Privacy and Cookie Policy

This policy covers the treatment of personally identifiable information that Cafcass collects when you are on the www.cafcass.gov.uk website and its sub websites, including Planning Together for Children.

You can visit our website and use many of the services without telling us who you are or giving us any personally identifiable information.

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer by websites that you visit. They are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently,  and sometimes are used to provide information to the owners of the website.

Cafcass uses cookies for the smooth running of our website but these cookies do not use the information collected to match to your individual identity. Visitors to our website cannot be identified from these cookies and these cookies cannot be turned off because they are used to ensure our website functions properly.

We may collect IP address information (in web server logs) to identify malicious website traffic. This information may be shared with law enforcement in the event of website denial of service or defacement.

Cafcass also uses Google Analytics Cookies. These cookies are used to collect information about how visitors use our website. We use the information to compile statistics and to help us improve the website. The cookies collect information in an anonymous form, including the number of visitors to the website, where visitors have come to the website from and the pages they visited. As the information collected is anonymised, you cannot be identified from the data.

Read Google’s overview of privacy and safeguarding data. To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites visit http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

It is only when you complete a form that requests personal information or email Cafcass that you can be identified. When completing forms you may be asked for a variety of personal information such as name, address, postcode etc.

Cafcass may use the information:

• to fulfil your request for information or services
• as input to improving our site
• to inform you about improvements to our site

Cafcass will not sell or rent your personally identifiable information to anyone. We may disclose your information to governmental agencies, regulators, and other third parties if we determine that such disclosure is reasonably necessary to (a) comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process, or appropriate governmental request; (b) protect any person from death or serious bodily injury; (c) prevent fraud or harm. 

In the event of a data breach concerning your personal information on our website, we will report the information available to us to the Information Commissioner’s Office within 72 hours, where applicable.

We have robust breach detection, investigation and internal reporting procedures in place and any breaches will be handled in line with our Information Assurance Policy.

When using the Cafcass site Planning Together for Children, only essential cookies are set.

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding this statement get in touch using our website form.

Information on how Cafcass collects and uses information from service users can be found in our Privacy Notice.