Reading Force Privacy Policy

Reading Force (“we”, “our”, “us”) is committed to protecting your personal information and being transparent about how we use it. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, how and why we use it, how we keep it safe, and your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This policy applies to all users of Reading Force services, including families, children, partner organisations, researchers, funders, supporters, website visitors, and book club participants. Specific supplementary privacy notices (e.g., survey notices) may apply to certain activities and should be read together with this overarching policy.

1. Who We Are

Reading Force
FREEPOST Reading Force
Phone: 07566 200 299
Email: info@readingforce.org.uk

Reading Force is the data controller for the personal information we collect and process.

If you have any questions about this policy or your data rights, contact us at info@readingforce.org.uk.

2. What Personal Data We Collect

The type of information we collect depends on how you interact with us. We only collect the minimum amount of personal data necessary to provide our services.

2.1 Families (Parents/Carers and Children)

We collect the following information to provide resources, manage registrations, send book packs, support participation in activities, and tailor our services:

Parent/Carer Information

• Name
• Postal address
• Email address
• Phone number (if provided)

Child Information (provided by parent or carer)

• First and last name
• Date of birth (to ensure age‑appropriate resources and eligibility)

Armed Forces Connection

• Branch (Army, Royal Navy, RAF)
• Status (Serving, Veteran, Reservist)

Family Circumstances
You may choose to share optional information about family circumstances such as:

• Deployment
• Separation or divorce
• Bereavement
• Injury affecting the Armed Forces connected person

Important:
These “circumstances” fields relate to the Armed Forces connected person’s situation, not the child’s health.  Although they may touch on sensitive context (e.g., an injury), they do not constitute special category health data about the child and are collected only when voluntarily shared to help us tailor support.

Participation & Engagement Information

• Resources requested
• Book club involvement
• History of engagement with Reading Force resources or activities
• Feedback, testimonials and impact information voluntarily provided by participants or their families
• Photographs, video recordings and content voluntarily submitted by participants, where appropriate consent has been provided.

2.2 Organisational Contacts

For partners, supporters, and professional contacts, we collect:

• Name
• Business address
• Business email
• Business phone number
• Armed Forces connection

2.3 Website Users

Information you submit voluntarily

• Name and contact details (e.g., newsletter sign-up, registration form)

Automatically collected information

• IP address
• Browser type
• Pages visited
• Date/time of visit
• Referring page

We use this data for security, troubleshooting, and improving site performance.

2.4 Research and Evaluation Data

We sometimes collaborate with accredited research partners and may receive:

• Anonymised or aggregated data
• Non-identifiable evaluation reports

We do not receive identifiable personal data from research partners unless a formal data-sharing agreement is in place.

3. How We Use Your Personal Data

We only use personal data where there is a clear and lawful basis. The table below explains the main ways in which we use personal data and the legal basis for doing so.

4. Special Category Data

We do not routinely collect or process special category personal data about children.

You may voluntarily choose to disclose additional information about yourself or family circumstances such as gender or whether an Armed Forces connected person has been injured. Where we collect this information, it is:

• Not required to participate in our services or surveys
• Collected only with your consent
• Used only for evaluation, research, impact measurement and service improvement purposes
• Not used to make decisions about individuals
• Reported in aggregate or anonymised form wherever possible
• Stored securely and accessed only by authorised personnel

5. Children’s Data and the Children’s Code

Much of our work involves supporting families with children. While we do not collect special category personal data about children, we recognise that any information relating to children requires additional care.

We follow the principles of the ICO Age-Appropriate Design Code, including:

• Data minimisation for children
• No profiling or marketing directly to children
• High privacy settings by default
• Clear explanations for parents and carers
• Reinforced security controls around any child-related data

Children’s personal data is provided by a parent or carer and is limited to the minimum necessary to deliver our services. We do not collect personal data directly from children.

This information is used only to ensure eligibility, deliver resources, and provide age-appropriate materials.

6. How We Collect Personal Data

We collect personal data in the following ways:

• Directly from you, for example when you complete our online forms, contact us by email, or sign up for events.
• From parents or carers who provide information on behalf of children.
• Automatically through our website, including analytics and technical data that help us maintain security and improve performance.
• From partner organisations, where an individual has given consent for their information to be shared with us.  For example, referrals or information provided via collaborative programmes.
• From organisational surveys or evaluation data, which are usually provided in anonymised or aggregated form.
• From accredited research institutions, typically in anonymised form unless a formal data‑sharing agreement is in place.

Legacy survey data previously collected via a Kingston University account is now controlled solely by Reading Force.

7. Who We Share Your Information With

We only share information when necessary, and never for third‑party marketing.

We may share data with:

• Suppliers and service providers: printers, distributors, IT providers
• Survey or evaluation platforms: processing on our behalf under data-processing agreements
• Funders and stakeholders: anonymised, non‑identifiable statistics only
• Partners: anonymised data unless otherwise agreed in writing
• Regulators: if required by law

We do not sell, rent or lease personal data.

8. International Transfers

We do not routinely transfer your personal data outside the UK.

Where an overseas transfer becomes necessary (for example, where a service provider operates internationally), we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data. These include:

• UK-approved adequacy decisions
• Standard Contractual Clauses
• Other recognised and lawful safeguards

9. How We Keep Your Data Safe

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard information, including:

• Secure systems and encrypted storage where appropriate
• Restricted access to personal data
• Staff training in data protection
• Secure website hosting
• Controlled access to survey and evaluation platforms
• Additional protections around child‑related information

10. How Long We Keep Your Information

Families 

We retain family data until the family disengages from our services (defined as no contact for 3 years), or the youngest child reaches age 18, whichever is sooner. Where support continues beyond age 18, including for some young people with ASN/SEND, data will be retained for as long as that support continues and in line with our retention requirements. Data is then securely deleted or anonymised, unless we are required to retain it for longer for legal reasons.

Organisational contacts 

We retain data relating to organisational contacts for up to 3 years after the last meaningful engagement.

Surveys 

Anonymous responses may be retained indefinitely for reporting and analysis.

Any identifiable information (for example, within free text responses) is retained for up to 36 months before being deleted or anonymised.

Legacy Kingston University data 

Historical survey data collected via Kingston University systems is retained under our legitimate interests for programme evaluation, in line with our data protection obligations.

11. Your Data Protection Rights

You have the right to:

• Access your personal data
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Request deletion of your data
• Withdraw consent at any time
• Restrict or object to processing
• Request data portability
• Make a complaint (see section 12)

To exercise your rights, contact info@readingforce.org.uk.

12. How to Complain

If you have concerns about how we use your data, please contact us first:

info@readingforce.org.uk
07566 200 299

If you remain dissatisfied, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint

13. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. The latest version will always be available on our website.