathways for seniors, clients or participants supported by NDIS service providers, people with accessibility needs, carers, family members, support workers and people requesting help for someone else. We may ask who should be contacted first, whether a support person should be copied, whether consent has been confirmed, whether patient step-by-step support is preferred and whether accessibility or home-visit notes are needed.
We do not provide medical, therapeutic, disability-support, aged care, personal care, transport, emergency, financial, legal or crisis services. Technology support for a person with disability, an NDIS participant, an aged care resident, a senior or a client of a support organisation is not a promise that we are an NDIS registered provider, aged care provider, health provider, support coordinator, plan manager, care-service provider or emergency responder unless expressly stated in writing.
Safeguards for tutoring, scam/security and home visits
For tutoring-related, student, senior, home-visit, pickup, scam/security or accessibility-sensitive requests, we may require additional review by us, verified provider matching, family/support-worker involvement, guardian involvement where appropriate, evidence handling limits, privacy controls or service refusal. We may pause work where a person appears confused, pressured, at risk, unsafe, exploited or unable to provide informed consent.
Reports about poor conduct or unsafe behaviour
Customers and authorised support people may report poor performance, scam concerns, rude behaviour, inappropriate conduct, no-shows, unsafe behaviour, property concerns, tutoring safety issues or other concerning events. We may investigate, restrict a provider, hide a profile, require further checks, decline a referral reward, remove a review, or recommend that the customer contact police, banks, ReportCyber, Scamwatch, IDCARE, NDIS complaints channels, eSafety or other specialist services where appropriate.
Guided support, seniors, NDIS/accessibility and assisted requests
Requests involving seniors, NDIS participants, accessibility needs, carers, support workers, family members or vulnerable customers may require additional consent, contact, access, safeguarding, provider suitability and escalation checks.
Quick Help is not an emergency, medical, legal, financial, crisis, police or government service. Scam/security and safety guidance may be provided as practical support, but customers should contact their bank, emergency services, police, the relevant regulator or another qualified authority where appropriate.
We may prioritise, pause, restrict, decline or escalate requests where there are concerns about safety, coercion, abuse, privacy, consent, suitability, provider capability or risk to a vulnerable person.
support support request safeguards for seniors, accessibility and help-for-someone-else requests
Where a support support request relates to a senior customer, accessibility need, NDIS-related technology request, aged care client IT request or help-for-someone-else request, we may keep the support request under review by us before assigning it to a provider. We may limit the information shared with providers to what is reasonably needed for the technology-help task.
Customers, carers, family members, support workers and organisations should not send passwords, one-time codes, banking details, identity documents, medical records or care-plan information through general email or support request replies.
Student, guardian and vulnerable-person safeguards
Where a request involves a child, vulnerable person, aged-care setting, disability support context, school/campus program, guardian, carer or safety concern, we may require additional verification, guardian approval, authorised contact checks, provider clearance review, supervision by us, evidence restrictions or refusal of service.
Master guidance, campus programs and customer portal terms
These terms are supplemented by new feature-specific policies for Master/Campus Master identities, Student Guidance Requests, private Guidance Offers, Guidance Packages, My Help dashboard, Provider Store orders, Resolution Centre links, matching/service coordination, payment records and public Master Directory trust cards.
Read these additional policies where relevant: Student Guidance and Master Guidance Offer Terms, Master Directory and Trust Card Terms, Campus Master and Campus Partner Program Terms, Guidance Packages and Follow-up Program Terms, Guidance Payout-Ready Ledger and Margin Policy, Matching, Automation and Request Queue Policy, Customer Portal, My Help and Resolution Centre Terms, and Provider Store Orders and Resolution Centre Terms.
Cross-linked terms and policy framework
These terms must be read together with the other Your IT & Tech Mates terms, policies, notices, quotes, invoices, service forms and written approvals that apply to the relevant service. Where a specific service term applies to a repair, software job, data recovery attempt, pickup, payment, warranty, referral, ambassador, provider, partner, Quick Help request, website use or customer portal matter, that more specific term applies to that subject matter.
Nothing in any Your IT & Tech Mates term excludes, restricts or modifies any right, remedy, consumer guarantee or protection that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law or any other applicable law.
Related terms: Service Terms · Payment & Warranty Terms · Repair, Software & Data Risk Notice · Quick Help Terms · Referral Terms · Ambassador Terms · Provider Partner Terms · Device Pickup Terms · Electronic Consent Policy · Fraud, Scam & Integrity Policy · Booking, Cancellation & No-show Policy · Dispute & Evidence Policy · Privacy Policy.
Fraud, Scam and Integrity Controls
All services, bookings, referrals, ambassador activity, provider arrangements, payment claims, warranty claims, reviews and customer communications are subject to the Fraud, Scam and Integrity Policy. Your IT & Tech Mates may review service notes, booking records, quote records, invoice records, payment records, customer messages, photos, timestamps, referral records, device records and other available evidence when assessing fraud, scam activity, off-platform payment, commission eligibility, disputes, chargebacks, warranty claims or policy breaches.
Prohibited conduct includes fake jobs, self-referrals, referral manipulation, duplicate claims, artificially splitting jobs, misuse of referral rewards, misleading reviews, payment bypassing, false identity or qualification claims, pressure selling, harassment, financial exploitation, suspicious account activity, misuse of customer data, and attempts to interfere with systems, records, payment controls or dispute processes.
Cross-linked integrity, payment and safety terms
These terms must be read together with our Terms and Conditions, Service Terms, Payment and Warranty Terms, Referral Terms, Referral Policy, Ambassador Network Terms, Provider Partner Terms, Provider Device Pickup Terms, Repair, Software and Data Risk Notice, Fraud, Scam and Integrity Policy, Payment and Commission Integrity Policy, Dispute and Evidence Policy, Booking and No-show Policy, Electronic Consent Policy, Privacy Policy and any quote, invoice, service form, booking confirmation or written approval that applies to your service.
We may use booking records, quote records, invoices, payment records, referral records, customer messages, technician notes, call logs, emails, SMS records, photos, timestamps, device, browser and IP information, pickup records and other available evidence to assess disputes, refunds, warranty claims, chargebacks, commission claims, fraud risks, referral attribution and policy compliance.
Nothing in this section excludes, restricts or modifies any rights or remedies that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law or any other applicable law.
Anti-scam, fair use and customer protection
All customers, referrers, ambassadors, providers, partners and technicians must act honestly, professionally and safely. You must not misrepresent identity, authority, pricing, qualifications, insurance, licences, experience, verification status, warranty authority, payment authority or relationship with Your IT & Tech Mates.
The following conduct is prohibited: fake referrals, self-referrals, related-party manipulation, fake jobs, fake reviews, duplicate accounts, nominee accounts, circular activity, misuse of referral rewards, artificially splitting jobs, manipulating job value or timing, referral link manipulation, bots or automation used to generate rewards, misuse of AI or scraping tools, unauthorised data harvesting, attempts to copy protected platform processes or interfere with platform security, evidence tampering, bad-faith chargebacks, false refund claims, harassment, pressure selling, misleading ads, impersonation, brand misuse and attempts to move customers, payments or job records outside approved Your IT & Tech Mates processes.
Extra care is required when services involve seniors, NDIS participants, minors, carers, families, aged-care residents, customers with disability, customers with limited English, schools, care environments, vulnerable persons, sensitive data, account access, CCTV, security systems or business-critical systems. Financial exploitation, coercion, unnecessary password requests, requests for MFA codes, recovery phrases, banking codes, loans, gifts, cash withdrawals or personal financial arrangements are prohibited.
We may pause service, refuse work, restrict access, remove participants, preserve records, request evidence, hold rewards, refuse payouts, cancel rewards, reverse entries, report serious conduct to authorities or take other lawful action where reasonably necessary to protect customers, staff, providers, partners, data, payment integrity, referral integrity, safety or legal compliance.
Your IT & Tech Mates commission and referral model
Total platform commission: The standard total platform commission is 13.5% of the eligible paid job value, unless a different written program rule is approved by Your IT & Tech Mates.
Referral reward: The standard referral reward is 5% of the eligible paid job value. It is calculated as a percentage of the eligible completed and paid job value, not as a fixed dollar reward table.
Included inside the platform commission: The 5% referral reward is included inside the 13.5% total platform commission. It is not added on top of the customer price, and it does not create a separate extra charge unless a separate written customer-facing offer says otherwise.
Referral rewards, ambassador rewards, partner commissions, provider commissions, lead fees and incentives are manual and subject to review. Payment is normally after a minimum 14-day hold after customer payment is confirmed, subject to anti-scam, anti-cheating, duplicate, self-referral, refund, payment-clearance, chargeback, dispute, attribution, customer-consent and team checks.
Referral rewards are not lifetime rewards, recurring rewards, ongoing commissions, employment wages, partnership profits, franchise payments or automatic entitlements. Each job is reviewed separately and must meet the applicable Your IT & Tech Mates terms.
Minimum withdrawal balance: Approved referral, ambassador, partner or commission payments are manual only and generally require a minimum approved balance of $50 before withdrawal can be requested, unless Your IT & Tech Mates approves otherwise in writing.
Online platform payment required: A referral, ambassador, partner, provider, lead or commission payment only qualifies where the related job is properly recorded, approved, invoiced and paid by online payment through an approved Your IT & Tech Mates platform payment process. Cash payments, direct technician payments, direct provider payments, private bank transfers, PayID transfers made outside our platform, cheques, cash-in-hand payments, personal payment links, side deals, split payments, payment redirection, off-platform work and unrecorded payments do not qualify for commission, referral rewards, ambassador rewards, partner fees, lead fees or incentives.
This clause must be read with the Payment and Commission Integrity Policy, Referral Terms, Referral Policy, Ambassador Network Terms, Provider Partner Terms and Fraud, Scam and Integrity Policy.
Partner Service Referrals and Vulnerable Customers
Extra care is required where partner service referrals involve seniors, people with disability, NDIS participants, carers, minors, students, customers with limited English, customers in care settings, financially vulnerable customers, scam victims, or customers dealing with sensitive accounts, devices, data, security systems or financial access.
Referrers must not pressure, exploit, confuse, frighten, coerce or manipulate vulnerable customers into booking. Where a customer appears unsure, vulnerable, distressed or at risk, the referrer should slow down, encourage independent support, and direct the customer to Quick Help or our review rather than pushing a booking.
Student and helper partner service referral rules
Added 13 June 2026. These rules apply where a student, student helper, campus helper, ambassador, trainee, live-resume participant, neighbourhood helper or other referrer displays or shares another approved provider's service as a partner service referral.
Skill gap and role clarity
A student or helper may use a partner service referral listing to connect a customer with a provider who has the relevant skill. This does not mean the student/helper is approved to perform that service, supervise that service, quote that service, guarantee that service or describe it as their own service.
Where the student/helper has a skill gap, the customer-facing wording must clearly say that the service is delivered by another approved provider. The student/helper may explain the pathway, share an approved referral link and provide a customer introduction, but must not make technical promises or delivery commitments beyond their approval level.
Student public profile and service list separation
Student and helper profiles should keep a clear separation between services I can personally provide and partner services I can connect you with. Partner services must not be presented as the student/helper's own skills, qualifications, licences, insurance, certification, experience or repair authority.
Standard 5% referral reward only
If the customer books and pays through the approved referral path, the student/helper may be reviewed as the referral person for the existing standard referral reward of 5% of eligible paid job value. This is not an automatic entitlement, wage, placement payment, employment payment, reseller margin, hidden markup, training allowance or guarantee of income.
Under-18, campus and safeguarding controls
Where a student/helper is under 18, linked to a school, TAFE, university, care setting, disability support setting or other safeguarded environment, we may require parent/guardian approval, campus/school approval, supervision, communication limits, additional moderation, Working with Children Check requirements for relevant adults, or removal of direct-contact features.
No pressure marketing
Students and helpers must not pressure classmates, family, teachers, vulnerable customers, local businesses, NDIS participants, seniors, carers or community members to book a partner service. They must not spam, use harvested contacts, create fake leads, exaggerate income, hide the referral benefit, use misleading service claims or suggest that the referral reward is guaranteed.
Core platform functions covered by these terms
These terms are intended to cover customer help requests, quotes, bookings, payment and warranty steps, support follow-up, urgent support guidance, scam safety help, device custody, pickup and handover, provider verification, provider profiles, referral and ambassador pathways, student pathways, campus and community help, senior and vulnerable-person support, partner service referrals, directory listings, reviews, media uploads, customer status updates, and customer portal use.
Some functions may be available only in selected locations, for selected service types, or after manual review. A feature being visible on a page does not mean a job, referral, reward, student task, provider approval, warranty outcome or payment is guaranteed.
Scam, referral and platform integrity
Customers, providers, students, ambassadors, referrers, partners and visitors must use the platform honestly and only for lawful, safe and genuine service purposes.
The following conduct is not allowed: fake referrals, self-referrals, related-party manipulation, fake jobs, fake reviews, duplicate accounts, nominee accounts, circular activity, reward misuse, artificially splitting or changing jobs to increase rewards, referral link manipulation, bots or automated activity used to generate rewards, scraping, unauthorised data harvesting, attempts to copy protected platform processes, attempts to interfere with platform security, evidence tampering, bad-faith chargebacks, false refund claims, harassment, pressure selling, misleading advertising, impersonation, brand misuse, and attempts to move customers, payments or job records outside approved Your IT & Tech Mates processes.
We may delay, review, limit, refuse, cancel, reverse or hold a booking, referral, reward, payout, profile, listing, review, message, payment, warranty claim or account access where we reasonably believe there is a safety, privacy, scam, payment, eligibility, referral integrity or platform misuse risk.
We may preserve relevant records, request reasonable evidence, contact affected parties, restrict access, remove content, report serious conduct to appropriate authorities or take other lawful steps to protect customers, providers, students, referrers, partners, our business and the public.
Student, provider and referral feature review
Student, provider, referral, ambassador, campus, community, pickup, urgent support and safety-related features may require manual review before activation or use. We may check eligibility, suitability, insurance, work rights, service type, location, customer risk, provider capability, payment status and referral integrity before allowing access to tasks, listings, rewards or customer-facing activity.
Urgent, scam and safety support boundary
Our scam safety, urgent support and vulnerable-person guidance is intended to help customers take safer next steps, document issues and find suitable support. It is not an emergency service, police service, bank, insurer, legal service, medical service or crisis service.
Customers should contact emergency services, their bank, their card provider, Scamwatch, police, a trusted support person, or another appropriate official service where the situation is urgent, unsafe, involves suspected crime, financial loss, threats, family violence, coercion, medical risk or immediate danger.
Providers, students, ambassadors and referrers must not ask customers for banking codes, one-time passwords, recovery phrases, card PINs, remote access without clear consent, unnecessary account passwords, cash withdrawals, loans, gifts, crypto transfers or private payment arrangements.
QA update: online platform payment required
This QA pass confirms that referral rewards, ambassador rewards, partner commissions, provider commissions, lead fees, incentives and similar payments are only available where the job is properly recorded, approved, invoiced and paid by online payment through an approved Your IT & Tech Mates platform payment process.
Offline payments and external payment methods do not qualify. This includes cash payments, direct technician or provider payments, private bank transfers, private PayID transfers, cheques, card payments taken outside our platform, personal payment links, side deals, split payments, payment redirection, off-platform work and unrecorded payments.
We may refuse, hold, cancel, reverse or recover any reward, commission, fee or incentive connected with an offline, external, redirected, side-deal or unrecorded payment arrangement.
Student campus helper safeguarding
Student campus helper pathways must be used safely and respectfully. Students should not accept tasks that feel unsafe, involve pressure, involve private information, or are outside their skill level.
Tasks involving scams, harassment, family safety, vulnerable people, account access, payments, private documents or sensitive information may need to be referred to an adult, provider, technician, education provider, parent/guardian or support service.
Related term: Student Campus Helper, Volunteer Proof and Resume Showcase Terms.