Privacy Policy

Project West Child Contact Centre is committed to protecting the privacy of the children, families and professionals we work with. This page explains how we handle personal information in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Who we are

Project West Child Contact Centre is the data controller for the personal information we process. You can contact our data protection lead at privacy@projectwest.org.

Information we collect

• Contact details (name, address, phone, email).
• Details about the children and family members involved in a referral.
• Court orders, social work reports and other safeguarding information shared by referrers.
• Notes recorded during Family Time sessions.
• Website information such as basic analytics (see Cookies below).

How we use your information

We use personal information to:

• Assess and manage referrals.
• Plan and supervise Family Time and handover sessions.
• Communicate with referrers, parents and other professionals involved in a child's care.
• Meet our safeguarding and legal obligations.

Lawful basis

We rely on a combination of legal bases including consent, legitimate interests, legal obligation, and — for sensitive information — the substantial public interest of safeguarding children.

Who we share information with

We only share information where there is a legal or safeguarding reason to do so. This may include local authorities, CAFCASS, the courts, solicitors and the police. We do not sell personal information to third parties.

How long we keep information

Referral and session records are retained in line with our Records Retention Policy, typically for seven years after a case closes. Website analytics data is kept for up to 26 months.

Cookies

Our website uses a small number of essential cookies to keep the site working, and optional analytics cookies to help us understand how visitors use the site. You can accept or decline optional cookies using the banner shown on your first visit, and you can change your preferences at any time by clearing the cookie set on this site.

Your rights

You have the right to access the information we hold about you, to ask us to correct or delete it, to restrict or object to processing, and to data portability. To exercise any of these rights, contact privacy@projectwest.org.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.