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Best Practice Update

Baby toys on a white background. Data Protection Education logo.  Data protection for early years in blue text

Data Protection Tips for Early Years Settings

The ICO has recently published some guidelines/tips for early years settings.  They have created five practical data protection top tips for nurseries, pre-schools, child minders and other early years settings.

Part of creating a safe learning enivronment for early years children is making sure the information you have about them is used properly, shared appropriately and kept safe.

Their five tips cover the topics we’re most commonly asked about by the early years sector, including:
  • what ‘personal data’ is;
  • how to deal with a request for personal information;
  • what to do with your CCTV footage;
  • sharing information when needed; and
  • keeping information secure.
You need to know what information you have, why you have it, how long you need to keep it for and how to keep it safe.
With any requests for data on behalf of the child, you should consider what's in the child's best interests and if you're not sure seek advice either from your DPO or the ICO.
Remember if you need to supply CCTV footage as part of a data request, you may need to redact footage of third parties.
If information relates to a safeguarding issue, you  must decide what to share in the interests of protecting children.  Review: ICO: 10 Step guide to sharing information to safeguard children.
Advice for keeping information secure includes locking filing cabinets and locking computers with passwords.  There is also a reminder to only keep information for as long as you need it so beware of the timescales for keeping different types of information. Review:  Records Management.

The full ICO guidance can be viewed here: Data Protection tips for early years settings

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