1. Who we are and how to contact us
Hopeful Hearts Community Group-Leeds (the Group) is a migrant-led community group in Leeds supporting women, children and families navigating asylum, migration and resettlement. We provide friendship, learning, creative wellbeing and practical support, including through our maternity stream.
For data protection purposes, the person responsible for deciding how and why personal information is used (the data controller) is: Akhona Ndudane, 907 Saxton Heights, 3 Saxton Lane, LS9 8GQ.
You can contact us about your personal information:
- Email: Hopefulheartscommunitygroup.uk@gmail.com
- Phone: 07518 279913
Please ask for the person responsible for privacy or data protection.
2. Our approach to privacy
We understand that people may feel anxious about sharing personal information, particularly information about health, pregnancy, family or immigration circumstances. We aim to treat everyone with dignity and handle information carefully.
We will explain why we need information, collect only what is reasonably needed, keep it secure and share it only where appropriate. You can ask us questions before providing information.
We do not routinely ask for immigration status. If we ask for it in a particular situation, we will explain why. We do not routinely share immigration information with immigration authorities. We may disclose information where you ask us to, where the law requires or permits it, or where a disclosure is necessary to protect someone from serious harm or address a safeguarding concern.
3. Information we may collect
Depending on how you take part in the Group, we may collect:
- Contact and identity details, such as your name, phone number, email address and preferred way to contact you.
- Event and participation information, such as attendance, access or support needs, and information needed to organise activities.
- Health and safety information, such as allergies, relevant medical conditions, medication or emergency contact details provided on event forms. In the maternity stream, this may include information about pregnancy or postnatal wellbeing where you choose to share it and it is relevant to the support or activity.
- Information about children, such as a child’s name, age, relevant health or allergy information, and details of a parent or guardian.
- Volunteer information, such as contact details, role and availability, expenses, training, and information needed to manage safety and safeguarding.
- Photo and video consent records, including whether you or a parent or guardian has agreed to particular uses of images.
- Information you choose to give us, for example when you contact us or ask for support. Please avoid sharing more personal information than is needed.
We do not intend to collect immigration status unless it is necessary for a specific purpose and we have explained that purpose. Please tell us if you do not understand why particular information is being requested.
4. Why we use information and our lawful bases
We use personal information only where we have a lawful basis under UK data protection law. Depending on the situation, this may include:
- Responding to enquiries and organising activities, events and community support — our legitimate interests in running the Group and providing its activities, where those interests do not override your rights; or steps you ask us to take.
- Managing volunteers, communicating about roles and reimbursing approved expenses — our legitimate interests in organising the Group’s activities; or steps needed to manage an agreed volunteering arrangement.
- Keeping event, attendance, safety and safeguarding records — our legitimate interests, compliance with a legal obligation where one applies, or protection of someone’s vital interests in an emergency.
- Using health or other special category information you choose to provide — usually your explicit consent, together with an applicable UK GDPR special category condition; in limited circumstances, another condition may apply under data protection law.
- Taking or using identifiable photographs or videos — your consent, or the consent of a parent or guardian for a child, for the specific uses selected.
- Responding to legal claims or complying with a legal requirement — the relevant legal basis, where it applies.
Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal does not make earlier use unlawful, but may mean we cannot continue an activity or provide a particular form of support if the information is necessary for it.
Some information, including health information, is classed as special category data and needs extra protection. Pregnancy-related health information is generally health data. Immigration status is not automatically special category data, but it is sensitive and we will handle it with care. Information may also reveal other special category details, such as ethnicity or religious beliefs.
We will use special category information only where we have both a lawful basis for processing and an applicable condition under UK data protection law. Where the applicable condition is consent, we will ask for explicit consent. We will not treat consent to attend an event as consent to share health information or use photographs.
5. Who we may share information with
We do not sell personal information. We may share information only where appropriate and necessary, for example with:
- Emergency services or healthcare professionals, if needed to respond to an urgent health or safety situation.
- Safeguarding authorities or other appropriate agencies, where necessary to protect a child or another person, respond to a safeguarding concern, or meet a legal duty.
- People authorised to help run the Group or an activity, such as relevant volunteers, organisers or partner professionals, but only where they need the information for their role.
- Service providers who help us operate the Group or store information, where this is necessary and suitable privacy and security arrangements are in place.
- Public authorities or other parties, where disclosure is required or permitted by law, or necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
When sharing sensitive information, we will share only what is reasonably necessary for the purpose. We will not routinely share your information with immigration authorities. If a specific legal requirement or serious safeguarding situation means disclosure may be needed, we will consider the law and the circumstances carefully.
6. Photographs and videos
We may take photographs or videos at events, but participation does not mean you agree to be photographed or recorded. We will ask for consent separately and explain the choices available. For a child, we will seek consent from a parent or legal guardian and take the child’s wishes into account in an age-appropriate way.
You may leave any photo consent options unticked or withdraw consent later. We will stop future use and, where reasonably practicable, remove images from channels we control. We cannot guarantee removal of copies, screenshots or shares made by other people, or content held by third-party platforms.
7. How long we keep information
We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably needed for the purpose for which it was collected, including any relevant safeguarding, legal, accounting or insurance requirements. When information is no longer needed, we will securely delete it or anonymise it. We will not keep information indefinitely without a reason.
8. How we protect information
We use appropriate practical measures to protect information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access or disclosure. These may include limiting access to people who need the information, securing paper records, using passwords and asking volunteers not to store participant information on personal devices or accounts unless authorised.
No method of storage or transmission is completely secure. If information is lost, accessed or shared in error, we will take appropriate steps to contain and respond to the incident. Please do not submit sensitive personal information through the website unless we have clearly provided a secure way to do so.
9. Your data protection rights
Depending on the circumstances and the applicable law, you may have the right to:
- ask for a copy of personal information we hold about you;
- ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete;
- ask us to erase information, restrict its use, or object to certain processing;
- receive certain information in a portable format;
- withdraw consent where we rely on consent; and
- complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions. To make a request, contact us using the details in section 1. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within the time required by law.
You can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113. We would welcome the chance to address your concerns first, but you can contact the ICO at any time.
10. Children and information about other people
Where we collect information about a child, we will seek it from a parent or legal guardian where appropriate and explain how it will be used. We will handle children’s information with particular care and only use it where needed for the relevant activity, safety or safeguarding purpose.
Please do not give us personal information about another person unless you are authorised to do so or it is necessary to protect someone or respond to an emergency.
11. Automated decisions
We do not make decisions about you using solely automated processing, and we do not use profiling to make decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.
12. Changes to this notice
We may update this notice if our activities or the way we use personal information changes. We will publish the current version on this page or provide it in another suitable way. Please check the date at the top of the notice. A printable copy is also available to download as a PDF.