Safety & Privacy

Data Protection - How We Use Your Information Summary
Use of Cookies
Detailed Privacy Policy - Host Families
Detailed Privacy Policy - Au Pairs 
 
The Data Protection Act requires all organisations which handle personal information to comply with a number of important principles regarding privacy and disclosure.
 
The Act states that anyone who processes personal information must comply with eight principles. These state that information must be:
  • Fairly and lawfully processed
  • Processed for limited purposes
  • Adequate, relevant and not excessive
  • Accurate and up to date
  • Not kept for longer than is necessary
  • Processed in line with individuals' rights
  • Secure
  • Not transferred to other countries without adequate protection

We comply with the Data Protection Act, please see below the guidelines quoted from Information Commissioner's Office website. (ICO)

YOUR INFORMATION

We use a secure server and for extra protection.

We collect personal information from you that is relevant to the introduction process of au pairs to families, allowing us to introduce relevant prospects only.
The information is only disclosed to members of our team and to relevant prospective au pairs and their agency for a limited duration. 

To support the introduction process, we provide you with e-mail messages, giving you helpful information during the introduction process and pre-and post au pair start date. 

Once you register, you will automatically register for/receive our newsletter with further relevant information. 

You may at any time unsubscribe from our newsletter - newsletters are vital for the provision of relevant service and/support and industry updates.

We may also be using your data for market research and the tracking of sales and e-mail data. The Agency can for example track e-mails sent/received/opened by the receipient. 

By using our site and by signing up with Smartaupairs you are giving us permission to use your information in this way. 

We will not disclose your information to other parties without your permission unless we are legally required to do so.  

USE OF COOKIES ON OUR SITE

A cookie is a text-only string of information that a website transfers to the cookie file of the browser on your computer's hard disk so that the website can remember who you are.
A cookie will typically contain the name of the domain from which the cookie has come, the "lifetime" of the cookie, and a value, usually a randomly generated unique number.

When you visit our website we send you a cookie. Cookies may be used in the following ways:

  • To help us recognise you as a unique visitor (just a number) when you return to our website and to allow us to tailor content or advertisements to match your preferred interests or to avoid showing you the same adverts repeatedly.
  • To compile anonymous, aggregated statistics that allow us to understand how users use our site and to help us improve the structure of our website. We cannot identify you personally in this way.

Two types of cookies may be used on this website, -session cookies, which are temporary cookies that remain in the cookie file of your browser until you leave the site, and persistent cookies, which remain in the cookie file of your browser for much longer (though how long will depend on the lifetime of the specific cookie).

Wording on ’cookies’ sourced from ’all about cookies’ created by Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe.

SECURITY OF THIRD PARTY SITES

We chose our partners with care and where possible we have partnered with sites who show the same commitment to security. However we cannot be responsible for their policies, even if you access them using links from our website and recommend that you check each site you visit. 


UPDATED 16 May 2018 GDPR Updates 

PRIVACY NOTICE TO FAMILIES LOOKING TO RECRUIT AN AU PAIR

Data controller: Smartaupairs Ltd, Springfield House, Maidstone ME14 2LP

Data protection officer: Tuuli Liiskmaa, Smartaupairs, tuuli@Smartaupairs.com.

As part of any recruitment process, the Agency collects and processes personal data relating to families. The Agency is committed to being transparent about how it collects and uses that data and to meeting its data protection obligations.

What information does the Agency collect?

The Agency collects a range of information about the family. This includes but is not limited to:

  • your name, address and contact details, including email address and telephone number;
  • details of your requirements; 
  • details of your family members and family home, 
  • information about the number of hours required from the au pair, the proposed payment and other benefits 
  • equal opportunities monitoring information, including information about your ethnic origin, sexual orientation, health and religion or belief
  • reference contact details (to support application to become a host family)

The Agency collects this information in a variety of ways. For example, data might be contained in application forms IT systems, such as e-mail. 

The Agency will also collect personal data about you from third parties, such as references as part of the process of deciding whether we can accept you as a client.

Data will be stored in a range of different places, including on your application record, in HR management systems and on other IT systems (including email).

Why does the Agency Process Personal Data?

The Agency needs to process data to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract with you. It also needs to process your data to enter into a contract with you.

In some cases, the Agency needs to process data to ensure that it is complying with its legal obligations. For example, it is required to check a successful applicant's eligibility to live in the UK before any placement is made.

The Agency has a legitimate interest in processing personal data during the recruitment process and for keeping records of the process. Processing data from families allows the Agency to manage the recruitment process, assess and confirm a family’s suitability to take on an au pair and decide who would be a suitable au pair for  you and keep you informed of available candidates as they arise and keep you informed of the services offered by us. The Agency may also need to process data from families to respond to and defend against legal claims.

Where the Agency relies on legitimate interests as a reason for processing data, it has considered whether or not those interests are overridden by the rights and freedoms of families and has concluded that they are not.

The Agency processes health information if it needs to make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process for families who have a family member who may have a disability.

If we do not find you an au pair, the Agency will keep your personal data on file in case there are future au pairs for which you may be suited. You are free to withdraw your consent at any time.

Who has access to data?

Your information will be shared internally for the purposes of the recruitment & support exercise. Your information will also be shared with our 3rd party partner au pair agencies in EU countries and non EU countries, au pairs, and IT staff if access to the data is necessary for the performance of their roles. Personal data shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside the EEA unless that country or territory ensures an adequate level of protection or the appropriate safeguards are in place for your rights and freedoms.

The Agency will then share your data with referees to provide references for you, background check providers to obtain necessary background checks and the Disclosure and Barring Service to obtain necessary criminal records checks.

Your data may be transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA) to our partner agencies for the purpose of finding a suitable au pair. 

How Does the Agency Protect Data?

The Agency takes the security of your data seriously. It has internal policies and controls (including secure website & password protection) in place to ensure that your data is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused or disclosed, and is not accessed except by our employees in the proper performance of their duties.

For How Long Does the Agency Keep My Data?

If your application to find an au pair is unsuccessful, the Agency will hold your data on file for up to 24 months after the end of the relevant recruitment process, unless you contact us to request for a new search. If you agree to allow the Agency to keep your personal data on file, the Agency will hold your data on file for a further  for consideration for future placement opportunities. At the end of that period or once you withdraw your consent, your data is deleted or destroyed.

If your application to be a client is successful, personal data gathered during the recruitment process will be transferred to your client file and retained during the time that you have an au pair supplied by us. Your data will thereafter held for a period of up to 24 months, if no further searches are initiated during this period, your data will be removed.

Your Rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights. You can:

  • access and obtain a copy of your data on request;
  • require the Agency to change incorrect or incomplete data;
  • require the Agency to delete or stop processing your data, for example where the data is no longer necessary for the purposes of processing;
  • object to the processing of your data where the Agency is relying on its legitimate interests as the legal ground for processing; and ask the Agency to stop processing data for a period if data is inaccurate or there is a dispute about whether or not your interests override the Agency's legitimate grounds for processing data.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact Tuuli Liiskmaa, tuuli@smartaupairs.com.

If you believe that the Agency has not complied with your data protection rights, you can complain to the Information Commissioner.

What if you do not provide personal data?

You are under no statutory or contractual obligation to provide data to the Agency during the recruitment process. However, if you do not provide the information, the Agency may not be able to process your application properly or at all.


PRIVACY NOTICE TO AU PAIRS LOOKING TO BE PLACED WITH A HOST FAMILY

The wording in this document reflects the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which will come into effect in the UK on 25 May 2018.

Data controller: Smartaupairs Ltd, Springfield House, Maidstone ME14 2LP

Data protection officer: Tuuli Liiskmaa, Smartaupairs, tuuli@Smartaupairs.com.

As part of any recruitment process, the Agency collects and processes personal data relating to Au Pairs. The Agency is committed to being transparent about how it collects and uses that data and to meeting its data protection obligations.

What information does the Agency collect?

The Agency collects a range of information about the Au Pair. This includes but is not limited to:

  • your name, address, date of birth and contact details, including email address and telephone number;
  • details of your requirements;
  • equal opportunities monitoring information, including information about your ethnic origin, sexual orientation, health and religion or belief

The Agency collects this information in a variety of ways. For example, data might be contained in application forms, obtained from your passport or other identity documents, or collected through interviews or other forms of assessment.

The Agency will also collect personal data about you from third parties (for example, sending agencies abroad), such as references, information from background check providers and information from criminal records checks. 

Data will be stored in a range of different places, including on your application record, in HR management systems and on other IT systems (including email).

Why does the Agency process personal data?

The Agency needs to process data to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract or arrangement with you.

In some cases, the Agency needs to process data to ensure that it is complying with its legal obligations. For example, it is required to check a successful applicant's eligibility to live in the UK before any placement is made.

The Agency has a legitimate interest in processing personal data during the recruitment process and for keeping records of the process. Processing data from Au Pairs allows the Agency to manage the recruitment process, assess and confirm an Au Pair’s suitability to be placed with a family  and keep you informed of available families as they arise and keep you informed of the services offered by us. The Agency may also need to process data from families to respond to and defend against legal claims.

Where the Agency relies on legitimate interests as a reason for processing data, it has considered whether or not those interests are overridden by the rights and freedoms of families and has concluded that they are not.

The Agency processes health information if it needs to make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process for Au Pairs who may have a disability.

If we do not find you a suitable family to be placed with, the Agency will keep your personal data on file in case there are future families for which you may be suited. The Agency will ask for your consent before it keeps your data for this purpose and you are free to withdraw your consent at any time.

Your basic details (name, nationality, e-mail) are also shared with other au pairs (or host families looking to help their au pairs find friends) for the purpose of ongoing placement support/ease of finding friends.

Who has access to data?

Your information will be shared internally for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. Your information will also be shared with our 3rd party partner au pair agencies in EU countries and non EU countries, families looking for Au Pairs, and IT staff if access to the data is necessary for the performance of their roles. Personal data shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside the EEA unless that country or territory ensures an adequate level of protection or the appropriate safeguards are in place for your rights and freedoms.

The Agency will then share your data with referees to provide references for you, background check providers to obtain necessary background checks and the Disclosure and Barring Service to obtain necessary criminal records checks.

Your data may be transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA)

How does the Agency protect data?

The Agency takes the security of your data seriously. It has internal policies and controls in place to ensure that your data is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused or disclosed, and is not accessed except by our employees in the proper performance of their duties. 

For how long does the Agency keep data?

If your application for placement is unsuccessful, the Agency will delete your application data. Subscriptions to newsletters are treated separately and whereby you choose to subscribe to a newsletter, the subscription continues until you choose to unsubscribe. 

If your application to be an Au Pairt is successful, personal data gathered during the recruitment process will be transferred to your file and retained during the time that you are placed by us. 

Your rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights. You can:

•           access and obtain a copy of your data on request;

•           require the Agency to change incorrect or incomplete data;

•           require the Agency to delete or stop processing your data, for example where the data is no longer necessary for the purposes of processing;

•           object to the processing of your data where the Agency is relying on its legitimate interests as the legal ground for processing; and

•           ask the Agency to stop processing data for a period if data is inaccurate or there is a dispute about whether or not your interests override the Agency's legitimate grounds for processing data.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact Tuuli Liiskmaa, tuuli@smartaupairs.com

If you believe that the Agency has not complied with your data protection rights, you can complain to the Information Commissioner.

What if you do not provide personal data?

You are under no statutory or contractual obligation to provide data to the Agency during the recruitment process. However, if you do not provide the information, the Agency may not be able to process your application properly or at all.