Online security and access
Our secure-server software encrypts all your personal information including your bank account and/or debit card number, name and address. The encryption process takes the characters you enter and converts them into code that is then securely transmitted over the Internet.
To check that you are in a secure area of our site look at the bottom right of your browser and you will see a closed padlock or an unbroken key.
If your direct debit instruction or debit card transaction is declined you’ll need to contact your bank to find out why.
In the event of unauthorised use of your debit card, most banks and card issuers either cover all the charges or limit your liability to £50. If you find your debit card has been used without your knowledge or approval, you must tell your card provider straightaway.
If you’re using a public computer or terminal, always log out and close the browser when you’ve finished.
We will never e-mail or call you to ask you to disclose or verify your debit card or bank account details. If you are contacted or receive an unsolicited e-mail which asks you for these details, ignore the email and report the incident to us.
Access to information
The information you provide to us is kept confidential to The Children’s Mutual. This means that all our employees and other data processors who may have access to and who are associated with the processing of your details are obliged to respect the confidentiality of the personal data supplied by you.
We may share the information you provide with other members of the Tunbridge Wells Equitable Group.
If you have linked to The Children’s Mutual site from that of a third party which introduces you to us or to one of our products, or from a site bearing both that third party’s and The Children’s Mutual’s brands, and you have given your consent on that site, we will share some of your information with that third party. Such information will not include your bank or debit card details.
We do not disclose or sell your personal details to any other third party without your permission, unless we are required to do so by law or regulation as described above. In addition, we have implemented security measures to ensure that the information supplied by you via our website is safeguarded from:
- unauthorised access
- improper use or disclosure
- unauthorised modification
- unlawful destruction or accidental loss
Our websites and your privacy
Like many other businesses with an online presence, we collect personal information from you through our websites. By personal information we mean details such as your name and address. You can rest assured that none of these details are sold as marketing lists. In fact, your details are only ever disclosed to anyone outside The Children’s Mutual or our administrators either with your permission, or where we are required to do so by law or regulation.
This Statement will tell you what information we collect, why we collect it and what we use it for.
Data protection
Our basic rule is that any information you give us through our website will be retained and processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 (the Act). In case you have not heard of it the Act makes sure that your personal details are collected, kept and used in a lawful and fair way.
Both we and our administrators are fully registered under the Act for all purposes relating to our business. We ensure that at all times your personal data is processed in accordance with the Act. This means, for example, that if you tell us your details are inaccurate, we will ensure they are corrected, and that we will use those details only for the limited purpose of providing information and services to you.
In particular, we recognise your right to ask us to tell you what information we might hold about you.
You can find out more about the Act and your rights by visiting the Information Commissioner’s website at http://www.ico.gov.uk/.
How we collect personal details from you
We are not able to identify who you are just because you visit The Children’s Mutual website. The domain name from which you access the internet, the date and time you access the website and the internet address of the website from which you may have linked to one of our sites will not allow us to identify who you are.
In certain parts of our website, you have the option to contact us by phone or email, or to provide us with certain details. This is how we collect your personal details. We also, along with most other major websites, use cookies. Cookies are software that allow a website user’s details to be identified and used, mainly to personalise a subsequent visit.
We use two types of cookies on our website:
- Session cookies, which are temporary cookies that remain in the cookie file of your computer until you close your browser at which point they are deleted. These enable the website you are visiting to keep track of your movement from page to page so you don’t get asked for the same information you’ve already given to the site; and
- Persistent or stored cookies that remain on the cookie file of your computer.
Cookies cannot look into your computer and obtain information about you or your family or read any material kept on your hard drive. Additionally they cannot be used by anyone else who has access to the computer to find out anything about you, other than the fact that someone using the computer has visited a certain website. Passwords are not stored in cookies.
Cookies are used to record details of pages relating to particular products and services that you have visited on our websites. This is to provide us with non-identifiable usage statistics to allow us to improve our websites and to provide you with information about products and services that interest you. So, by using this site you are consenting to cookies being stored on your computer.
Please note that although the web browsers of most computers are initially set up to accept cookies, you can alter them to block or erase cookies or to inform you when a website is attempting to add a cookie. However, certain parts of our Site are reliant on the use of cookies to operate correctly and may therefore not work correctly if you set your browser not to accept cookies.
The law around the way cookies are used is changing. This means firms like us need to take extra steps to help our customers understand exactly what cookies we use and why. So, we’ve included the document below which outlines how our website currently uses cookies.
If you would like more information on how to disable and delete cookies, your browser’s help screen or manual should tell you how, or alternatively, please visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies.
Your children’s details
You can also rest assured that The Children’s Mutual will treat the details of your children in exactly the same way as your own.
Why we collect these details
We ask you to provide your personal details to us either to enable us to send you information about our products and services or to respond to a specific enquiry you may have. For example, if you send us an email requesting information about The Children’s Mutual we will use your email address and other relevant information you supply to respond to your enquiry.
If we intend to use your personal details to tell you about our other products and services, we will ask you whether you want to receive this information. Should you wish to, we will continue to use your details for this purpose and each time we contact you, we will give you the opportunity to tell us not to contact you further.
Your information will also be used to process any application submitted by you if you decide to purchase one of our products online, and to administer the resulting product once it has been set up.
We use your, and if relevant your child’s, personal details for these purposes only.
Linking to third party sites
We cannot be responsible for the privacy policies and practices of other sites even if you access them using links from our Site and recommend that you check the policy of each site you visit and contact its owner or proprietor if you have any concerns or questions.
In addition, if you linked to this Site from a third party site, we cannot be responsible for the privacy policies and practices of the owners or operators of that third party site and recommend that you check the policy of that third party site and again contact its owner or operator if you have any concerns or questions.
Access to personal details
You can ask us by writing to us at the address below whether we are keeping any personal details about you. We will comply with all the requirements of the Act and other legislation in relation to disclosure of this information.
In particular, you should be aware that in order to provide you with a copy of the personal data we keep about you, we would require proof of your identity. We also reserve the right to make a small charge based on the charges then currently prescribed by the relevant legislation.
To find out if we are keeping any personal details about you, please write to us at:
The Children’s Mutual
PO Box 1139
Cheltenham
GL50 9QU
Your views
If you have an enquiry or concern about our privacy policy, please contact:
The Data Protection Manager
The Children’s Mutual
Brockbourne House
77 Mount Ephraim
Tunbridge Wells
Kent
TN4 8GN