Early years entitlements eligibility privacy notice

Who do you keep information about?

We keep information about families who may have a 2, 3 or 4 year old child who may have carried out an eligibility check for a funded childcare place or for Early Years Pupil Premium.

Why do you keep information about me?

Darlington Borough Council operates an eligibility checking system (as required by the DfE). This ‘links in’ to the Department for Education’s checking system for 2 year olds and Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) for 3 and 4 year olds. It also links to the HMRC checking system for 30 Hours Childcare for 3 and 4 year olds.

Parents can check online on the Darlington Borough Council web pages to see;

if their child is eligible for a free childcare place for a 2 year old
whether their childcare provider or school can claim EYPP on behalf of their child

Local childcare providers and schools can confirm a child’s 30 Hours Childcare unique eligibility code.

Before the checks can be carried out the parent/carer must complete a form requesting some personal details including;

parent/carer’s name
their date of birth
their National Insurance Number
National Asylum Support Service Number

Online checks cannot be carried out without this information.

This data is also used to run regular 30 Hours Childcare audits (as required by the DfE) for the purpose of;

the local authority can identify which children may no longer be eligible for 30 Hours Childcare funding.
to check funding is being claimed by the correct local authority (in the case where children attend provision outside the local authority area they live).

The information is shared with the school or childcare provider(s) which the child is attending. It is also shared with relevant departments within the Council.

The information may also be shared with other local authorities, where cross border provision applies.

The Council is relying on the following GDPR conditions to process our personal data:

Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation
Processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest on the basis of domestic law which is proportionate to the aim pursued and which contains appropriate safeguards.

The authority to process the data is from:

Section 7 (1) Child Care Act 2006
Section 1 (1) Child Care Act 2016
Early Education and Childcare Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities June 2023
Education Act 2011 (section 1)
Childcare (Early Years Provision Free of Charge) (Extended Entitlement) Regulations 2016 (regulation 33)
Early Years Entitlements Operational Guidance June 2018

Who can see my information?

Information submitted on to the eligibility checker systems can be viewed by Darlington Families’ Information Service and other appropriate Council staff, HMRC and the relevant childcare providers may also have access to this information.

How do you store the information you keep about me?

The information is stored securely on the Council’s network.

How long do you keep information about me?

This eligibility information is destroyed securely after 7 years.

Is my information used to make an automated decision about me and/or for profiling purposes?

Information submitted on to the on-line checkers is used to assess eligibility for a funded childcare place. You do have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing.

You can ask for any automated decision made about you to be reviewed by an individual. In order to do this please contact Darlington Families Information Service.

What sort of information do you keep?

We may use the following information about you to make sure that we provide you with the right service, advice or support. We will only use the minimum amount of information necessary to do so and will take every reasonable step to ensure the information is accurate.

The categories of data you process have already been identified in your service’s Information Asset Register.

Personal data

Name
National Insurance Number
D.O.B.
Location data

Special categories of personal data

National Asylum Support Service Number.