Childcare Offer for Wales: childcare providers privacy notice

In November 2022, the Welsh Government Childcare Offer for Wales digital service went live. The digital service is made up of a digital platform and helpline and replaced the various local authority systems previously in place to manage the Childcare Offer for Wales. The digital platform is a secure, cloud-based case management platform. The Welsh Government is the Data Controller for the information held within the digital service.

Our privacy notice sets out:

• the personal information we collect about your organisation and employees registered as users on the Childcare Offer for Wales digital service
• what we do with it
• who we may need to share it with
• how long we will hold it for, and
• what your rights are in relation to it

Personal data is defined under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) as ‘any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified by reference to an identifier.’

Outlined below is the personal information we collect about your setting and employees registered as users:

Register as a Childcare Offer for Wales service user

When the agreed lead user, normally the person in charge of the setting, begins the process for registering the setting, they will be asked (only once) to provide the following personal information. This is required to help recover the account, should the situation arise. Any subsequent users will also be asked to provide the following information:

Information we collect about the lead user and additional users

• name, date of birth, email address and contact number
• memorable word

Registering a setting on the Childcare Offer for Wales digital service

In registering a setting, the lead user will be asked to provide the following personal information:

For settings registered with Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW):

• setting name
• registration number
• Setting Instance Number (SIN)
• setting postcode which will generate the setting address, setting email address and contact number

For settings registered with Ofsted:

• setting name
• Ofsted registration number
• setting address
• setting email address and contact number

For both CIW and Ofsted registered settings

• bank details – name on the account, sort code, account number, building society roll number

If the local authority approves your registration with the Childcare Offer for Wales digital service, you will be allocated an activation PIN.

New users at your setting(s)

All registered users for your setting(s) will receive notifications of any new users joining your setting(s) in the digital service. These notifications will contain the following personal information:

• usernames
• user email addresses

Gov.Notify

Gov.notify is used by the Welsh Government to send emails, text messages and letters to you. We collect the following information: 

• your name
• your email address
• your mobile phone number
• the IP address you use to access GOV.UK Notify

Evaluation of the Childcare Offer for Wales

The Childcare Offer for Wales programme is periodically evaluated to assess the performance of the programme and help Welsh Ministers make decisions relating to the development of the policy. If you are invited to take part in research activities related to the Childcare Offer for Wales you will be issued a separate privacy notice outlining how information generated by the research will be collected, held and used. Taking part in research is voluntary and you will not be identified in any reports.

Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL)

Your data is linked anonymously to other data sources as part of the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) databank for non‑commercial research purposes only, unless you ask for this linkage to not take place. 

The SAIL Databank is a databank of anonymised data about the population of Wales, which is internationally recognised for the robust, secure storage and use of anonymised person-based data for research to improve health, well-being and services. Respondents can opt out of having their answers linked. Further information can be found in the Linking and matching data: privacy notice.

Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) also have access to a part of your personal data for a period of three months, until the data linking with Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) is complete.

The lawful basis for processing information in this data collection exercise is our public task; that is, exercising our official authority to undertake the core role and functions of the Welsh Government. This enables the operation of the Childcare Offer for Wales and provides information which will help Welsh Ministers to make decisions relating to the development of the policy, which is being delivered to improve economic and social well-being in Wales in accordance with section 60 of the Government of Wales Act 2006[1].

The data will be used by the Welsh Government and local authorities: 

• to enable parents to select their chosen childcare setting on the digital platform and create an agreement for childcare hours under the Childcare Offer for Wales
• to make payments to you for the childcare hours claimed under the Childcare Offer for Wales
• to provide data and reports to assist the Welsh Government and local authorities in the promotion and delivery of the Offer and to monitor its use
• for programme evaluation and research purposes

We may also share some data you provide with contractors or suppliers providing digital support services on behalf of the Welsh Government for the purpose of verifying your identity and resolving IT issues in relation to accessing the Childcare Offer for Wales digital service.

[1] The Government of Wales Act 2006 (c. 32). 

Under GDPR, we have a legal duty to protect any personal information we collect from you. We use leading technologies and encryption software to safeguard your data and keep strict security standards to prevent any unauthorised access to it. 

Only you and authorised persons working in local authorities, Welsh Government officials (or our suppliers and appointed contractors) will have access to your data.

All data gathered will be reported in an anonymised format when used in statistical or research reports. No reports will contain your contact details or any information that could be used to identify individuals. Aggregate data will also be placed on the Statistics and Research website.

When the Welsh Government commissions an evaluation of the Childcare Offer for Wales, this work will be carried out by an accredited third party (e.g. a research organisation or a consultancy company). Any such work will only be undertaken under contract. The Welsh Government’s standard terms and conditions for such contracts set out strict requirements for the processing and safekeeping of personal data.

The personal data we collect on you will be kept in accordance with part 17 of the Welsh Government’s retention and disposal schedule. The maximum amount of time we will keep your personal data on the digital platform is 7 years and 3 months.

The personal data we hold about the users and settings can be accessed by the following:

• all setting users can see their own and other setting user information
• local authorities responsible for approving your setting registration and Childcare Offer for Wales applications
• limited designated Welsh Government staff
• supplier / contractor staff specifically appointed to provide digital support on behalf of the Welsh Government

The PIN can be accessed by:

• by all setting users

Fraud investigation

The information you provide, or we collect from publicly available sources, may be shared with fraud prevention agencies if we suspect or detect fraud. The Privacy notice for Welsh Government grants provides further information.

Childcare Offer for Wales National Helpline

Our national helpline tel: 03000 628 628 stores the telephone number of anyone who contacts the helpline and retain the number for one year.  It also stores the name of the person who dealt the query.

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to the personal information you provide as part of the Childcare Offer for Wales:

• to access a copy of your own data
• to ask us to rectify inaccuracies in that data
• to object to or restrict processing (in certain circumstances)
• for your data to be ‘erased’ (in certain circumstances); and
• to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who is our independent regulator for data protection.

If you have any further questions about how your data will be used by the Welsh Government or wish to exercise your rights using the General Data Protection Regulation, please contact:

Childcare Offer Team
Welsh Government

Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
Email: Childcareoffer@gov.wales 

The Welsh Government’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted at:

Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ

Email: DataProtectionOfficer@gov.wales. 

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Website