Privacy Policy

The Young Lives Foundation (YLF) is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect your personal information when you use our website, contact us, access our services, volunteer with us, donate to us, apply for employment, or otherwise engage with us.

We are committed to handling personal information fairly, lawfully and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable data protection legislation.

Who We Are

The Young Lives Foundation is a registered charity supporting children, young people and families.

Address: The Young Lives Foundation, 71 College Road, Maidstone, Kent ME15 6SX
Telephone: 01622 683459
Email: enquiries@ylf.org.uk

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we use your personal information, please contact us using the details above.

1. Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with us.

Website Visitors

We may collect:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Telephone number
  • Postal address
  • Information submitted through contact forms
  • Newsletter subscription preferences
  • Feedback and survey responses
  • Website usage information

Service Users

Where you access our services or are referred to us, we may collect:

  • Name
  • Date of birth
  • Gender
  • Contact details
  • Educational information
  • Family and support information
  • Information relating to support needs
  • Referral information
  • Case notes and assessments

Volunteers and Applicants

We may collect:

  • Contact details
  • Employment and education history
  • References
  • Training records
  • Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) information where required
  • Emergency contact details

Donors and Supporters

We may collect:

  • Contact details
  • Donation history
  • Gift Aid information
  • Communication preferences

2. Special Category Information

Some of our services involve supporting children, young people and vulnerable individuals. In these circumstances, we may process information relating to:

  • Physical health
  • Mental health
  • Disabilities
  • Ethnic background
  • Religious beliefs
  • Safeguarding concerns
  • Criminal offence information where relevant and lawful

We only collect this information when necessary to deliver our services, safeguard individuals, meet legal obligations or protect vital interests. We apply additional safeguards when processing this information and restrict access to authorised staff and volunteers who require it for their role.

3. How We Collect Information

We may collect information:

  • Directly from you
  • Through our website forms
  • Through referrals
  • Through applications for employment or volunteering
  • Through donations and fundraising activities
  • Through correspondence by telephone, email, social media or post
  • From partner organisations where appropriate and lawful
  • Through website analytics and cookies

4. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information to:

  • Deliver our services and Ramadan
  • Respond to enquiries and referrals
  • Safeguard children, young people and vulnerable adults
  • Manage volunteering opportunities
  • Process employment applications
  • Administer donations and fundraising activities
  • Provide training and events
  • Improve our services
  • Meet legal and regulatory obligations
  • Maintain appropriate records
  • Communicate with supporters who have agreed to receive information from us

We will only use your personal information where we have a lawful basis for doing so.

5. Our Lawful Bases for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Consent
Where you have given us clear permission to use your information, for example subscribing to marketing communications.

Contract
Where processing is necessary to fulfil an agreement with you or to take steps before entering into an agreement.

Legal Obligation
Where we are required to process information to comply with legal requirements.

Legitimate Interests
Where processing is necessary for our legitimate charitable purposes and those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.

Vital Interests
Where processing is necessary to protect someone from serious harm.

6. Safeguarding

Protecting children and vulnerable individuals is central to our work. In certain circumstances, we may need to share information without consent where there is a safeguarding concern or where we believe an individual is at risk of harm. Any such disclosure will only be made where it is lawful, necessary and proportionate.

Information may be shared with:

  • Local authority safeguarding teams
  • Schools and educational providers
  • Health professionals
  • Police and law enforcement agencies
  • Other organisations involved in safeguarding and support

7. Sharing Information

We may share information with:

  • Partner organisations delivering services with us
  • Funders and commissioners where appropriate
  • Professional advisers
  • Technology and service providers
  • Payment processing providers
  • Regulatory authorities
  • Law enforcement agencies where required

We only share information where there is a lawful reason to do so and appropriate safeguards are in place. We never sell personal information to third parties.

8. International Transfers

Some of our service providers may process information outside the United Kingdom. Where this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including:

  • UK adequacy regulations;
  • International Data Transfer Agreements (IDTAs);
  • Standard contractual clauses; or
  • Other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised under UK data protection law.

9. Marketing Communications

We may send you information about our services, fundraising activities, events, volunteering opportunities and campaigns where you have requested this information or where we are permitted to do so by law.

You can withdraw your consent or change your communication preferences at any time by:

  • Clicking the unsubscribe link in our emails; or
  • Contacting us directly.

10. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to help it function effectively and to improve user experience.

Cookies may be used to:

  • Remember your preferences;
  • Monitor website performance;
  • Understand how visitors use our website;
  • Improve our content and services.

We use analytics services, including Google Analytics, to collect anonymised information about website usage.

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings and, where applicable, through our website cookie consent tools.

Further information about cookies can be found at http://www.aboutcookies.org.

11. How We Protect Information

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, disclosure or destruction.

These measures include:

  • Secure systems and servers;
  • Access controls;
  • Staff training;
  • Data protection procedures;
  • Encryption where appropriate.

While we take reasonable steps to protect information, no method of internet transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

12. How Long We Keep Information

We retain information only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and to meet legal, safeguarding and regulatory requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the nature of the information and service involved.

Examples may include:

  • General enquiries – up to 2 years
  • Recruitment records – up to 12 months
  • Volunteer records – up to 7 years after involvement ends
  • Service user and referral records – up to 7 years after case closure unless longer retention is required
  • Financial and Gift Aid records – 6 years

Where information is no longer required, it will be securely deleted or anonymised.

13. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

  • Access your personal information;
  • Request correction of inaccurate information;
  • Request deletion of information in certain circumstances;
  • Restrict processing in certain circumstances;
  • Object to processing in certain circumstances;
  • Request transfer of information where applicable;
  • Withdraw consent at any time where consent is relied upon;
  • Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided above.

14. Children's Information

We recognise the importance of protecting children's privacy.

Where services are provided directly to children and young people, information will be handled with particular care and in accordance with safeguarding requirements.

Where appropriate, we will seek parental or guardian involvement. However, there may be circumstances where confidentiality must be maintained or where information must be shared to protect a child from harm.

15. Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to external websites, social media platforms and services operated by third parties.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those organisations and encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

16. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please contact us in the first instance:

The Young Lives Foundation, 71 College Road, Maidstone, Kent ME15 6SX
Email: feedback@ylf.org.uk

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

Website: https://ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

17. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations or best practice.

The latest version will always be available on our website.

Last reviewed: July 2026