Urban Heard is committed to protecting the privacy of young people and their families. We collect only what we need, keep it secure, and never sell your data.
1. Who we are
Urban Heard is a community youth project based at Crabtree Hall, 34 Crabtree Drive, Fordbridge, Birmingham B37 5BU. We can be contacted at info@urbanheard.org.uk.
2. What personal data we collect
We collect personal data in the following situations:
- Story / voice submissions — nickname or first name (if provided), written content, audio or video submissions, and the topic your submission relates to. We do not require full names or contact details to submit a story.
- Event bookings — name, age, email address, phone number, home address, school or college, and any medical conditions or allergies you tell us about.
- HAF registration interest — parent or guardian name, contact details, home address, child's name and age, school, Free School Meal status and reference code (if provided), and medical information.
- Referrals — information provided by a professional referrer about a young person, including name, age, school, and reason for referral.
- Contact form messages — name, email, phone number (optional), and the content of your message.
- Website usage data — we may collect anonymised data about how visitors use our website through standard server logs. We do not use third-party analytics trackers without your consent.
3. How we use your data
We use the data we collect to:
- Review and (with your consent) publish story submissions on our platform
- Confirm and manage event bookings and send you relevant information about the event you have booked
- Process HAF programme registrations and confirm eligibility
- Respond to referrals and support young people through our programmes
- Respond to contact form enquiries
- Meet our safeguarding and duty-of-care obligations
We do not use your data for marketing without your explicit consent, and we will never sell your data to third parties.
4. Our legal basis for processing
We process personal data on the following legal grounds under UK GDPR:
- Consent — for story submissions and newsletter communications (where applicable)
- Contract — for processing event bookings and service registrations
- Legitimate interests — for responding to enquiries and operating our programmes
- Legal obligation — for safeguarding records where required by law
5. Who we share your data with
We share personal data only where necessary:
- Our staff and volunteers — who are trained in data protection and bound by confidentiality obligations
- Email service providers — used solely to send confirmation and communication emails
- Statutory agencies — such as social services or police, only where we have a safeguarding concern or are legally required to do so
We do not share your data with advertisers, data brokers, or any third party for commercial purposes.
6. Medical and sensitive information
Medical conditions and allergies that you provide when booking an event or registering for HAF are treated as special category data under UK GDPR. We collect this information solely to ensure the safety and wellbeing of participants and it is accessible only to relevant staff involved in running the activity.
7. Children's privacy
Urban Heard works with children and young people. When collecting data about a child (under 18), we require a parent or guardian to provide consent and contact details. We apply additional care to all data relating to young people and ensure it is accessible only to authorised staff who are DBS checked.
8. How long we keep your data
- Event booking and attendance records — 3 years after the event
- HAF registration records — 3 years after the programme year
- Referral and support records — 7 years, as required for youth work records
- Story submissions — kept for the duration of the platform unless you request removal
- Contact form messages — 12 months after the enquiry is resolved
9. Your rights
Under UK GDPR you have the right to:
- Access a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate data
- Request deletion of your data (where there is no legal reason to retain it)
- Object to or restrict how we process your data
- Withdraw consent at any time (where consent is our legal basis)
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@urbanheard.org.uk.
10. Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss or misuse. Our website uses HTTPS encryption and access to personal data is limited to authorised staff only.
11. Cookies
Our website uses essential cookies required for the site to function. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies without consent. See our Cookie Policy for full details.
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the date at the top of this page. Significant changes will be communicated via our website.
13. Contact us
If you have any questions about how we handle your data, please contact us:
- Email: info@urbanheard.org.uk
- Post: Urban Heard, Crabtree Hall, 34 Crabtree Drive, Fordbridge, Birmingham B37 5BU