Last updated: 6 Oct 2025
Oxfordshire Care Ltd (Watlington House) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains who we are, what personal data we collect, how we use your data, the legal bases for processing, how we share data, retention practices, your rights, and how to contact us.
Who we are
Data controller:
Oxfordshire Care Ltd
Watlington House, 66 Watlington Road, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 6SR
We act as the data controller for personal data collected through our website, during referrals, placements, and service delivery.
What personal data we collect
We may collect and process different kinds of personal data depending on the context:
Identity & contact data
Name, date of birth, gender, address, telephone number, email, relationship to a young person (guardian, social worker, etc.)
Sensitive / special category data
Health, medical or psychological information; ethnicity; religion or belief; safeguarding details, legal or court orders; education or behavioural records
Service & placement data
Needs assessments, care plans, reviews, placement history, daily logs, incident reports, progress notes
Technical / website data
IP address, browser type, device information, cookies, analytics data
How we collect personal data
We obtain data from:
- You or your legal representatives via forms, referrals, interviews
- Social workers, placing authorities, schools, health professionals
- Other agencies (e.g. courts, police) in cases necessary for safeguarding
- Our internal systems, reports, logs during service delivery
- Website tracking and analytics tools
How we use personal data
We use personal data for various purposes:
- To provide residential care, therapeutic support, and services
- To assess referrals, suitability, and placement matching
- To manage daily operations of the home
- To safeguard and respond to incidents or concerns
- To monitor progress, create reports, and review outcomes
- For staff training, supervision, and quality oversight
- To comply with regulatory or legal obligations (Ofsted, safeguarding audits)
- To communicate via email, phone, or written correspondence
- To analyze and improve our services
- For website analytics and site improvement
Legal bases for processing
Our lawful grounds for processing personal data include:
- Consent — for non-essential processing where you agree
- Contract performance — for placement or service agreements
- Legal obligation — required by safeguarding, regulation, audits
- Vital interests — to protect life or health in emergencies
- Public task / legitimate interests — for operating a care service, evaluating quality, ensuring safe practice
For sensitive data (special categories), we rely on additional lawful bases such as explicit consent, vital interests, or legal obligations.
Sharing and disclosure
We may share personal data with:
- Local authorities and placing agencies
- Social services
- Health and education professionals
- Courts, police, safeguarding bodies
- Regulatory authorities (Ofsted, inspections)
- External processors (IT, audit, record management) under contracts that guarantee data protection
- Legal or professional advisors
We do not sell or rent personal data for commercial marketing.
International transfers
If data is transferred outside the UK (e.g. cloud services or partners in other countries), we use safeguards such as standard contractual clauses, adequacy decisions, or encryption to protect your data in compliance with laws.
Data retention
We keep data only as long as needed for its purpose or required by law:
- Placement, care, and safeguarding records may be retained for many years after a young person leaves (e.g. decades)
- Incident, review, and safeguarding documents are kept per statutory requirements
- Technical and analytics data for a fixed period (e.g. a few years)
- Administrative and contact records while relevant, and afterwards for compliance purposes
When data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it.
Your rights
You have the right to:
- Access personal data we hold about you
- Correct (rectify) any inaccuracies
- Request erasure (delete) in certain circumstances
- Restrict or limit processing
- Request portability (receive a copy)
- Object to processing
- Withdraw consent where used
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
To use these rights, contact us and we will respond within the legally required timeframe (usually one month).
Automated decision-making and profiling
We do not engage in automated decision-making or profiling that results in legal or significant effects on individuals.
Security of data
We maintain technical and organizational safeguards, such as:
- Secure servers, encryption, restricted access
- Staff training, background checks, confidentiality agreements
- Regular audits, monitoring, access controls
- Incident response procedures
Children and extra protections
Working with children requires extra care. We follow principles like:
- Children’s Code / Age Appropriate Design standards (for under-18 online interactions)
- Limiting data collection to what is necessary
- Ensuring consent or lawful basis is valid, often involving parental/guardian involvement
- Prioritising children’s best interests in all data practices
Policy updates
We may update this policy periodically. When we do, we will post the new version on the website with a “Last updated” date. For major changes, we may notify you directly.
Contact details
If you have questions, wish to access your data, or want to express concerns:
Data Protection Officer / Privacy Lead
Oxfordshire Care Ltd
Watlington House, 66 Watlington Road, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 6SR
Email: [INSERT EMAIL]
Phone: [INSERT PHONE]
You have the right to lodge a complaint with the ICO: www.ico.org.uk