Privacy Statement
Happy Hearts Foster Care understands the importance of people’s privacy and how valuable it is to them. We respect and value the privacy of everyone who visits our website, (www.happyheartsfostercare.co.uk). We do not collect any information unless you contact us and the collected data will only be used as is permitted by law.
This Privacy Statement applies solely to our website. The website is managed by Happy Hearts Foster Care Ltd. We may include links to third-party websites on ours. If you choose to visit any other websites by clicking on any links, you should refer to Privacy Statements/Policies of those websites.
What is personal data?
Under the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR) (EU Regulation 2016/679):
Personal Data is defined as “any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (‘data subject’); by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person”.
In other words, any information that enables a person to be identified. This of course includes the more common and obvious information such as names and contact details but can also include less obvious information such as identification markers/numbers and/or other online identification data.
Information we collect
We collect personal data only if it is directly provided to us by you (the user) via the website in the first instance (we will collect further information as your interest in fostering progresses. This will form part of your application to fostering process. You can refer to you full Privacy Policy for further details, available upon request)). The data we collect will only be in relation to the service you are requesting from us and/or the nature of enquiry you are making.
The information you provide will be collected by completing forms in writing via email, via our website or social media platforms. This includes information provided at the time of registering with us using our website and/or Social Media platforms (where applicable), to request materials, to request further services or when you report a problem with any of our communication channels or services.
We will usually collect the following information in order register your interest. Please note; more information will be collected as your fostering application progresses.
Name, DOB, address. previous fostering experience, contact details, ethnicity, household members, current living arrangements, any convictions. Please note: other information may be required and subsequently collected.
If you send us an email, we may collect your name, your email address, and any other information which you choose to give us.
To help us improve our services, if you send us personal information which identifies you via email, we may keep your email, your email address and ‘screen’ name. We may also collect information that is available from your browser.
We use analytical and statistical tools that monitor details of your visits to our website and the resources that you access, including, but not limited to, traffic data, location data, weblogs and other communication data (but this data will not identify you personally).
Your Rights
Under the GDPR, you have the following rights:
- Have the right to access personal data we hold about you
- To be informed about your personal data being collected by us, and how we intend to use it
- You may restrict and/or prevent your personal data being processed by us
- You can object to having your personal data used by us for a particular purpose
- To have your data corrected by us if you feel its inaccurate or incomplete
- Data portability. Only applies to information/data provided directly by you
- To be forgotten, i.e. the right to ask us to delete or otherwise dispose of any of your personal data. Note there are certain restrictions to this, please refer to our full Privacy Policy for further details
You can contact us if you have any questions or concerns regarding any of this.
You can also contact The ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) for further information regarding your rights regarding your personal data or to make any complaints. You can also get advice and more information from your local Citizens Advice Bureau.
How we use your personal data
The details you provide to us will be used to contact you about becoming a Foster Carer with us.
A member of our recruitment team will then contact you either by telephone or email to talk through your enquiry and to arrange an initial home visit should you wish to take your interest further.
If you then apply to become a Foster Carer with us, the information you have provided will be included as part of that application process. Please refer to our full Privacy Policy for further details.
Information on website visits is collected using cookies. This information lets us keep track of how the website is used – such as how many times users are visiting our site each month or what they are searching for – without being able to personally identify the user (unless they specifically tell us).
We use the non-identifying information from website cookies to analyse trends and statistics on the way users use the website. We use all this information to improve our content, plan site enhancements, and measure overall site effectiveness.
How your data is stored
Your identifying information will be stored securely on both electronic and cloud-based databases. Our electronic storage servers, cloud-based and outsourced service providers are GDPR compliant.
Our databases and practices are confidential and we will never sell your information to any third parties.
Do we share your data?
We might store some or all of the of your data (this can vary according to our business relationship) using third parties for data storage purposes.
If any of your data is stored/processed using a third party, as described above, steps will be taken to ensure that your data is handled safely and securely. We will always ensure all third parties are GDPR compliant under the law.
We will not send/sell/store your data with companies outside of the UK.
Accessing your data
If you would like to access any of the personal data we have about you, you can contact us at any time to request a copy of this. We usually get this out to you within one calendar month.
You can also request information from us formally using a SAR or a “Subject Access Request”. However, we can usually give you requested information outside of this formal process.
If you decide to make a formal Subject Access Request, this should be made in writing and sent to the email or postal address below. You should clearly state which information it is you require, giving us as much details as possible and using specifics.
We do not usually charge for a Subject Access Request, however, if your request is ‘manifestly unfounded or excessive’ e.g. repetitive requests, then a fee may be charged to cover our administrative costs. In this case, requests will not be processed before the fee has been received.
Depending on the type of request made, we will usually aim to reply to you with a copy of the requested information within one calendar month.
In some cases, however, if your request is more complex, more time may be required to process this type of request. This can be a period of up to three months from the date your request was received.
If additional time is required, we will inform you within the first calendar month of the request being received.
Changes to this Privacy Statement
This Privacy Statement and our Privacy Policy may change from time to time. We might do this because we have changed the way we do things or if there’s been a change in law, for example.
If there have been any changes, these will be immediately updated on our website and you will have been deemed to have accepted the terms of the updated Privacy Statement on your first use of our website following the alterations. For this reason, we recommend you check this page regularly to keep up to date.
Contact us
Please use the contact details below to contact us if you have any questions or concerns about your personal data, data protection or any Subject Access Requests.
Happy Hearts Foster Care
Radclyffe House
66-68 Hagley Road
Birmingham
B16 8PF
Tel: 03333 449 409
Email: info@happyheartsfostercare.co.uk
