Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy for Families in Harmony

About this Privacy Statement

This privacy statement outlines how and why Families in Harmony collects, uses, and protects your personal information. We are committed to respecting your privacy and ensuring your personal data is handled with care and in accordance with your rights.

We prioritize your privacy and aim to be transparent about the information we collect and the ways in which we use it. You can trust that we will not sell or share your personal data with third parties.

We collect only the information necessary for our purposes, and we will always explain why we need it. Your information will be treated with confidentiality and care.

At Families in Harmony, we value the relationships we build with our supporters, partners, and the families we serve. Protecting your personal information is a priority, and we ensure it is stored and handled securely and in compliance with data protection laws.

This privacy statement was last updated on 12 March 2025.

Who We Are

References to "we", "us", or "our" in this privacy statement refer to Families in Harmony, a charitable organization registered in the United Kingdom. Our registered charity number is [insert charity number here].

How We Collect Information About You

You may provide us with personal information when making a donation, purchasing products, registering as a volunteer, participating in a campaign, making a referral, joining our community of kinship carers or professionals, applying for a vacancy, or otherwise communicating with us.

We also use cookies and other tracking technologies to collect personal information when you visit our website, www.familiesinharmony.org.uk. For more details, please refer to our cookies policy.

We may collect additional personal data from you when you report an issue with our website, participate in a survey, complete an online form, or provide feedback. If you contact us, we may also receive information about your device and its settings as part of the standard website interaction.

Ways You May Provide Information Directly to Us

• Through Our Services: When you access support or advice from Families in Harmony, we may ask for information relevant to your needs, such as your name, contact details, location, and any personal circumstances that may affect the support you require (e.g., legal or financial information, details about your support network, or your vulnerability to harm).
   
• For Service Evaluation: We may request your consent to collect feedback through surveys or evaluations related to the services you have used. This information is only used to improve our services and will be treated confidentially.
   

How We Use Your Information

We use the information you provide to support and assist you effectively. We may also use this data to improve our services, conduct training, investigate complaints, or gather feedback.

We will only access your information for other purposes if required by law or with your consent. For example, we may use your data for training or quality assurance purposes, or if we need to address a safety concern, such as when you or someone else may be at risk of harm.

All staff members who have access to personal data are trained in data protection to ensure your information is handled securely.

How We Protect Your Information

We take the protection of your personal data seriously. All information is stored securely and handled in compliance with data protection laws, ensuring that it is used responsibly and kept safe.

When We May Disclose Your Information

If there are concerns about your safety or the safety of others, we may need to disclose your information to the relevant authorities, such as the police or social services. This may include instances where we believe you or someone you know is at risk of harm.

Your Rights and Choices

You have rights regarding your personal data, including the right to access, update, or request the deletion of your information. If you have any concerns about how we are handling your data, please contact us at info@familiesinharmony.org.uk.

For more details on your rights and how we handle your personal information, please refer to our full privacy policy available on our website or contact us directly.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about our privacy practices, or if you wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact us at:

Families in Harmony
Website: www.familiesinharmony.org.uk
Email: info@familiesinharmony.org.uk

This version of the privacy policy uses clear, concise language while maintaining the original meaning and structure, with updates to reflect your organization, Families in Harmony. 

What Personal Information We Collect at Families in Harmony

Personal data refers to any information that can be used to identify an individual. This does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data).

We collect, store, and use the following types of personal information:

• Your name
• Your contact details, such as postal address, telephone number, email address, and/or social media identity
• Your date of birth
• Your sex
• Your gender identity
• Bank or credit card details when provided for payments
• If you volunteer with us or apply for a job, information necessary to process these applications and assess your suitability (including employment status, prior experience, and any unspent criminal convictions or pending court cases, where applicable)
• Health-related information (for example, if you are participating in or attending an event where health and safety considerations apply)
• Information about your activities on our website or social media platforms, including device information such as IP address and geographical location
• If you have left us a legacy, any information about your next of kin for administration purposes
• Information about your tax status to claim Gift Aid
• Age, nationality, and ethnicity data for monitoring purposes (e.g., in an equal opportunities form)
• Search terms you enter in the on-site search function (we log user ID but not your device’s IP address)
• Any other personal information you provide to us

Certain types of personal information are considered sensitive and are given special protection under data protection laws. This “special category data” may include information regarding health, race, religious beliefs, political views, trade union membership, sexual orientation, genetic/biometric data, and more.

We only collect this type of sensitive information where it is necessary for us to do so. For example, we might ask for health details if you are taking part in a sporting event or need information to provide appropriate support or facilities.

Where possible, we will make clear why we are collecting sensitive information and how it will be used.

How We Use Your Personal Information

Families in Harmony uses personal data for a variety of purposes. Below are the ways in which we may use your personal data in accordance with the lawful basis for processing described in the section below.

We use personal information to:

• Provide you with information, services, or products you’ve requested or that we believe may be of interest to you, including fundraising and campaigning activities
• Offer key services to kinship carers and their families as part of Families in Harmony’s mission
• Protect the health and safety of you, our staff, volunteers, and the general public
• Process your donation or support your fundraising efforts, including claiming Gift Aid
• Maintain a record of your relationship with us
• Respond to your requests, complaints, or queries
• Improve our services, products, and information through analysis and market research
• Evaluate and enhance our fundraising activities and the services provided to kinship carers and their families
• Manage events and activities
• Support you in our work, which may include using mobile phones, cameras, or other devices for filming, voice recording, or slideshows to improve understanding and relationships, and support our staff’s learning
• Keep our contact details up-to-date by checking against third-party sources to stay in touch if you move
• Further our charitable objectives and mission
• Send you correspondence and communicate with you, via both traditional methods and social media platforms
• Analyze and improve the services offered on our website
• Register, administer, and personalize online accounts when you sign up for any of our products or services
• Display content in a way appropriate for the device you are using (whether on mobile or desktop)
• Enable you to participate in interactive website features if you choose to do so
• Use your IP address to gather relevant data, such as your approximate location, to block disruptive behavior or analyze website traffic
• Make our marketing efforts more relevant and targeted to potential supporters, donors, or customers
• Generate reports on our services, work, and events
• Safeguard our staff, volunteers, and participants
• Conduct due diligence and ethical screening
• Ensure participants in Families in Harmony’s research are treated with respect and dignity
• Identify potential supporters, donors, researchers, or other partners
• Monitor website usage to identify visitor locations, guard against disruptive use, personalize information presented to you, and provide targeted advertisements
• Process applications for jobs or volunteering positions
• Conduct training, quality control, and audits
• Administer our accounts and meet legal obligations, such as producing contracts, complying with regulators, government bodies, or law enforcement
• Perform fraud prevention and money laundering checks
• Establish, defend, or enforce legal claims when necessary

This comprehensive use of your personal data helps us operate efficiently and ensures we can continue delivering valuable services to our community.

This section reflects the changes requested, keeping the content aligned with the meaning but personalized for Families in Harmony.

Managing Your Contact Preferences

We make it simple for you to tell us how you would like us to communicate with you. Our forms include clear questions about your communication preferences (such as whether you prefer to be contacted by email, WhatsApp, or SMS), and we provide instructions on how to opt out when we send you marketing communications.

If you no longer wish to hear from us, you can change your preferences at any time. Simply let us know when you provide your data or contact us at info@familiesinharmony.org.uk.

We recognize that preferences change over time, so we set a cap of four years from your last consent to marketing. Additionally, we regularly review our data to ensure it is up-to-date and check if you are still interested in receiving our communications (for example, as part of the Families in Harmony community). You can adjust your preferences at any time by contacting us at info@familiesinharmony.org.uk.

How We Keep Your Information Safe

Whether you are receiving advice or support from our staff via face-to-face meetings, phone, email, or chat, our team logs all your information, correspondence, and case notes into our secure case management systems. We have a legitimate interest in doing this under data protection law, as it allows us to carry out our mission and goals effectively.

Some of your information may also be stored within our secure email and IT systems.

Our case management systems are hosted within the European Economic Area (EEA), and where possible, within the UK. Most of our trusted partners store their data securely within the EEA in compliance with data protection laws.

We ensure that appropriate technical and organizational measures are in place to protect your personal details.

If you participate in online training or access support through platforms like Zoom, you will need to agree to Zoom's Privacy Statement, which can be found at https://zoom.us/privacy.

How Long We Store Your Information For

In most cases, we retain your information for six years. However, we take various factors into account when determining the retention period for personal data, including:

• The purpose for processing your data and how long we need to retain it to achieve that purpose
• How long your data is likely to remain accurate and up-to-date
• The potential relevance of the data for future legal claims
• Any applicable legal, accounting, reporting, or regulatory requirements specifying how long certain records must be kept.

Sharing Your Information

We promise never to sell or rent your information to third parties.

With your consent, we may share your information with other organizations to:

• Assist in resolving your issue (for example, working with your local authority to help you access services)
• Refer you to another organization for additional advice or support
• Help you access services like food banks or local assistance programs
• Monitor the quality of our services

Organizations we share your data with are required to handle and store it in compliance with data protection law. They will have their own privacy policies explaining how they manage and protect your information.

There may be specific organizations with which we share your data, depending on the services you access.

For our Peer-to-Peer Support Service, we may share details of group leaders (name, contact details, and meeting location) with their written consent. You may request changes to these details at any time.

Other Sharing

We may disclose your information to third parties for purposes outlined in this statement. These third parties may include:

• Commissioning partners, suppliers, and subcontractors who process information on our behalf
• If you are a researcher, volunteer advisory panel member, joint funders of research, host institutions, or external committee members
• If you are a legacy donor, we may share information with co-beneficiaries
• Advertisers, social media platforms, and advertising networks
• Analytics and search engine providers
• IT service providers
• HR, payroll, and legal service providers

In certain cases, where we are required to do so by law or regulation, we may disclose your information to law enforcement, regulatory bodies, or legal advisors to protect Families in Harmony, its personnel, visitors, users, or others.

Keeping Your Information Up-to-Date

To ensure we always have the most current information to contact you, we may update your records periodically. This information may come directly from you or from trusted third parties in situations where it is appropriate, and where you would reasonably expect your details to be shared for this purpose.

We may also combine the information you provide with data collected from trusted third parties, such as business partners, subcontractors, and public sources. This ensures we can continue to contact you if you have chosen to receive marketing messages and prevent any duplicate records or outdated preferences.

Cookies

If cookies are used on our website, they will only be employed for the purposes set out in this privacy statement. They will not be used if they are not deemed necessary. For further details, please refer to our cookies policy.

Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• The right to be informed: You have the right to know how and why we collect and use your personal data.
• The right of access: You can request a copy of the information we hold about you.
• The right to rectification: You can request corrections to any inaccurate or incomplete information we hold about you.
• The right to erasure: You may ask us to delete some or all of your personal data, subject to certain conditions.
• The right to restrict processing: You can request that we limit the use of your personal data in certain circumstances, such as if the information is incorrect or if you have objected to its use.
• The right to data portability: You can request that we provide your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, or ask us to transmit this data directly to another organization.

These rights allow you to have greater control over the information we hold about you and how it is used.

Changes to This Statement

We may update this privacy statement from time to time. If there are any significant changes in how we handle your personal data, we will make this clear on our website www.familiesinharmony.org.uk or notify you directly.

Complaints

If you have any concerns regarding how your personal data is handled, please contact our Data Protection Lead.

To change how we contact you, please reach out to our Communications Team at info@familiesinharmony.org.uk or call 03300 167 235.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) regulates data protection and privacy matters in the UK.

The ICO provides a wealth of information for consumers on their website, and they ensure that the registered details of all data controllers, such as ourselves, are publicly accessible. You can find more information on their website here: https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public.

You also have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at 0303 123 1113, via their website www.ico.org.uk, or by post.