Privacy Policy – Mother and Child Welfare Organisation (MACWO)

1. Introduction

Mother and Child Welfare Organisation (MACWO) is committed to respecting and protecting your privacy. We know that the information you share with us is often sensitive and relates to you, your family, or people you are supporting. This policy explains what personal data we collect through our website, how we use it, the legal bases we rely on, and the rights you have in relation to your information.

We review this policy regularly and may update it from time to time. The most up-to-date version will always be available on this page. By using our website and services, you agree to the terms of this policy.

2. Data controller

For the purposes of UK data protection law, the data controller responsible for your personal data is:

Mother and Child Welfare Organisation (MACWO)
Registered charity number: 1156832
202 Uxbridge Road
London W12 7JP
United Kingdom

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, you can contact us at info@macwo.org.

3. Data we collect

The personal data we collect will depend on how you interact with MACWO and which forms or services you use. Through our website we may collect and process the following types of information:

Contact details – such as your name, email address, phone number and postal address.
Messages and enquiries – including the content of messages you send to us through contact forms or email.
Referral details – information provided when requesting support (for yourself or someone else), such as background information, support needs, and relevant personal circumstances.
Volunteer application information – such as your skills, experience, availability, references and any information you choose to include in your application.
Newsletter subscription information – your name and email address when you sign up to receive updates from us.
Technical information – including your IP address, browser type and version, device identifiers, operating system and platform, and information about how you use our website (for example pages visited and time spent on pages).
Cookie and analytics data – information collected through cookies and similar technologies, which may include approximate location, device information and usage patterns. More detail is provided in our Cookie Policy.

In some cases, the information we receive through referrals or support requests may include special category data (for example information about health, ethnicity or safeguarding concerns). We treat this information with additional care and only use it where necessary for safeguarding and support purposes.

4. How we collect data

We collect personal data in several ways:

Website forms – when you complete forms on our website, such as: contact forms, “Get Help” requests, mental health referrals, multi-sports registrations and volunteer sign-up forms.
Newsletter sign-up – when you subscribe to our email newsletter using the form in the website footer or other sign-up areas.
Direct communication – when you contact us by email, phone or post and we record the details necessary to respond to you.
Cookies and analytics tools – when you browse our website, certain information is collected automatically through cookies and similar technologies, including via analytics tools which help us understand how people use our site.

5. How we use your data

We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:

Responding to enquiries – to reply to messages, questions or feedback that you send through our contact forms or by email.
Processing support referrals – to assess requests for help, understand needs and circumstances, and provide or coordinate appropriate support.
Managing volunteers – to process volunteer applications, match people with suitable roles, communicate about volunteering opportunities and keep records of volunteer involvement.
Providing community services – to deliver our programmes, workshops and activities, manage attendance and follow-up, and monitor outcomes and impact.
Sending newsletters and updates – if you have explicitly signed up or given consent, we may send you email updates about our work, events, fundraising and opportunities to get involved. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Improving our website and services – to understand how people use our website, fix technical issues, and improve the design and content so it better meets the needs of our community.
Meeting legal and regulatory obligations – for example maintaining appropriate records, responding to safeguarding concerns, or cooperating with regulatory authorities where required.

6. Legal bases for processing (UK GDPR)

Under the UK GDPR we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. Depending on the context, MACWO relies on the following legal bases:

Consent – for example, where you tick a box to agree to receive our newsletter, or you choose to provide information in a referral or volunteer application form. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us or using the unsubscribe link in emails.
Legitimate interests – we process certain data because it is necessary for our legitimate interests as a charity, and these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include responding to enquiries, improving our services, and keeping basic records of interactions with our community.
Legal obligations – in some cases we must process or retain data in order to comply with the law, for example in relation to safeguarding, tax, accounting or regulatory requirements.

Where we process special category data (such as health information) we will usually do so on the basis of your explicit consent and/or because it is necessary for the provision of support and the protection of individuals at risk, in line with applicable safeguarding and data protection law.

7. Where and how your data is stored

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure. Depending on the nature of your interaction with us, your data may be stored in:

Secure databases and internal systems used by MACWO staff and authorised volunteers to manage referrals, cases, programmes and volunteering.
Google tools and secure spreadsheets (for example Google Sheets) where this is necessary for managing referrals, bookings or attendance. Access is restricted to authorised team members and protected by strong passwords and access controls.
Secure web hosting servers that power our website and online forms. Our hosting provider is selected for security and reliability.

We use strong passwords, role-based access, encrypted connections (HTTPS) for the website, and training for staff and volunteers to help keep your information safe. However, no method of transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure, so you share information at your own risk.

8. Data sharing

We do not sell your personal data and we do not share it with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

We may share personal data with:

Authorised staff and volunteers at MACWO who need access to the information in order to provide support, manage services or process your request.
Service providers who help us operate our website, IT systems, analytics, communications or case management, under appropriate data processing agreements. These providers may include web hosting companies, email services and analytics tools.
Partner organisations involved in delivering support, but only where it is necessary and proportionate, and usually with your knowledge and consent.
Legal and safeguarding authorities (for example local authorities, social services, the police or courts) where we are required to do so by law, or where we believe there is a vital interest or safeguarding concern requiring us to share information to protect you or someone else from serious harm.

9. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the nature of our relationship with you. For example, referral records may be kept for a period after support has ended in line with safeguarding and funding requirements, while basic enquiry emails may be kept for a shorter time. When data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that you can no longer be identified.

10. Your rights under UK data protection law

Under the UK GDPR you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights are subject to certain conditions and exceptions, but in general include:

Right of access – you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, together with information about how it is used.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct or complete any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
Right to erasure – in some circumstances you can ask us to delete your personal data (also known as the “right to be forgotten”).
Right to restrict processing – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations, for example while a complaint about accuracy is being investigated.
Right to data portability – in some cases you can request that we provide your data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, or that we transmit it to another organisation.
Right to object – you may object to certain types of processing, including where we are relying on legitimate interests.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before you withdrew consent.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below. We may need to ask for proof of identity before responding to certain requests.

11. Safeguarding and sensitive information

MACWO works with children, young people, families and vulnerable adults. We recognise that information shared with us about health, family circumstances, mental health, immigration status or risk of harm is particularly sensitive.

We handle this information in line with our safeguarding policies and legal duties. Access is restricted to staff and volunteers who need to know the information to provide support or to protect individuals from harm. In some situations, we may need to share information with social services, the police or other agencies to safeguard a child or adult at risk, even if you have asked us not to. Where it is safe to do so, we will explain what we are doing and why.

12. Children's data

Many of our services are aimed at or involve children and young people. When we collect and use personal data relating to children, we take particular care to protect their privacy and safety.

In many cases, information about a child will be provided by a parent, carer, guardian or professional referrer. Where appropriate, and depending on the age and understanding of the young person, we will also seek to explain in clear language how their information will be used and to respect their wishes wherever possible, consistent with our safeguarding responsibilities.

13. Complaints

If you have any concerns about how MACWO handles your personal data, we encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve the issue:

Email: info@macwo.org

You also have the right to raise a concern or complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), which is the supervisory authority for data protection in the UK. More information is available on the ICO website at ico.org.uk.

14. Contact us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, your personal data, or how we handle information, please contact:

Mother and Child Welfare Organisation (MACWO)
Email: info@macwo.org
Address: 202 Uxbridge Road, London W12 7JP, United Kingdom