Privacy Policy & GDPR

Introduction

At Happy Child Happy Home, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal information is handled in a safe and responsible manner. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK data protection laws.

Information We Collect

We collect and process the following types of personal information:

• Parent/guardian contact details (name, email, phone number, address)
• Child's information (name, date of birth, medical information, dietary requirements)
• Emergency contact details
• Records of development and activities
• Photographs and videos (with consent)
• Payment and invoicing information

How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• Providing childcare services and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children
• Meeting our legal obligations as a registered childminder
• Communicating with parents/guardians about their child's care and development
• Emergency situations requiring contact with parents or medical services
• Processing payments and maintaining financial records
• Complying with Ofsted requirements and other regulatory bodies

Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the following legal bases:

• Contract: Processing is necessary to fulfill our childcare contract with you
• Legal obligation: We are required to maintain certain records by law
• Vital interests: In emergency situations affecting a child's health and safety
• Consent: For photographs, videos, and marketing communications

Data Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously. We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data against unauthorized access, accidental loss, or destruction. This includes:

• Secure storage of physical records in locked cabinets
• Password-protected digital records
• Limited access to personal information on a need-to-know basis
• Regular review and update of security measures

Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy and to comply with legal requirements. Specifically:

• Childcare records are kept for 3 years after the last date of attendance
• Accident and incident records are kept for 21 years plus 3 months
• Financial records are kept for 6 years for tax purposes

Your Rights

Under GDPR, you have the following rights:

• Right of access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you or your child
• Right to rectification: You can request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to erasure: You can request deletion of personal data in certain circumstances
• Right to restrict processing: You can request that we limit how we use your data
• Right to data portability: You can request a copy of your data in a portable format
• Right to object: You can object to certain types of processing
• Right to withdraw consent: You can withdraw consent for processing based on consent

Sharing Your Information

We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information with:

• Ofsted and other regulatory bodies as required by law
• Emergency services in urgent situations
• Healthcare professionals with your consent
• Schools during transition periods (with your consent)

Cookies and Website

Our website may use cookies to improve your browsing experience. Cookies are small text files stored on your device. You can control cookie settings through your browser preferences. We do not use cookies to collect personally identifiable information without your consent.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of any significant changes via email or through our website.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your personal data, or if you wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact us:

Complaints

If you are not satisfied with how we handle your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator.