Privacy Policy

Effective date: 1 January 2026

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1. Introduction

CARIS Families is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in a transparent, secure and lawful way. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect personal information when you interact with us or use our website.

CARIS Families complies with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable data protection legislation.

This policy applies to personal data collected through our website and related communications.

2. Who we are

CARIS Families is the data controller for the personal information described in this policy.

Charity name: CARIS Families (registered charity name CARIS Camden)
Registered charity number: 1121919
Registered address: St Pancras Church House, 1 Lancing Street, London NW1 1NA
Email: office-at-carisfamilies-dot-org

We are a small UK charity supporting families in need. We do not currently have a statutory requirement to appoint a Data Protection Officer. Any questions about this policy or how we use your data should be sent to the email address above.

3. The personal data we collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal information:

  • Name
  • Job title or role (where relevant)
  • Contact details such as email address and telephone number
  • Postcode or general location
  • Preferences and interests relevant to our services
  • Information provided in surveys or feedback forms
  • Information submitted via website contact forms

We do not intentionally collect special category data (such as health or criminal records) through our website.

4. How we collect personal data

We collect personal data when you:

  • Complete a form on our website
  • Contact us by email or telephone
  • Provide feedback or respond to surveys
  • Interact with us in connection with our charitable activities

Volunteer enquiries submitted through our website are sent directly to an internal office email account and are not stored in a separate online system.

5. How we use your personal data

We use personal information for the following purposes:

  • To respond to enquiries and requests
  • To deliver and improve our charitable services
  • For internal record keeping and administration
  • To monitor and evaluate our work
  • To meet legal and regulatory obligations

We do not currently send newsletters or regular marketing communications.

6. Lawful bases for processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful reason for using your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on the following lawful bases:

  • Consent – where you have clearly agreed for us to use your data for a specific purpose
  • Legitimate interests – where processing is necessary for the operation of our charity and does not override your rights
  • Legal obligation – where we are required to process data to comply with the law

If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time by contacting us.

7. Marketing communications

We will only send marketing or promotional communications if you have actively consented to receive them. You can opt out at any time by contacting us.

We do not sell or rent personal information to third parties.

8. Sharing your personal data

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our website or deliver our services, such as:

  • Website hosting providers
  • IT and email service providers

All third-party processors are required to handle data securely and only in accordance with our instructions.

We will only disclose personal data where required to do so by law or regulatory authorities.

9. International transfers

We do not routinely transfer personal data outside the UK. If personal data is processed by service providers located outside the UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with UK GDPR.

10. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and legal requirements, but we regularly review information and securely delete or anonymise data when it is no longer needed.

11. Your data protection rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

  • The right to be informed about how your data is used
  • The right of access to the personal data we hold about you
  • The right to have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected
  • The right to request deletion of your personal data
  • The right to restrict processing in certain circumstances
  • The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests
  • The right to data portability (where applicable)
  • The right to withdraw consent at any time

You can exercise these rights by contacting us. Requests are free of charge and we will normally respond within one month.

12. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data, please contact us in the first instance so we can try to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Website: www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

13. Security

We are committed to keeping your personal data secure. We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect information from unauthorised access, loss or misuse.

14. Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to external websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites. Please check their privacy policies before submitting personal data.

15. Cookies

Our website may use cookies to improve functionality and user experience. Where required, we will ask for your consent before placing non-essential cookies. Further information is available in our Cookie Policy.

16. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be published on this page, and we encourage you to review it periodically.