Confidentiality Policy

In our work with children and their families at Pitter Patter Play Ltd we will come into contact with confidential information. It is a legal requirement for the nursery to hold information about the children and families using the nursery and the staff working at the nursery. This information is used for registers, invoices, and emergency contacts.

The nursery is registered as an organisation with the Information Commissioner’s Office under reference number C1418224 and the nominated Data Protection Officer is Sarah Stephenson-Rix. All data will be collected and processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This means that any personal information held will be:

1. Used lawfully, fairly and in a transparent way.
2. Collected only for valid purposes that we have clearly explained to You and not used in any way that is incompatible with those purposes.
3. Relevant to the purposes we have told You about and limited only to those purposes.
4. Accurate and kept up to date.
5. Kept only as long as necessary for the purposes we have told you about.
6. Kept securely.

This policy is to be read in conjunction with our Privacy Notice.

All records will be stored securely on a secure online system and/or in a locked cabinet in line with Data Protection registration. It is our intention to respect the privacy of children and their families, and we will do so by:

• Storing confidential records on a secure online system and/or in a locked filing cabinet
• Ensuring that all staff, volunteers, and students are aware that this information is

confidential and only for use within the nursery

• Ensuring that parents have access to files and records of their own children but not to those of any other child
• Gaining parental permission for any information to be used other than for the above reasons
• Ensuring the staff, through their close relationship with both the children and their parents, learn more about the families using the nursery.
• Ensuring all staff are aware that this information is confidential and only for use within the nursery setting. If any of this information is requested for whatever reason, the parent’s permission will always be sought except in a safeguarding case where disclosure of the request could put the child at risk of harm
• Ensuring staff do not discuss personal information given by parents with other members of staff, except where it affects planning for the child’s needs
• Ensuring staff, student and volunteer inductions include an awareness of the importance of confidentiality in the role of the key person. If staff breach any confidentiality provisions, this may result in disciplinary action, and in serious cases, dismissal. Students on placement in the nursery are advised of our confidentiality policy and required to respect it.
• Having an area where staff may talk to parents and carers confidentially.
• Ensuring staff, students and volunteers are aware of and follow our social networking policy in relation to confidentiality
• Ensuring issues concerning the employment of staff remains confidential to the people directly involved with making personnel decisions
• Ensuring any concerns/evidence relating to a child’s personal safety are kept in a secure, confidential file and are shared with as few people as possible on a “need-to-know” basis. If, however, a child is considered at risk, our safeguarding policy will override confidentiality.

We will only retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of personal data, the purposes for which we process personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.

In some circumstances we may anonymise personal information so that it can no longer be associated with you, in which case we may use such information without further notice to you. Once you are no longer an Employee, or a Child benefiting from the Nursery’s services or a Parent, as is appropriate, we will retain and securely destroy your personal information in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Any physical documents will be shredded, and digital documents deleted securely.

All the undertakings above are subject to the paramount commitment of the nursery, which is to the safety and well-being of the child.

This Policy was adopted on	Signed on Behalf of Pitter Patter Play Ltd	Date for review
09/05/2024		May 2025