1. Three different things you might want
People often mean one of three things. They are not the same, so please tell us which you want.
| You want to… | Do this | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Stop the daily messages but keep your account | Reply STOP | Messages stop immediately. Your information stays until you ask us to delete it |
| Leave HomeCode and have your information deleted | Reply DELETE, or email us | We stop messaging you and delete your information, as described below |
| Get a copy of your information first | Reply MY DATA, or email us | We send you a copy within one month. You can then ask us to delete it |
If you are not sure, just ask. Reply to any HomeCode message in your own words.
2. How to ask
| By WhatsApp | Reply DELETE to any HomeCode message. Simplest, and we already know who you are |
| By email | legal@imarasystems.com, from any address. Tell us the phone number you used with HomeCode so we can find you |
| By post | Imara Systems Limited, 167 - 169 Great Portland Street, London, England, W1W 5PF |
| Through your keyworker | Ask them to contact us on your behalf |
We may need to check it is you before deleting, usually by sending a confirmation to the WhatsApp number on the account. This protects you from someone else deleting your records. We will always ask you to confirm before we delete anything, because a single word can be sent by mistake. If you ask for a copy of your information, we send it only to the WhatsApp number on the account (or through a secure link sent to that number), not by ordinary email.
3. What we delete
When you ask us to delete your information, we remove:
- Your name and your child's name
- Your phone number
- Your child's age group, preferred language and housing area
- The content of your messages
- Your keyworker consent and your keyworker's contact details
- Any link connecting engagement records to you
After that, apart from the records listed in section 4, nothing we hold can identify you or your child.
4. What we keep, and why we have to
We must be honest about this. A small amount cannot be deleted.
| What we keep | Why | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Safeguarding records, if a concern was ever raised about your family | We may be legally required to produce them, and deleting them could put a child at risk. This is permitted under UK GDPR Article 17(3)(e), which covers legal claims | Six years after the case is closed, then deleted |
| A record that you consented, and later withdrew | We have to be able to show we had your permission, and that we stopped when you asked | Six years after you leave HomeCode |
| Engagement counts with your identity removed | Once your name, number and every link to you are gone, this is no longer personal information. It is what tells us whether the service helped anyone | Indefinitely, anonymous |
| Records of staff access to your file | Required so that access to family information can be audited | Three years |
| The record of which tablet you hold, until it is returned | We need to know who has our equipment so that we can get it back | Until the tablet is returned and reset, then deleted within 30 days |
| A record of your request and what we did | To show that we dealt with your request properly | Three years |
| Financial and legal records, if any exist | Ordinary legal obligations | As the law requires |
We will tell you specifically which of these applies to you, rather than leaving you to guess.
5. What is on the tablet
Your child's progress is stored on the tablet itself and never sent to us. We hold no copy, so there is nothing for us to delete.
To clear it, use Settings → Reset progress on the tablet, which requires the grown-up's code.
When you return the tablet, we factory reset it before it is reused or disposed of, which erases everything on it.
6. WhatsApp itself
Deleting your information with us does not delete your WhatsApp messages. WhatsApp is operated by Meta, not by us.
The messages in your own WhatsApp app are yours, and you can delete them in WhatsApp in the usual way. Information Meta holds about your use of WhatsApp is governed by Meta's privacy policy, and you would need to ask Meta about that.
7. How long it takes
Within one month of your request, as UK GDPR requires. Usually much sooner.
If a request is unusually complicated we may take up to two further months, and if so we will tell you within the first month, and explain why.
8. If you are a keyworker or a member of staff
Contact legal@imarasystems.com. Your account is closed and your personal details deleted 30 days afterwards. Records of your access to family information are kept for three years, because they exist to make access auditable and that is their purpose.
9. If you are unhappy with our answer
Please tell us first — legal@imarasystems.com or our Data Protection Officer at wale@imarasystems.com. If you are unhappy with how we dealt with your request, we will confirm we have received your complaint within 30 days, look into it without undue delay, and tell you the outcome.
You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK's data protection regulator:
0303 123 1113 · ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
10. Related
- Privacy Notice — everything we do with your information
- Terms of Service — the agreement between us
| Privacy | legal@imarasystems.com |
| Data Protection Officer | Wale Oyepeju, wale@imarasystems.com |
| Post | Imara Systems Limited, 167 - 169 Great Portland Street, London, England, W1W 5PF |
Imara Systems Limited. Registered in England and Wales, company number 16256656.