Privacy policy

Children First (charity number SC016092) is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected whether you are a supporter, prospective employee or volunteer, user of our services, fundraiser or commercial or professional contact or partner.

Under data protection laws, Children First has a legal duty to protect any personal information you provide to us whether online, via phone, email, in letters or any other correspondence. We will ensure that such information is only used for the purpose for which it was requested and also to ensure that the data is held securely.

This privacy policy explains how Children First uses the information it collects about you and procedures that Children First has in place to safeguard your privacy.
Please remember that it is easy to check and update your details or preferences for how you want Children First to communicate with you or if you want to stop receiving information. Call 0345 10 80 111, email: fundraising@childrenfirst.org.uk or fill out our online form to say how you would prefer us to keep in touch.

We regularly review this privacy policy. If we make significant changes they’ll be updated here and we will place a prominent notice on our website.

This privacy policy was prepared to be as concise as possible so that you have an understanding of how your personal information will be stored and used. We are happy to provide additional information if you send a request to our Data Protection Officer at:

Data Protection Officer
Children First
83 Whitehouse Loan
Edinburgh
EH9 1AT
or email us at: infogov@childrenfirst.org.uk.

The following sections provide further privacy information - different parts might apply to you depending on your relationship with us. Please click on the links below for further information:

We collect personal information from you when you:

  • Give information to us directly – for example, when you interact with us on social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, make a donation to us, apply for a position, register for an event or otherwise provide us with personal information.
  • Use our website – we collect information about how people use our website and the services that they use. Please see the 'Using our website' section of this Notice for further information.
  • Referrals – we may be provided with information from you about third parties. For example, where a local authority refers you to us to receive our services. More about how we get and share information from third parties is set out below.
  • Public Sources – we may use personal information that is available publicly, for example we may use contact details available publicly (including from publicly available social media posts) when organising a fundraising event.

We will treat all of your personal information confidentially and we will take all reasonable steps to keep your personal information secure once it has been transferred to our systems.

We adopt appropriate data collection, storage and processing practices and security measures to protect against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction of your personal information.

Please note that whilst we take appropriate security measures we cannot guarantee the security of any data you disclose to us online. You accept the inherent security risks of providing information and dealing online and will not hold us responsible for any loss or damage that you incur.

We take steps to ensure that your personal data is not transferred outside of the European Economic Area (EEA). We are currently working with our existing suppliers to ensure that they do not transfer any data which they look after for us outside of the EEA. However, where this is unavoidable, we take a number of steps to ensure that any personal data that is transferred outside of the EEA is properly treated. Our standard practice is to ensure that any US-based suppliers are certified under the EU-US Privacy Shield scheme, or alternatively to use standard data protection contract clauses that have been approved by the European Commission.

We will generally only keep your information for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it is collected, or where we have a legal obligation to keep information for a certain period of time. Historically, we have archived information for longer periods for public record keeping.

For further information on our information collection and storage practices, international transfers or our retention policies, please contact our Data Protection Officer

We rely on the generosity of our supporters to help keep children safe, protect childhood and support families across Scotland. 

This privacy notice explains how we collect, use, share and protect personal information when you support Children First through donations, fundraising, events, campaigns or other activities.  

The privacy notice also explains how we communicate with you about our work, fundraising appeals and about other ways you can support our charitable purposes. 

What personal data do we collect? 

When you make a donation to Children First, or sign up to our events, mailings lists or communication with us we collect and use personal information about you. This may include: 

  • your name; 

  • your postal address; 

  • your email address; 

  • your telephone number; 

  • payment information, including bank account details where you have set up a Direct Debit; 

  • information required to claim Gift Aid; 

  • details of donations you have made; 

  • your donation history if you are a regular supporter; and 

  • your communication preferences, including whether and how you would like to hear from us. 

Occasionally when administering events you attend or sign up to we may also collect and use the following personal data: 

  • Date of birth 

  • Relevant health conditions 

  • Emergency contacts 

In some circumstances we may receive information about supporters from fundraising platforms, event organisers, corporate partners, legacy administrators, professional advisers or other organisations supporting fundraising activities. Where this occurs, we will process the information in accordance with this privacy notice and applicable data protection law. 

How we use your information 

We use this information to: 

  • process your donation; 

  • administer Gift Aid claims; 

  • provide receipts and acknowledgements; 

  • manage our relationship with you as a supporter; 

  • respond to your enquiries; 

  • maintain accurate financial records; 

  • meet our legal and regulatory obligations; 

  • understand and improve our fundraising activities, communications and supporter experience; 

  • keep you informed about our work, services, campaigns, fundraising appeals, events and other ways you can support Children First; 

  • manage your communication preferences and marketing choices; 

  • personalise and tailor our communications where appropriate; 

  • invite you to fundraising events, campaigning activities, volunteering opportunities and supporter initiatives; 

  • conduct supporter analysis, segmentation and profiling to help us better understand our supporters and improve engagement; 

  • identify potential supporters, donors, partners and funding opportunities through proportionate prospect research; 

  • administer fundraising events, challenges, raffles, lotteries or competitions where applicable; 

  • measure the effectiveness of our communications, fundraising campaigns and marketing activities; 

  • undertake surveys, research and feedback activities to help improve our services, fundraising activities and supporter experience; and 

  • protect Children First, our supporters and others from fraud, financial crime and misuse of our services. 

Our lawful basis for processing your personal information depends on the activity we are carrying out and is usually one of the following: 

  • performance of a contract where necessary to process your donation, administer paid event participation or provide services you requested; 

  • compliance with legal obligations, including financial reporting, charity law and Gift Aid requirements; and 

  • our legitimate interests in managing and promoting our charity, maintaining accurate records, raising funds, communicating with supporters, understanding and improving supporter engagement, carrying out proportionate supporter analysis and prospect research and developing our fundraising, marketing and communications activities. 

  • consent, where required by law, for example where we send certain marketing emails or text messages and cannot rely on the charitable purposes soft opt-in. 

  • where you provide information about relevant health conditions or accessibility requirements in connection with an event, challenge or activity, we will process this information only where necessary to support your participation, ensure your safety or make reasonable adjustments. We normally rely on your explicit consent and, where appropriate, the provision of health or safety support. 

We may also use information in an aggregated or anonymised form for internal reporting, budgeting, forecasting and financial management purposes. 

Sharing your information 

We may share your personal information with carefully selected third-party suppliers, partners and service providers who help us carry out our fundraising, marketing and communications activities and manage our relationships with supporters. 

This may include organisations that: 

  • process donations, payments and online transactions; 

  • administer Direct Debits and recurring donations; 

  • process Gift Aid claims and related reporting; 

  • print, personalise and distribute postal communications; 

  • provide fundraising, customer relationship management (CRM) and supporter database systems; 

  • deliver email, SMS, make telephone calls and other digital communications; 

  • provide website, hosting, cloud storage and technical support services; 

  • support event registration and participation; 

  • Provide face to face fundraising; 

  • undertake data analysis, insight, profiling or audience segmentation on our behalf; 

  • help us maintain accurate records, including address verification and deceased suppression services; 

  • provide consultancy, professional advisory, legal, audit or compliance services; and 

  • support the prevention, detection and investigation of fraud, financial crime or cybersecurity incidents. 

Third-party fundraising and communication platforms 

Children First uses a range of trusted third-party platforms and service providers to support fundraising, supporter communications, donation processing, event management, customer relationship management, data storage and other operational activities. 

These suppliers are carefully selected through our procurement, information governance and supplier assurance processes. Before engaging a supplier, we assess matters including privacy, security, confidentiality and compliance with applicable data protection law. 

Where suppliers process personal information on our behalf, they do so under written contracts that require them to: 

  • process information only on our instructions; 

  • protect personal information using appropriate technical and organisational security measures; 

  • maintain confidentiality; 

  • comply with applicable data protection law; and 

  • assist us in meeting our legal obligations where required. 

We regularly review our supplier arrangements and take reasonable steps to ensure personal information remains protected throughout its lifecycle. 

Where we use third-party suppliers, we only share the information they need to provide their services 

We do not sell your personal information and we do not permit third parties to use your information for their own marketing purposes. 

We may also disclose personal information where required or permitted by law, including to: 

  • HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) for Gift Aid administration and tax-related reporting; 

  • regulators, law enforcement agencies, courts or public authorities where we have a legal obligation to do so or where disclosure is necessary to protect children, individuals or our organisation; and 

  • professional advisers, insurers and auditors where necessary for governance, compliance, safeguarding or risk management purposes. 

Where information is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal information in accordance with data protection law. 

Secure payments 

If you make a donation, purchase goods or services, or pay an event registration fee using a credit or debit card, we will process your payment securely and in accordance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). 

We offer a range of payment methods, including PayPal and other secure payment platforms operated by service providers acting on our behalf. Additional information about how your personal information is used may be provided when you use these services. You should read their privacy policy. 

We do not retain full credit or debit card details after a transaction has been completed. Card information is handled securely and only authorised staff with appropriate training can access payment information where necessary to process a transaction. 

If we receive credit or debit card details by email, we will securely delete the email, will not process the payment and will contact you to explain how a donation can be made securely. 

How long we keep supporter information 

We generally retain supporter and donation records for seven years after our financial relationship with you comes to an end. This is to meet our legal, financial, tax and regulatory obligations. 

Where there is a legal requirement, ongoing dispute, complaint or other legitimate reason to do so, we may retain information for longer. 

Corporate supporters and partners 

If you support Children First, or are considering supporting us, through a company or other organisation, we may collect and use personal information about the people we work with. This may include your name, job title, organisation, business contact details and information about your relationship and communications with Children First. 

We use this information to develop and manage corporate fundraising relationships, discuss opportunities to support our work, administer donations, partnerships and fundraising activities and keep in touch about our work and ways your organisation can support us. 

We generally rely on our legitimate interests in developing and managing relationships with organisations that support, or may be interested in supporting, Children First. Where we send electronic marketing communications, we will also comply with applicable PECR requirements. 

Prospect Research 

As a fundraising charity, we undertake proportionate prospect research to better understand our supporters and identify individuals, trusts, foundations and organisations that may be interested in supporting our work. Prospect research may include assessing publicly available information to help us understand an individual's potential interest in supporting Children First, their connection to our charitable purposes and, in some circumstances, their likely capacity to make donations. Any such assessment will be proportionate, based primarily on publicly available information and will not be used to make solely automated decisions about individuals. 

This helps us: 

  • engage supporters more effectively; 

  • develop fundraising relationships; 

  • identify potential donors; 

  • improve our fundraising strategy; and 

  • generate income to support Children First's charitable purposes. 

The lawful basis for this processing is our legitimate interests. We have carried out a Legitimate Interests Assessment to help ensure that this activity is necessary, proportionate and does not override the rights and freedoms of individuals. 

Where appropriate, we may conduct this research ourselves or engage specialist organisations to do so on our behalf. 

Any external organisation undertaking prospect research for us will be subject to a written contract which requires them to: 

  • process information only on our instructions; 

  • keep information secure; 

  • comply with data protection law; and 

  • not use the information for their own purposes. 

Information used for prospect research may come from: 

  • information you have previously provided to us; 

  • publicly available registers; 

  • Companies House records; 

  • charity and company websites; 

  • publicly accessible professional networking sites such as LinkedIn; and 

  • publicly available internet sources. 

Before undertaking prospect research, we carefully assess our legitimate interests and consider the impact on individuals' privacy and rights. Research will always be proportionate and appropriate to the relationship we have with you. 

If you would prefer us not to carry out prospect research using your information, please contact us at fundraising@childrenfirst.org.uk and we will respect your wishes.

When you use any of our services, we may collect and record the following information:

  • full name
  • contact details (your address, email and contact number)
  • details of any enquiry, compliment or complaint that may be provided to us
  • information about personal experiences and circumstances, and information about health and wellbeing
  • information given to us in the course of providing services, which may include:
    • special categories of personal data revealing race or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, political views, genetic information, health information, or information about an individual's sex life or revealing an individual's sexual orientation.
    • information about any criminal convictions that have been committed against an individual or which an individual has committed
    • information about an individual's finances and financial situation
  • information about an individual's legal status (in terms of whether or not they are on a Child Protection Register, whether or not a supervision requirement is in place, or whether or not they are looked after at home or away from home)
  • information about advocates or other representatives we may encounter in the delivery of services.

We use this information only to the extent necessary to provide the services to you that you have requested from us.  We may also be under legal obligations to record certain information in connection with an individual's legal status.  

Where this involves the use of special category information (such as information about your health and wellbeing) or criminal convictions information, our basis for using such information is for the substantial public interest of counselling and safeguarding children and individuals at risk of neglect or physical, mental or emotional harm and for protecting their economic well-being.

If you do not provide us with information that we ask for and that we require, we may not be able to provide services to you. If you are uncomfortable about disclosing certain information to us or if you have any concerns or queries about why we require certain information, we are happy to discuss this in further detail with you.

In limited circumstances, we may ask for your consent to use your information (for example, for your experience with us to be used in Children First materials or on our website).  We will always ask for your explicit consent beforehand, and we will tell you how you can withdraw your consent if you change your mind (which you can do at any time).

The information we use to deliver services will either be provided to us by you, created by us in the delivery of services (for example by way of notes made by our staff), or provided to us by a third party.

We will only share special category information with other organisations where that is necessary for legal reasons, or where there are other substantial public interest grounds. We may be required to share your information with other parties, such as:

  • local council social work departments
  • Police Scotland
  • safeguarders and other parties in connection with Children's Hearings
  • other charities and public sector organisations that may be providing services to you or that we may be working in partnership with
  • advocates or other representatives that may be acting on your behalf
  • health and education professionals (such as health visitors or head teachers)
  • other family members (where you are comfortable with this)
  • statutory bodies in connection with legal and formal processes.

Your information will be processed and stored on our secure IT systems, which are supported by our third party IT providers. Information may also be held by our document management service providers.

Case records are generally kept on our live system for up to 5 years, after which time they are anonymised so that any identifiable information is removed.  In certain circumstances we may be required to keep records for a longer period, depending on the nature of the case and whether or not we are subject to separate legal obligations which require us to do this.

Historically, some case records held by us were archived for public record-keeping purposes. Please see further details below.

Prospective Employees

If you want to work with us as an employee, we may collect the following information about you:

  • full name
  • contact details (your address, email and contact number)
  • information from your CV or about your background and experience
  • information from your references
  • information obtained through our application and
  • interview processes 
  • information about any health conditions or disabilities that you may have which are relevant to the role you are applying for or if you have any particular needs we need to be aware of for your interview
  • information about your race or ethnic origin and gender in our equalities monitoring form
  • if you are appointed, depending on the nature of the role you are applying for, we may be required to obtain information about any criminal convictions from a Disclosure Scotland or Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) background check.

We use this information as necessary to process your application and to decide whether or not to offer you a position. Once you begin working with us, we will provide you with further details about how we may use your information as an employee.

Where we are required to use special category information (such as information about your health or information about criminal convictions), our basis for using such information is either:

  • it is necessary for carrying out our obligations and exercising our rights as an employer
  • it is necessary for protecting your vital interests or those of others you may be working with
  • it is necessary for the prevention or detection of unlawful acts
  • it is necessary for monitoring equal opportunities
  • it is necessary for supporting individuals with a particular disability or medical condition.

Where you are applying for a voluntary position, we may ask for your consent to use special category information. If we need your consent, we will always ask for it before collecting the personal information, and we will tell you how you can withdraw your consent if you change your mind.

If you do not provide us with information that we ask for and that we require, we may not be able to process your application to work with us or offer you a position.

Your information will be processed and stored on our secure IT systems, which are supported by our third party IT providers. Information may also be held by our document management service providers.

If your application is unsuccessful, your information may be retained for up to 6 months.

Prospective volunteers

When you apply to volunteer with us, we will collect the following information about you:

  • full name
  • contact details (your address, email and contact number)
  • date of birth
  • information about your background, experience and availability
  • information from your references
  • information obtained through our application and
  • interview processes
  • information about any health conditions or disabilities that you may have which are relevant to the role you are applying for or if you have any particular needs we need to be aware of for your interview
  • if you are appointed, depending on the nature of the role you are applying for, we will also be required to obtain information about any criminal convictions and other relevant information to complete a Basic Disclosure check or a Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) background check. We are legally obliged to collect this information so that we can adhere to our legal obligation with regard to the Protection of Vulnerable Groups Act (Scotland) 2007.

We use this information as necessary to process your application and to decide whether to offer you a position or not.

Throughout the recruitment process information will be stored securely and in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016.

If you do not provide us with information that we ask for and that we require, we may not be able to process your application to volunteer with us or offer you a position.

If you do not take up a voluntary role with Children First we will retain this information for 6 months after which time it will be securely destroyed.

During recruitment we will also collect statistical information to monitor our compliance with equalities including:

  • Gender
  • Trans status
  • Ethnicity
  • Age
  • Religion or belief
  • Sexual orientation
  • Disability

This information is held separately from application information and not seen by staff who are involved in recruitment. It is used only for statistical purposes and in no way relating to recruitment of volunteers.

Current Volunteers

Once you begin volunteering with us, recruitment information will form the basis of your volunteering file, and we will use it to enable you to undertake your volunteering role with us.

We will also collect some other information such as:

  • An emergency contact
  • Any health or disability information relevant to your role
  • Training information

Where we are required to use special category information (such as information about your health), our basis for using such information is either:

  • it is necessary for protecting your vital interests or those of others you may be working with
  • it is necessary for supporting individuals with a particular disability or medical condition.

Your information will be processed and stored on our secure IT systems, which are supported by our third party IT providers. Information may also be held by our document management service providers.

Former volunteers

When you cease volunteering with Children First we will retain your volunteer file for 6 years or for 25 years if you did direct work as part of your role, in line with our retention and destruction policy.

If you want to fundraise in aid of Children First, we may need to collect and use the following personal information about you:

  • full name
  • contact details (your address, email and contact number)
  • payment information
  • the amount you have raised for us
  • details about any fundraising events or challenges you may be conducting
  • details of any feedback, enquiry, compliment or complaint you may make to us
  • if you are a regular fundraiser, we hold information about your history with us
  • whether or not you have agreed to receive further information from us about news and events.

We use this information as necessary help keep in contact with you about your activities in aid of us, to process any funds you raise in aid of us and to ensure that you are properly recognised for your support.

In limited circumstances, we may need your consent to use your information (for example, for your story to be used in Children First materials or on our website). We will always ask for your explicit consent beforehand, and we will tell you how you can withdraw your consent if you change your mind (which you can do at any time).

We receive this information either directly from you, or from third parties – such as where you are fundraising in aid of Children First via use of a third party fundraising website (such as JustGiving or  Enthuse). Please note that we do not have any control or oversight over any of the personal information that you may provide or submit to any such third party website. We would recommend that you check the privacy policies issued by these websites to see how they handle your information.

Your information will be processed and stored on our secure IT systems, which are supported by our third party IT providers. Information may also be held by our document management service providers.

In the course of our activities, we may collect and use names and professional contact details of various people who we encounter for commercial purposes, such as:

  • individuals who work at our suppliers
  • individuals who work in local council social work department, the Scottish Government, or with other organisations and charities that we work in partnership with
  • individual MSPs, MEPs and MPs that we work with in connection with lobbying activities
  • our professional advisors and consultants (such as our lawyers, accountants and auditors).

This information is used for the day-to-day running of our organisation and in connection with the promotion of our aims and values.

Your information will be processed and stored on our secure IT systems, which are supported by our third party IT providers. Information may also be held by our document management service providers.

When you provide us with your contact information, we would like to keep you informed about: 

  • the impact of our work; 

  • how donations are helping children and families; 

  • fundraising appeals; 

  • campaigns and policy work; 

  • events and community activities; 

  • volunteering opportunities; and 

  • other ways you can support Children First's charitable purposes. 

We may contact you by post, telephone, email, SMS or direct message. 

Email and text messages 

Where required by law, we will only send marketing emails and text messages where: 

  • you have given your consent; or 

  • we are permitted to do so under the charitable purposes soft opt-in. 

Where we rely on the charitable purposes soft opt-in, this means: 

  • you provided your contact details directly to Children First when supporting, expressing an interest in or participating in activities connected with our charitable purposes; 

  • you were given the opportunity to opt out when your details were collected; and 

  • you continue to be given a clear opportunity to opt out in every electronic communication we send. 

Post and telephone communications 

We may contact you by post or telephone about our work, services, fundraising activities and ways you can support Children First. 

For these communications, we generally rely on our legitimate interests in promoting our charitable purposes, raising funds and keeping supporters informed about the difference their support makes.  

We carefully balance these interests against your rights and expectations, and you may opt out at any time.  

Where required, we will screen telephone numbers against the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and any other applicable suppression lists before making fundraising calls. 

Contact activity and UKGDPR/PECR lawful basis 

Activity 

Lawful basis 

Email and SMS marketing where consent obtained 

Consent (Article 6 (1)(a)) 

Email and SMS marketing under charitable purposes soft opt-in 

Legitimate interests under UK GDPR together with the charitable purposes soft opt-in under PECR 

Postal communications 

Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f)) 

Telephone communications 

Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f)) subject to PECR requirements 

 

Managing your preferences 

You are in control of how we communicate with you. Whenever we collect your contact information or whenever you give us your contact details you will be able to update your contact preferences. 

You can update your communication preferences or opt out of marketing communications at any time by: 

  • Accessing our contact preference centre, “Keeping in touch”; 

  • clicking the unsubscribe link in an email; 

  • following the opt-out instructions included in a text message or email; 

  • emailing fundraising@childrenfirst.org.uk; 

  • calling 0345 10 80 111; or 

  • writing to Children First, 83 Whitehouse Loan, Edinburgh EH9 1AT. 

We will always respect your choices.  

Suppression lists 

If you ask us not to contact you for marketing purposes, w e may retain suppression records indefinitely or for as long as necessary to ensure that we continue to respect your communication preferences and do not send unwanted marketing communications. 

This information is held securely and is used solely to ensure that you do not receive unwanted marketing communications in the future. 

Email communications 

We use specialist third-party providers to distribute electronic communications to supporters. Where appropriate, additional information about these providers and how they process personal information will be made available at the point information is collected or through links provided in our communications. 

Each marketing email we send includes options to manage your communication preferences or to unsubscribe from future communications. 

 

Individuals or groups who fundraise in aid of Children First using third-party platforms 

If you organise or take part in fundraising for Children First and use a third-party platform (i.e., Just Giving), we may collect personal information so that we can support your fundraising activity and administer the money you raise or information may be passed to us by those third-party platforms. 

This may include your: 

  • name and contact details 

  • details of your fundraising activity or event 

  • communications with us 

  • fundraising income and payment information 

  • photographs, stories or other material you choose to share with us. 

We use this information to: 

  • support you with your fundraising 

  • administer events and activities 

  • process and record money raised 

  • provide fundraising materials or information 

  • meet our financial, legal and regulatory responsibilities 

  • thank you and recognise your support, where appropriate. 

Depending on the circumstances, our lawful basis may be our legitimate interests, performance of a contract, compliance with a legal obligation or your consent. 

When you use an online fundraising platform, the platform will usually collect information under its own privacy arrangements. It may share information with us depending on the choices you make and the arrangements in place with that platform. 

If your fundraising involves other people, please take care not to provide us with personal information about them unless you have an appropriate reason to do so. 

We will retain fundraising and financial records in accordance with our retention schedule and any applicable legal requirements. 

If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal information or fundraising communications, please contact us in the first instance. You also have the right to raise concerns with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and may complain to the Fundraising Regulator about our fundraising activities. 

 

When someone visits www.childrenfirst.org.uk we use a third party service, Google Analytics, to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. We do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site.

This information is only processed in a way which does not identify anyone. We do not make, and do not allow Google Analytics to make, any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting our website. If we do want to collect personal information through our website, we will make this clear and explain what we will do with it.

We use cookies to help us make our website better and to keep track of what you are interested in. Cookies mean that our website will remember you from visit to visit. A cookie is simply a small text file. It isn't a program and doesn't actively do anything on your computer. You can read more about the cookies we use and how to manage them on our cookies page. 

Google Analytics also allows us to manage remarketing campaigns via Google Ads. We use this service to target online adverts to recent visitors to our website.

We ensure your data is kept secure by using up-to-date security features and procedures and we respect the privacy of all visitors to our website.

If you post or send any content that we believe to be inappropriate, offensive or in breach of any laws, such as defamatory content on our forums or social media pages, we may use your personal information to inform relevant third parties such as your internet provider or law enforcement agencies.

Our websites may also include links to other websites, not owned, associated or managed by Children First. While we try our best to only link to reputable websites we cannot be held responsible for the privacy of information collected by sites not managed by us, nor can we accept responsibility or liability for them.

For this reason you should consult the privacy policy on any external website you link to before you submit any personal information to those websites.

As Scotland's national children's charity, historically we have archived certain information about child protection cases we have worked on for public records. This helps public organisations and historians track how children's care has changed over the years in Scotland.

Generally, archived information is not kept in an identifiable manner. However, it may be that certain information has been retained (such as location information, dates and other information about the circumstances of a particular case) and as a result individuals may be identifiable.

Information is held by the National Archives of Scotland, the National Records of Scotland and by Glasgow Caledonian University for archiving purposes.

From time to time we may contact you and ask you to complete a survey online where we are seeking feedback about your experiences with us. We will only collect personal information in the context of online services where this is necessary for us to receive adequate feedback from you. All of our surveys are optional – you do not need to complete a survey if you do not wish to do so.

Our online surveys are powered by SurveyGizmo survey software. SurveyGizmo are certified under the EU-US Privacy Shield certification scheme, and more information about how they handle personal information is available here.

Data protection laws give you a number of rights as set out below. If you would like to exercise any of your rights, please contact us using the details located above.

  • Access your personal information: you may request access to a copy of your personal information. All requests for access to personal information should be made to us in writing.
  • Withdraw consent: if you have given us consent to use your personal information to send you communications, you can withdraw your consent at any time.
  • Rectification: you may ask us to rectify and update any inaccurate information we hold about you or to complete any information that is incomplete.
  • Erasure: you may ask us to delete your personal information.
  • Portability: you may ask us to provide you with the personal information that we hold about you in a structured, commonly used, machine readable format, or ask for us to send such personal information to another data controller.
  • Restriction: you can ask us to restrict the personal information we use about you where you have asked for it to be erased or where you have objected to our use of it.
  • Object: you may object to our processing of your personal information in accordance with this Notice. Please contact us, providing details of your objection.

You may make a complaint about our data processing activities by contacting us using the details above. Alternatively, you may make a complaint to the UK supervisory authority, which is the Information Commissioner's Office, by visiting their website at www.ico.org.uk/concerns, by phoning 0303 123 1113 (local rate) / 01625 545 745 (national rate), or by writing to the:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF