Privacy Policy

1. Who Are We

Lauryn & Littles is an au pair and family introduction service based in Hampshire, United Kingdom. For the purpose of data protection law, the person or business responsible for your personal information (the Data Controller) is:

In this notice, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Lauryn & Littles.

Age Eligibility & Child Safeguarding: Our services are intended exclusively for individuals aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from minors. Any details concerning children are collected solely from their parent or legal guardian.

Introduction Agency Scope: Lauryn & Littles acts solely as an introductory facilitator. Once an introduction is completed, any additional information exchanged directly between families and candidates outside our facilitation is shared at the parties’ own discretion and responsibility.

2. What Information We Collect

Depending on whether you are an au pair applicant or a host family, we may collect:

• Contact details: Your full name, email address, telephone number, and location.
• Placement preferences & practical details: Availability, language skills, preferences, expectations, and household requirements.
• Experience & credentials: Relevant childcare experience, qualifications, employment history, and references.
• Vetting & verification information: Details relating to identity verification, eligibility to undertake the proposed arrangement in the UK, and appropriate background checks (such as DBS checks) where applicable.
• Application communications: Information you choose to provide during applications, questionnaire submissions, interviews, and direct communication with us.
• Family childcare arrangements: Childcare needs, household routines, and placement preferences.

Where relevant to a potential placement, families may also provide limited information about their children, such as their ages, childcare routines, dietary requirements, allergies, or additional support needs. We ask families to share only information strictly necessary for the introduction process and to avoid providing unnecessary sensitive details about children.

Explicit Consent for Child Health & Allergy Notes: Where families choose to share information concerning children’s allergies, dietary needs, medical requirements, or additional support needs, they provide explicit consent for us to process this special category data solely to assess compatibility with prospective au pairs.

Website Technical Data: When you browse our website, basic technical data (such as browser type, device information, and session cookies) may be processed to maintain site performance, security, and proper form functionality.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Review and process applications from au pairs and families.
• Understand individual family needs, candidate preferences, and expectations.
• Assess suitability for potential introductions.
• Communicate with applicants and host families.
• Arrange interviews, video calls, and introductions.
• Obtain and verify references and carry out appropriate vetting checks.
• Support the introduction process and maintain relevant business records.
• Meet applicable legal, tax, safeguarding, and regulatory obligations.

4. Our Lawful Basis for Using Your Information

Under UK data protection law, we will only process personal information where we have an established lawful basis:

• Contractual Steps: Taking steps at your request prior to entering into an agreement or arranging an introduction.
• Legitimate Interests: Operating a responsible, safe introduction service, assessing candidate suitability, identifying compatible matches, and preventing misuse of our platform.
• Legal Obligation: Complying with statutory, tax, accounting, and legal requirements under UK law.
• Consent: Where consent is the appropriate basis, such as voluntary provision of specific child care routines or joining our waiting lists.

Where we process information that requires a separate lawful condition under UK GDPR Article 9 or 10, such as certain criminal-record vetting or health and allergy information, we ensure all relevant legal conditions and safeguards are strictly satisfied.

5. Who We Share Your Information With

We may share relevant personal information with:

• Prospective host families or au pairs: Where a mutual introduction is actively being considered (shared in measured stages, not indiscriminately).
• Referees: Where appropriate and with your prior permission to verify childcare background.
• Background-check and verification providers: Where applicable to confirm credentials or DBS status.
• Service and infrastructure providers: Trusted processors who help us operate our business under strict confidentiality and data protection agreements, including cloud document storage (Google Workspace), email services, and secure form processing.
• Public authorities or law enforcement: Where required or permitted by UK law, regulation, or court order.

We will aim to share only the information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose. We will never sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties.

6. How We Store and Protect Your Information

We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure.

Information is stored electronically using password-protected, encrypted accounts and reputable cloud storage services. Access is strictly restricted to people who need the information for legitimate business purposes.

Document Security Advice: Please do not send passport copies, financial information, or other sensitive personal documents unless we have specifically requested them, explained why they are needed, and provided instructions on how they will be transmitted securely.

While we apply diligent security safeguards, no method of electronic transmission or digital storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure against all potential risks.

7. How Long We Keep Your Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this notice, taking into account legal requirements, legitimate business needs, and the nature of the information:

• Unsuccessful au pair and family applications: Retained for twelve (12) months after the application closes, then securely deleted.
• Active applicants and placement records: Retained for the duration of the introduction process, any necessary follow-up, and then for two (2) years.
• Business, contractual, and financial records: Retained for the period required by applicable UK law (such as statutory HMRC accounting records) or justified by legitimate record-keeping needs.

We will securely delete or anonymise information when it is no longer needed, unless we have an ongoing lawful reason to retain it.

8. Your Data Protection Rights

Under UK data protection legislation, you have the following individual rights:

• Right of access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you (Subject Access Request).
• Right to rectification: Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right to erasure: Request deletion of your personal information (“Right to be Forgotten”), subject to legal retention obligations.
• Right to restriction: Ask us to restrict certain processing of your data.
• Right to object: Object to processing carried out on the basis of legitimate interests.
• Right to data portability: Request a transfer of certain information in a structured, commonly used digital format.
• Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw your consent at any time where processing was based on consent.

These rights are subject to statutory legal conditions and exemptions. To exercise any of your rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We respond to all verified requests in accordance with statutory timeframes (typically within one calendar month).

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) (ico.org.uk), if you believe your personal data has been handled improperly.

9. International Transfers

Some of the digital cloud services we use (such as Google Workspace) may store or process information on secure servers located outside the United Kingdom. Where personal information is transferred internationally, we ensure that appropriate safeguards required by UK data protection law (such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent legal mechanisms) are maintained.

10. Website Cookies & Tracking

Our website uses minimal, essential cookies and session technical tools to ensure proper layout display, fast load times, and modal submission functionality. We do not use third-party behavioral advertising cookies. You can manage or disable cookies at any time via your browser settings.

11. Changes to This Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time as our business practices or legal obligations evolve. The latest version will always be published on this page with the updated revision date. If we intend to use your information for a materially new purpose, we will explain this prior to commencing that processing.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions, feedback, or concerns regarding this privacy notice or how your information is handled, please contact: