Privacy Policy

Who we are

Simple Acts of Kindness CIC is a Community Interest Company registered in England and Wales. We are based in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. In this policy, references to "we", "us", or "our" mean Simple Acts of Kindness CIC.

We are committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of everyone who comes into contact with us - whether you are a family we support, a donor, a volunteer, a referral partner, or a visitor to our website.

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your information, please contact us via Facebook or our contact page.

What information we collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

• Contact information - your name, email address, phone number, or social media handle when you get in touch with us
• Referral information - for families we support, details provided by referral partners about their circumstances and needs, solely to enable us to provide the right support
• Donation information - details of donations made to us, including amounts and items donated
• Volunteer information - contact details and availability for people who volunteer with us
• Website usage data - anonymous data about how visitors use our website, collected via standard web analytics

How we use your information

We use the information we collect only for the purposes it was given. Specifically:

• To respond to enquiries and provide support to families referred to us
• To arrange collection and delivery of donated items
• To communicate with donors, volunteers, and referral partners
• To keep records of our activities for reporting and accountability purposes
• To improve our website and services

We do not use your personal information for marketing purposes without your explicit consent, and we will never sell or share your information with third parties for commercial purposes.

Information about the families we support

We treat information about the families we support with the highest level of care and confidentiality. We collect only what is necessary to provide the right items to the right family at the right time.

We never share details about the families we support with anyone outside of Simple Acts of Kindness CIC, except where we are legally required to do so or where you have given us explicit consent.

Information about families is retained only for as long as necessary to fulfil the referral and is then securely deleted.

Legal basis for processing

Under UK GDPR, we process personal data on the following legal bases:

• Legitimate interests - to operate as a community interest company and provide our services
• Consent - where you have given us permission to contact you or process your information
• Vital interests - where processing is necessary to protect someone in an emergency situation
• Legal obligation - where we are required by law to process certain information

How long we keep your information

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected. In general:

• Referral and family support records are deleted once the referral is fulfilled and any follow-up is complete
• Donor and volunteer records are kept for up to 3 years after your last contact with us
• Financial records are kept for 6 years in line with legal requirements

Sharing your information

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information. We may share information in the following limited circumstances:

• With referral partners (housing officers, social workers, DA services) solely to coordinate support for a specific family, and only with the knowledge of the person concerned
• Where we are legally required to do so by law or a regulatory authority
• With third-party services that help us operate our website, such as website analytics tools - these providers are bound by strict data protection obligations

Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the following rights in relation to your personal information:

• The right to access - you can request a copy of the information we hold about you
• The right to correction - you can ask us to correct inaccurate information
• The right to erasure - you can ask us to delete your information in certain circumstances
• The right to restrict processing - you can ask us to limit how we use your information
• The right to object - you can object to us processing your information in certain circumstances
• The right to data portability - you can ask us to provide your information in a portable format

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us via our contact page or via Facebook. We will respond within 30 days.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

Cookies and website analytics

Our website may use standard web analytics to understand how visitors use the site. This data is anonymous and does not identify individual visitors. We do not use advertising cookies or tracking pixels.

Security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, misuse, and unauthorised access. Our website is served over HTTPS and personal information shared with us is handled with care.

However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. If you have concerns about the security of your information, please contact us.

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be published on this page with an updated date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Contact

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this privacy policy or how we handle your personal information, please get in touch:

• Via our contact page
• Via Facebook: @simpleactsofkindnesscic