Terms and Conditions of Use and Your Data

By registering with this website, you agree to these terms and conditions ("Terms").  Please read the Terms carefully as they set out your rights and obligation.  They also provide information on how you can submit material (“Content”) and how this will be used.

If we discover or have any reason to suspect you have breached the terms, we reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account immediately and record without notice.

1. Your password, username, PIN, security and requests

When you register, you will be asked to select a username and password you can then use to access your account (“Account”) and log on to and/or participate in secure areas of the website.  You accept it is your sole responsibility to maintain the confidentiality of your password and you are responsible for all activity that occurs under this. You should make sure you are the only person using your password and you agree to notify us of any unauthorised use of your password and any other breach of security as soon as you become aware of it.

Further information may be requested by our service when we need to verify an account request to access a service record. If an account request to access a service record is suspect the Account will be suspended pending further investigation and could be deleted if there is concern the request could be of a malicious nature.

2. Your content and information

Regardless whether a user/ provider registers for an account you agree and confirm that:

A. All Content submitted by you (however the method) is accurate, true and up to date and, if your Content contains opinions, these are your own and genuinely and truly held by you;

B: All Content submitted by you may be used on this website in any way required.  Content may be rejected, edited, moderated, removed or deleted at our absolute discretion.

C. All Content is original to you and you are fully entitled (and have all necessary consents) to submit the Content (you must also have the consent of anyone featured in the Content to provide this to us) and you are happy for this to be used as set out in the Terms;

D. Nothing in the Content will infringe the copyright or any other right of any person, breach any contract or duty of confidence, be defamatory, obscene, offensive, indecent, harassing, threatening, breach anyone’s privacy or may constitute a contempt of court or be calculated to bring any person or organisation into disrepute;

E. Information on childcare provision that is supplied to us by the "User" (you), Ofsted (via their secure feed) or a childminder agency, is stored on a secure and licensed data management information system. 

The statutory duties are outlined in the Childcare Act and Children's Act, Early Education & Childcare Statutory Guidance and Early Years Foundation Stage all which are accessible at www.gov.uk  

F. Staffordshire County Council will use public and private contact information supplied to us by Ofsted, a childminder agency or the "User" to update childcare providers on changes to policy, legislation, quality and business support as part of the local authority's duty to provide information, advice and guidance. Information will be shared about training opportunities or events that are both funded and traded and applicable to the early years sector as per the Childcare Act 2006 -13(5). Childcare providers are under no obligation to access training supplied by Staffordshire County Council and can source approved training through other organisations.

Communication will be via online systems, email, websites, postal, social media or from Entrust who could provide support to your setting that could be telephony, email or face to face.

Childminders only: Name, address and contact information will also be supplied to local Environmental Health Services on behalf of childminders via a secure transfer method. This is to comply with government policy of "cutting the red tape" and will aid with administration with regarding to food, health and hygiene standards.

G. Information other than that prescribed above, could be shared with partner agencies such as the police, social services, other local authorities and councils, Ofsted, Department for Education, Health Services (NHS / MPFT) and Entrust that will enable those agencies  to perform its duties in line with legislation and guidance to ensure the safeguarding / welfare requirements of children.

H. Contact information provided by the "User" or Ofsted will be used to contact early years settings for the purpose of service improvement and feedback, that could help shape the services the council and support partners provide within its Statutory Duties and for requirements to consult with the sector.

I. As per service level agreement with Ofsted, Staffordshire County Council will advertise childcare providers on our website: Staffordshire Connects and the licensed national website: https://www.familyandchildcaretrust.org/ only supplying information from Ofsted or the agency that is public domain. The full address for childminders is not supplied as addresses are residential. Providers can opt out of their childcare record being visible on any website at any time, see section 4.

3. Your personal data

Personal information you are asked to supply on your registration form ("Your Personal  Data"), will be used as follows: (i) to administer your registration and Account; (ii) in making decisions about whether Content you submit should be accepted rejected or used.  Your Personal Data will be kept private and confidential and will not be passed on to third parties outside of those already stipulated, without your express consent and will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

**Childcare providers should be aware the local authority cannot remove nor amend some information which appears on Staffordshire Connects as it is supplied by the regulator (Ofsted). This includes the name of the setting or childminder name, address contact telephone and email. Childcare providers should contact Ofsted to advise and update. 

4. Other and termination and opting out

If you become aware of any misuse of the Content or wish to complain about any Content on this website or believe any of your rights have been violated, you can notify us via the website contact details.

You may terminate your Account at any time, for any reason, by following the instructions within your account pages. Even after your Account is terminated (for whatever reason) the Terms will remain in full force and effect. Your Content/ childcare record (public information only) can remain on the website which is in the public domain this is unless the provision/ service is closed or no longer operates.  

An Account user can also request the record is removed from public visibility on the website. It is also the sole responsibility of the Account user to inform our team/ service that a record is no longer operating/ closed.

Childcare providers can opt out of advertising their service on websites and continue to receive information and support that is related to early years. The provider can also opt out at any point from being contacted by Staffordshire County Council by informing us at: eeac@staffordshire.gov.uk

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your Account to access to any part of the website at any time if you breach the Terms or for technical reasons.

The Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England. Any disputes arising from this website or Terms will be decided only by the English courts.

Service user disclaimer

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided on Staffordshire Connects, we do not accept any responsibility or liability for any errors that have occurred. It is recommended that you always check with providers that their service or organisation meets your requirements. We offer an impartial service and we cannot recommend or endorse any providers listed.

 

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