This Privacy Policy explains how Society for Community Development collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data — and your rights in relation to the information we hold about you.
Plain language summary: SCD collects personal information only for the purposes of delivering our services, managing our staff and volunteers, responding to enquiries, and complying with our legal obligations. We do not sell personal data. We do not use it for advertising. We store it securely, share it only when necessary, and delete it when it is no longer needed. This policy explains the detail behind those commitments.
Society for Community Development (SCD) is a non-governmental organisation registered in Nigeria, with offices across eleven states and the Federal Capital Territory. SCD is the data controller for all personal data processed in connection with its charitable activities, employment functions, and website operations.
SCD's registered contact address is FCT Abuja, Nigeria. You can contact SCD at any time by email at info@scdng.org or by phone on +234 706 838 3770.
This Privacy Policy applies to all personal data collected by SCD in connection with:
SCD collects different categories of personal data depending on your relationship with our organisation. The following table summarises the main categories of data we collect, and from whom.
| Category of Data Subject | Types of Personal Data Collected |
|---|---|
| Young people and families | Name, date of birth, address, contact details, family information, educational records, health and wellbeing information, case notes, safeguarding records, support plan information |
| Referrers and professionals | Name, job title, organisation, contact details, details of referral |
| Staff and volunteers | Name, address, contact details, date of birth, employment history, qualifications, references, background check results, bank details (staff), supervision and performance records, disciplinary and grievance records |
| Job applicants | Name, contact details, CV, covering letter, qualifications, employment history, references, equality monitoring data (optional) |
| Website visitors and enquirers | Name, email address, phone number, organisation, content of enquiry, IP address (log data) |
| Partners and stakeholders | Name, job title, organisation, contact details, records of partnership activity |
Some of the personal data SCD processes is classified as special category data — information that is considered particularly sensitive and therefore receives enhanced protection. In the context of SCD's work, this may include health information, information about a young person's ethnicity, religion, or family circumstances, and information processed in connection with safeguarding concerns. SCD processes special category data only where there is a lawful basis to do so and in accordance with our confidentiality obligations.
SCD uses personal data for the following purposes:
To assess referrals, develop and implement individual support plans, deliver our programmes and services, monitor young people's progress and wellbeing, and maintain the records required for the safe and effective delivery of care.
To fulfil our safeguarding obligations — including assessing concerns, making referrals to statutory child protection agencies, and maintaining the safeguarding record required under our policies and legal obligations.
To manage the recruitment, induction, supervision, training, appraisal, and employment or volunteer relationship of all SCD staff and volunteers — including the administration of payroll, references, and background checks.
To respond to enquiries received through our website, telephone, or email — directing messages to the appropriate team and providing the information requested.
To comply with our legal obligations, including those relating to safeguarding, employment law, data protection, financial reporting, and any other applicable regulatory requirements.
To analyse outcomes data and feedback — in anonymised form where possible — to improve the quality and effectiveness of our programmes and services.
SCD processes personal data on the following legal bases, depending on the nature of the data and the purpose of processing:
| Legal Basis | When SCD Relies on It |
|---|---|
| Consent | Where a young person, family member, or website visitor has given explicit, informed consent to the processing of their data — for example, by completing SCD's contact form with a consent checkbox, or by consenting to their information being shared with a specific partner organisation. |
| Contractual Necessity | Where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract — including the employment contract or volunteer agreement between SCD and its staff or volunteers. |
| Legal Obligation | Where processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation — including safeguarding legislation, employment law, and mandatory reporting requirements. |
| Vital Interests | Where processing is necessary to protect the vital interests of a young person — particularly in urgent safeguarding situations where obtaining consent is not possible. |
| Legitimate Interests | Where processing is necessary for SCD's legitimate organisational interests — such as managing referrals, maintaining records of professional contact, or improving the quality of our services — and where those interests are not overridden by the individual's rights and interests. |
SCD retains personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and in accordance with our legal and regulatory obligations. The following retention periods apply as a general guide:
| Data Category | Retention Period | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Young people's case files and support records | 7 years after the young person turns 18, or after the last service contact — whichever is later | Legal obligation, legitimate interests |
| Safeguarding records | Minimum 10 years after last contact; permanently for serious case records | Legal obligation, statutory guidance |
| Staff employment records | 7 years after the end of employment | Legal obligation, contractual necessity |
| Volunteer records | 3 years after the end of volunteering engagement | Legitimate interests |
| Unsuccessful job applications | 6 months after the recruitment process concludes | Legitimate interests |
| General enquiries and contact form submissions | 2 years after the last communication | Legitimate interests |
| Website log data | 12 months | Legitimate interests (security) |
When personal data reaches the end of its retention period, it is securely deleted or anonymised. SCD reviews its data holdings annually to identify and remove data that is no longer required.
SCD takes the security of personal data seriously and implements appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, loss, destruction, alteration, or disclosure. Our security measures include:
In the event of a personal data breach — including any accidental or unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure of personal data — SCD will act promptly to contain the breach, assess the risk to individuals whose data may be affected, notify affected individuals where required, and report the breach to the relevant supervisory authority where legally required to do so. SCD maintains an internal data breach log and reviews all incidents to prevent recurrence.
You have the following rights in relation to the personal data that SCD holds about you. To exercise any of these rights, please contact SCD at info@scdng.org. SCD will respond to all rights requests within 30 days.
You have the right to request a copy of the personal data SCD holds about you and information about how it is being used. This is sometimes called a Subject Access Request (SAR).
You have the right to request that SCD corrects any inaccurate personal data it holds about you, or completes any incomplete records.
In certain circumstances, you have the right to request that SCD deletes your personal data. This right is not absolute — it does not apply where SCD has a legal obligation to retain the data or a legitimate reason to do so.
You have the right to request that SCD restricts its processing of your personal data in certain circumstances — for example, where you contest the accuracy of the data while SCD verifies it.
You have the right to object to SCD's processing of your personal data where that processing is based on legitimate interests. SCD will consider your objection and will cease processing unless it can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds.
Where SCD is processing your personal data on the basis of your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing that took place before the withdrawal.
To exercise any of the rights described above, please contact SCD by email at info@scdng.org, by phone on +234 706 838 3770, or by writing to SCD's central office at FCT Abuja, Nigeria. Please include sufficient information for us to identify you and to understand the nature of your request. SCD may need to verify your identity before processing your request.
SCD's primary work involves children and young people under the age of 18. The processing of children's personal data is subject to enhanced care and scrutiny throughout our organisation. SCD applies the following specific principles in relation to children's personal data:
If you are a parent or guardian and have questions about how SCD handles your child's personal data, please contact us directly at info@scdng.org.
SCD reviews this Privacy Policy at least annually and updates it when our data processing practices change, when new services are introduced, or when changes to applicable law or regulation require it. The effective date at the top of this page indicates when this version of the policy took effect.
Where changes to this policy are material, SCD will take reasonable steps to notify individuals whose data we hold — for example, by posting a notice on our website or by direct communication where we have contact details for the individuals concerned.
We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how SCD handles personal data.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, about how SCD handles your personal data, or wish to exercise any of your data rights, please contact us using the details below. We take all data protection enquiries seriously and will respond within 30 days.
Society for Community Development
FCT Abuja, Nigeria
Email: info@scdng.org
Phone: +234 706 838 3770
When contacting us about a data protection matter, please include your full name, your relationship to SCD (e.g. former service user, job applicant, website visitor), and a clear description of your request or concern. This will help us to identify your records and respond accurately and promptly.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint about SCD's data processing with the relevant supervisory authority in Nigeria. SCD would always encourage you to contact us directly in the first instance, as we are committed to resolving data protection concerns promptly and fairly.