YAW Privacy Notice

Last updated: 14 August 2026

About this notice

This notice explains how YAW collects, uses and protects personal information when you:

  • visit this website
  • submit an enquiry
  • subscribe to receive new posts
  • correspond or work with YAW
  • appear in project documentation
  • give permission for your artwork or other creative material to be shared

This notice covers the website, initial enquiries and YAW’s general approach to project documentation. Where commissioned work involves participants or additional personal information, further information and project-specific permission arrangements will be provided.

Who is responsible for your information?

YAW is an independent practice and is responsible for deciding how and why personal information submitted directly to YAW is used. In data-protection law, this means YAW is the data controller.

Questions, requests or concerns can be submitted through the YAW Contact page.

What information may be collected?

Contact and correspondence

If you contact YAW, information may include:

  • your name
  • your email address
  • your message
  • your role or organisation
  • subsequent correspondence
  • information relating to a proposed or commissioned piece of work

YAW normally receives this information directly from you. A commissioning organisation or collaborator may occasionally provide relevant professional contact details or information needed to arrange agreed work.

Subscriptions

If you choose to follow or subscribe to the website, WordPress.com may collect your email address or WordPress.com account details so that it can send notifications about new posts.

Website information

WordPress.com and its associated services may automatically collect technical information such as:

  • your IP address
  • browser and device information
  • the referring website
  • pages visited
  • the date and time of your visit
  • approximate location information

YAW may have access to some of this information through aggregated website statistics, security records or contact-form records.

Please do not send sensitive information through the contact form

The Contact page is intended for general enquiries.

Please do not use it to send:

  • case records
  • detailed health information
  • safeguarding disclosures
  • information identifying a child or young person
  • confidential information about another person

If sensitive information needs to be discussed as part of potential work, YAW will agree a more appropriate method of communication.

Photography, project documentation and artwork

YAW follows a non-identifying approach to public project documentation.

YAW does not publish photographs or recordings in which a child, young person or participant is reasonably identifiable. This includes facial images. Documentation instead focuses on:

  • materials and artwork
  • creative processes
  • hands or activity where identification is not possible
  • environments and objects
  • installations
  • traces of participation

A photograph taken from behind is not automatically anonymous. Hair, clothing, tattoos, mobility equipment, artwork, surroundings or the combination of a location and project description may still make someone recognisable. YAW will therefore consider the whole image and its context, not only whether a face is visible.

Names, precise locations and other identifying details will not be connected to project documentation unless this has been specifically discussed and agreed with the person concerned.

Permission and choice

Participants will be informed about proposed documentation before photography or recording takes place.

Separate, project-specific permission will be obtained before YAW publicly uses an image, recording or participant-created artwork on:

  • the YAW website
  • social media
  • reports or presentations
  • publicity material
  • exhibitions
  • printed or digital catalogues
  • funding or commissioning documentation

Participation in a YAW activity will not depend on agreeing to public documentation. Choosing not to be photographed, recorded or included in a publication will not disadvantage someone or prevent them from taking part.

Where children or young people are involved, YAW will seek their informed agreement and, where appropriate, permission from a parent, carer, commissioning organisation or other authorised adult.

Where participant-created artwork is reproduced, permission to reproduce it will be obtained. Ownership of the work is not transferred to YAW unless this is separately and expressly agreed.

Where possible, participants will be able to choose:

  • which uses they agree to
  • whether their work is credited or anonymous
  • whether limited contextual information may be included

Artificial intelligence and facial recognition

YAW will not upload participant photographs, recordings or artwork to generative-AI, facial-recognition or biometric-identification systems.

Material published online can sometimes be copied, downloaded or collected by third parties beyond YAW’s control. YAW cannot guarantee that publicly available material will never be copied or scraped. This risk is considered before publication, and YAW’s public documentation is deliberately limited and non-identifying.

Withdrawing permission

Permission for future use may be withdrawn by contacting YAW.

Where reasonably possible, YAW will stop future use and remove the material from online spaces under its control. It may not be possible to recall printed catalogues or reports that have already been distributed, or copies made by third parties before the material was removed.

Where a commissioning organisation independently takes photographs or decides how documentation will be used, its own privacy notice and permission process will apply. YAW’s permission process does not authorise another organisation’s use.

How YAW uses personal information

YAW may use personal information to:

  • respond to enquiries
  • discuss whether proposed work is suitable
  • prepare a proposal or take steps towards an agreement
  • organise and deliver commissioned work
  • maintain necessary professional and project records
  • manage project documentation and permissions
  • prevent spam, fraud or misuse of the website
  • meet legal, financial, insurance or safeguarding responsibilities
  • send notifications where someone has chosen to subscribe

YAW does not sell personal information or use enquiry details for unrelated marketing.

YAW does not use personal information for automated decision-making or profiling.

Lawful bases

Depending on the circumstances, YAW relies on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Legitimate interests

To respond to enquiries, maintain professional correspondence, operate and secure the website and manage the practice effectively.

YAW considers whether these interests are necessary and balanced against the rights and expectations of the person concerned. Particular care is taken where information relates to a child or young person.

Contract

Where information is needed to prepare for, enter into or carry out an agreement for commissioned work.

Legal obligation

Where information must be retained or disclosed to meet legal, tax, accounting, insurance or regulatory responsibilities.

Consent

Where someone chooses to subscribe or gives specific permission for project documentation or artwork to be used.

Consent may be withdrawn at any time. Withdrawal does not make earlier use unlawful, but YAW will stop the relevant future use where consent was the lawful basis.

In exceptional circumstances, information may also be used where necessary to protect someone from serious harm or meet a safeguarding or legal responsibility.

Who may receive personal information?

YAW does not sell or rent personal information.

Information may be processed or shared, where necessary, with:

  • WordPress.com and Automattic
  • website security and spam-prevention services such as Akismet
  • email, cloud-storage or administrative service providers
  • printers, designers or other suppliers involved in an agreed publication
  • professional advisers, accountants or insurers
  • commissioning organisations where responsibilities have been agreed
  • public authorities where required by law or necessary in relation to a serious safeguarding concern

Only information necessary for the relevant purpose will be shared.

Automattic provides further information for visitors to WordPress.com websites in its Privacy Notice.

Information processed outside the UK

WordPress.com and other online service providers may process information in countries outside the United Kingdom, including the United States and countries within the European Economic Area.

Where required, these providers use recognised safeguards for international transfers. Further information is available in Automattic’s Privacy Policy and its information about WordPress.com and data protection.

How long information is retained

YAW aims to keep personal information only for as long as it is needed.

  • General enquiries that do not lead to work will normally be deleted within 12 months of the last meaningful contact.
  • Relevant contractual, financial and project records may be retained for up to six years after work ends where needed for tax, accounting, insurance or legal purposes.
  • Documentation permissions will be retained while the relevant material remains in use and for a reasonable period afterwards so that YAW can demonstrate what was agreed.
  • Subscription information is retained until the person unsubscribes.
  • Safeguarding information, where YAW is required to retain it, may be kept for a different period according to legal or commissioning requirements. This will be explained separately.

WordPress.com and other service providers may apply their own retention periods to information they process.

Security

YAW takes reasonable steps to protect personal information, including limiting access and using reputable service providers.

No method of online communication or storage is completely secure. For this reason, sensitive or confidential information should not be sent through the general Contact form.

Your rights

Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis being used, you may have the right to:

  • ask for a copy of your personal information
  • correct inaccurate or incomplete information
  • ask for information to be erased
  • ask YAW to restrict how information is used
  • receive certain information in a portable format
  • object to particular uses of your information
  • withdraw consent

Requests can be made through the YAW Contact page.

YAW may need to confirm your identity before responding. Requests will normally be answered within one month.

Your right to object

You may object to YAW using your personal information where the lawful basis is legitimate interests.

You have an absolute right to object to your information being used for direct marketing. YAW does not currently use enquiry details for direct marketing.

Complaints

Please contact YAW first if you have a concern so that it can be considered and, where possible, resolved.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:

Make a complaint to the ICO

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Cookies

WordPress.com may use cookies and similar technologies for website operation, security, statistics and other platform functions.

You can manage cookies through your browser settings and any consent controls provided on the website. More information is available in Automattic’s Cookie Policy.

Changes to this notice

This notice may be updated if YAW’s work, website or legal responsibilities change. The latest revision date will appear at the top of this page.