Privacy

Please note ParentClub.scot contains links to and from other websites. This privacy policy only applies to this website and doesn't cover other government services and websites that we link to.

If you go to another website from this one, please read the privacy policy on that website to find out what it does with your information.

What information do we collect?

On ParentClub.scot we collect two kinds of information:

1. Information about how you use the website and where you have to the website from. This information is anonymous and we can’t identify you from it. 
2. Optional personal details: your name, email address and your child(ren’s) date of birth if you choose to sign up for our email newsletter.

Why do we need this information?

We also use Google Analytics to collect information about:

• which type of browser and device you used
• the pages you visit on Parent Club
• how long you spend on each page
• how you got to the site
• what you click on while you're visiting the site.

Google Analytics doesn’t collect any personal information about you, such as your name or address.

To collect this information, Google Analytics uses 'cookies', which are small files placed onto your computer to collect information about how you browse. We always ask for your consent before putting these cookies on your computer, and you can choose not to accept them. You can find out how we manage cookies here.

If you register for our email newsletter, we collect your name, email address and your child(ren)’s due date or date or birth. This allows us to send you emails with parenting tips and other information you may find useful as a parent or carer. We collect your child(ren)’s due date or date of birth so we can send emails relevant to their age.

If you wish to unsubscribe from our email database you can either click the unsubscribe link in the emails we send you or email parentclub@gov.scot from the email account that is subscribed to the mailing list and ask to be removed from the list.

What happens to your information?

If you sign up for our email newsletter, we store your data on our secure servers in the UK. The only people who can access it are the Parent Club team and Union Digital, who build and maintain our website. 

We won't share your information with any other organisations or areas of the Scottish Government for marketing, market research or commercial purposes.

Who is processing the information?

Our email newsletter is sent out on our behalf by Union Digital using a third-party email marketing service (Dotdigital).Your email address will remain in Dotdigital for as long as we continue to use this service to send out emails or until you unsubscribe.

How is the information kept secure?

Your information is held and managed on secure servers in the UK by Union Digital. At all times we will protect your personal information and ensure that nobody accesses your information who shouldn’t have access to it. 

What information do we collect?

When you register for your Baby Box, we collect the following information:

• Name
• Mother’s date of birth
• Expected due date
• Number of babies
• Health Board
• Preferred contact method
• Telephone number
• Email address
• Address
• Town/City
• Postcode

We also ask you separately if you agree to be contacted for further research, asking your opinion on the Baby Box and its contents. If we contact you it will not be more than once a year, and you will again be asked for your consent to participate. You can withdraw your consent to be contacted for research at any time.

We also ask you if you wish to receive emails on hints and tips that might be useful to you as a parent from the Parent Club. You can unsubscribe from these emails at any time (see website privacy above).

You do not need to provide your consent for these opt ins in order to receive your Baby Box – it is your choice to decide whether you wish to participate in either of them.

Why do we need this information?

We collect this information from you in order to:

• Deliver your Baby Box on time and to the correct address.
• Provide analysis of the data to support research, planning, and management of the Baby Box policy, for example, to review the contents of the Baby Box, evaluate the Baby Box Policy, and to fulfil other public functions.

What happens to your information?

Your information is collected and processed by APS Group (Scotland), who administer the Baby Box on behalf of the Scottish Government. APS process your registration details, deliver your Baby Box and provide anonymised management statistics on a weekly basis for the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government will also provide analysis of the data to support research, planning, and management of the Baby Box policy, for example, to review the contents of the Baby Box, evaluate the Baby Box Policy, and to fulfil other public functions.

If you receive a Baby Box and also apply for the Pregnancy and Baby Grant through Social Security, during the Best Start Grant application process you will be asked if Social Security Scotland can check your Baby Box registration information to confirm that you are or have been pregnant, which is part of the eligibility criteria for the Pregnancy and Baby Grant. This will allow your application form to be processed more quickly.

Who is processing the information?

Your information is processed by the APS Group (Scotland), the contractor who acts for and delivers the Baby Box on behalf of the Scottish Government. APS can be contacted at scotlandsbabybox@theapsgroup.com. The data collected will be held by APS before being transferred to the Scottish Government. The data will be held within Scotland at all stages.

If you have signed up for Parent Club’s email newsletter, your email address and due date will be passed to Union Digital, who send out the newsletter on our behalf. The data will be held within the UK at all stages.

How is the information kept secure?

Baby Box registration data is held and managed by secure systems on secure servers by APS Group (Scotland). Where information is transferred (e.g. between APS and Scottish Government) this will be done securely and will not be transferred outside the UK. At all times we will protect your personal information and ensure that nobody accesses your information who shouldn’t have access to it.

Your data will be anonymised and archived within a secure environment for 5 years following the end of the contract. This will be reviewed by the Scottish Government before any data is deleted to determine if it should be held for longer.

You have a right of access to any personal data we hold about you, by making a Subject Access Request (SAR) to the address below. In addition, if you believe that the data we hold is inaccurate or incomplete you can ask us to update our records. This includes withdrawing your consent to be contacted for research and by Parent Club.

Stuart Gardner
The Data Protection Officer
Victoria Quay
Commercial Street
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ

Email: DataProtectionOfficer@gov.scot

To find out more about the rights you have over your personal data, please visit the ICO website. 

If you feel we have been unable, or unwilling, to resolve your information rights concern, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The ICO are the supervisory authority responsible for data protection in the UK.

For further information, including independent data protection advice and information in relation to your rights, you can contact the Information Commissioner at:

The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Tel: 08456 30 60 60
Website: ico.org.uk

You can also report any concerns here: ico.org.uk/concerns/handling/.