Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

The Civil App ("we", "us", "our") is a provider of child contact and family support services operating in England. We are registered as a data controller with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). Our registered address and ICO registration number are available on request.

2. Information we collect

We collect personal information when you:

• Create an account or register on our platform
• Make or request a booking
• Submit a referral
• Contact us via the contact form, email, or phone
• Use our services as a child, parent, or family member

The information we collect may include: name, email address, phone number, postal address, date of birth (where required for safeguarding purposes), relationship to the child, details of court orders, and information about the services received.

We also collect standard technical data including IP addresses, browser type, and pages visited, which is used for security and platform improvement purposes.

3. How we use your information

We use personal information to:

• Provide, manage, and deliver the services you have requested or been referred for
• Produce reports and documentation for legal or court purposes
• Fulfil our safeguarding obligations
• Process payments and maintain billing records
• Communicate with you about bookings, services, and account matters
• Comply with legal and regulatory obligations
• Improve the safety and quality of our services

4. Legal basis for processing

We process personal data on the following legal bases under UK GDPR:

• Contract: to fulfil a booking or service agreement
• Legal obligation: to comply with court orders, safeguarding duties, and statutory requirements
• Legitimate interests: for security, fraud prevention, and platform improvement
• Vital interests: where disclosure is necessary to protect a child's life or safety
• Consent: where we have asked for and received your explicit consent (e.g. marketing communications)

5. Who we share your information with

We may share your information with:

• The child and adolescent officer assigned to your booking
• The referring organisation (solicitor firm, local authority, or social care team) to the extent agreed at referral
• Courts, CAFCASS, or statutory bodies where required by law or court order
• Our technology and hosting providers who process data on our behalf under a data processing agreement
• Stripe, our payment processor (payment card data is handled entirely by Stripe and not stored by us)

We do not sell personal data. We do not share data with third parties for marketing purposes.

6. How long we keep your information

We retain personal data for as long as necessary to deliver our services and to meet our legal obligations. Session records and reports are retained for a minimum of seven years given their potential relevance to ongoing or future legal proceedings. Account data is retained until you close your account or request deletion, subject to any legal retention requirements.

7. Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erasure ("the right to be forgotten"), subject to legal retention obligations
• Restriction of processing in certain circumstances
• Data portability — receiving your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us. We will respond within one calendar month.

8. Cookies

We use only essential cookies required for the platform to function (session management and security). We do not use advertising or tracking cookies.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page reflects when it was last revised. Continued use of our services after a material change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Complaints

If you have a concern about how we handle your data, please contact us in the first instance. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.