Privacy Policy

The Vilij Limited (“The Vilij”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in a transparent, secure and responsible manner.

We recognise that many members of the Vilij community may share information relating to their families, children, education, health, wellbeing and support needs. We take our responsibilities in relation to personal data seriously and are committed to safeguarding the information entrusted to us.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share and otherwise process personal data when you:

This Privacy Policy also explains your rights in relation to your personal data and how to contact us if you have any questions about our data processing activities.

Please read this Privacy Policy together with our User Terms of Use, Community Guidelines, Complaints and Reporting Procedure and any other policies referred to within those documents.

The Vilij is the controller of the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. Our details are:

As the controller, we are responsible for deciding how and why your personal data is processed and for ensuring that it is handled in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, how we process your personal data, or if you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, please contact us using the details above.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office, although we would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns before you do so.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to:

The most recent version of this Privacy Policy will always be available on the Platform and will take effect from the date stated at the top of the policy.

Where we make material changes, we may notify you through the Platform, by email or by other appropriate means.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to ensure that you remain informed about how we collect, use and protect your personal data.

The personal data we collect depends on how you interact with the Platform, your membership status and the features you choose to use. We may collect the following categories of personal data.

Identity Information. This may include:

Contact Information. This may include:

Account Information. This may include:

Community and Platform Participation Information. This may include:

Messaging Information. Where messaging functionality is available, we may collect and process:

Expert Information. Where you apply to become an Expert, we may collect:

Transaction Information. This may include:

We do not store full payment card details. Payments are processed by Stripe or other payment providers used by The Vilij from time to time.

Technical Information. This may include:

Complaints Information. Where complaints are raised, we may collect and process:

Safeguarding Information. Where safeguarding concerns arise, we may collect and process:

Not all categories of personal data will apply to every User. The personal data we collect will depend on how you use the Platform and the services, features and functionality you choose to access.

Given the nature of the Platform and the community it supports, we may collect, receive or otherwise process information that is classified as special category personal data under applicable data protection laws. This may include information relating to:

Special category personal data may be provided to us:

We only process special category personal data where permitted by applicable data protection laws and where an appropriate legal basis and additional condition for processing applies.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include where:

Users should take particular care when sharing information relating to themselves, their children or other individuals through community discussions, messages or other interactive features of the Platform. Information that you choose to post within community areas of the Platform may be visible to other Users depending on the functionality and settings of the relevant feature.

We ask Users not to share more personal information than is reasonably necessary and to avoid publishing information that could unnecessarily identify a child, vulnerable individual or other member of the community.

Where safeguarding concerns arise, we may process special category personal data where reasonably necessary to:

Where special category personal data is shared within community areas of the Platform, the visibility of that information will depend on the functionality of the relevant feature and the settings applied to it. Users should assume that information shared within community discussions may be visible to other members of the Platform and should exercise appropriate caution when posting personal information.

The Platform is intended for use by adults, including parents and carers. Children are not permitted to create Platform accounts.

However, information relating to children may be provided by parents, carers or Experts in connection with use of the Platform. Where this occurs, we process such information only for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

We collect personal data that you provide directly to us when you:

When you access or use the Platform, we may automatically collect certain technical and usage information through cookies and similar technologies, including:

Further information is available in our Cookie Policy.

We may receive personal data from third parties, including:

We may also collect personal data that you choose to make available through community features of the Platform, including posts, comments, messages, uploaded content and other contributions.

Please be aware that information shared through community areas of the Platform may be visible to other Users depending on the functionality and settings of the relevant feature.

Users should exercise caution when sharing personal information through community discussions, comments, messaging features or other interactive areas of the Platform. Information shared through these features may be accessible to other Users and may remain visible until removed, moderated or deleted in accordance with our policies.

We use personal data to:

We use personal data to:

We use personal data to:

We use personal data to:

We may use personal data to:

We use personal data to:

We use personal data to:

We may use personal data, including special category personal data where necessary, to:

We use personal data to:

Where permitted by law, we may use personal data to send information about:

You may opt out of marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link in our communications or by contacting us.

We may use personal data where reasonably necessary to:

Performance of a Contract. We process personal data where necessary to:

Legitimate Interests. We process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of others, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. These legitimate interests include:

Legal Obligations. We may process personal data where necessary to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including obligations relating to:

Consent. In certain circumstances, we may rely on your consent to process personal data, including where consent is required by law. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

Legal Claims. We may process personal data where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims or legal rights.

Special Category Data. Where we process special category personal data, we will only do so where an additional condition for processing applies under applicable data protection laws. Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

Experts participating in the Platform are independent professionals, advisers, practitioners, consultants or other specialists and are not employees, agents or representatives of The Vilij unless expressly stated otherwise.

Where you choose to engage directly with an Expert, the Expert may collect, receive, use and store personal data independently of The Vilij.

In most circumstances, the Expert will act as a separate controller of any personal data provided directly to them in connection with their services. This means that the Expert will be independently responsible for:

The Expert’s own privacy policies, notices and practices may apply to personal data that you provide directly to them or that they collect in connection with the services they provide. We encourage you to review any privacy information provided by the relevant Expert before engaging their services.

The Vilij and an Expert may each hold separate records relating to your interactions with the Platform and the Expert’s services.

The Vilij is not responsible for how an Expert processes personal data outside the Platform or in connection with services provided independently of the Platform.

Nothing in this Privacy Policy alters the independent relationship between Users and Experts or makes The Vilij responsible for the provision of professional services by an Expert.

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

We may share personal data where reasonably necessary to:

Where you engage directly with an Expert, certain information may be shared with that Expert where necessary to facilitate communications, enquiries or the provision of services.

Experts are independent providers and may process personal data in accordance with their own privacy practices.

Where safeguarding concerns arise, we may share information with relevant authorities, safeguarding organisations, law enforcement agencies, healthcare providers, educational institutions or other appropriate bodies where we reasonably consider such disclosure necessary to protect an individual from harm or to comply with legal obligations.

If The Vilij undergoes a business reorganisation, merger, acquisition, investment transaction or sale of assets, personal data may be disclosed to prospective or actual purchasers, investors, advisers or successor organisations, subject to appropriate confidentiality protections.

We do not sell personal data and we do not permit third parties to use personal data for their own direct marketing purposes without your consent.

Some of the service providers and third parties with whom we share personal data may process that information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the information remains adequately protected and that the transfer complies with applicable data protection laws.

Depending on the circumstances, the safeguards we rely upon may include:

Where appropriate, we will take additional measures to protect personal data transferred internationally, taking account of the nature of the information and the risks associated with the transfer.

Further information regarding international transfers and the safeguards we use may be requested by contacting us using the details set out in this Privacy Policy.

We retain personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including to:

Retention periods vary depending on the nature of the information, the purposes for which it was collected, applicable legal requirements and any safeguarding considerations. Typical retention periods include:

Where you close or delete your account, we may retain certain information where reasonably necessary to:

Where you have contributed content to community discussions, forums, comments or other Platform features, certain content may remain visible following account closure or deletion where reasonably necessary to:

Where appropriate, personal data may be deleted, anonymised or aggregated so that it can no longer be associated with an identifiable individual.

We may retain personal data for longer than the periods described above where required by law or where reasonably necessary in connection with legal proceedings, investigations, complaints, safeguarding matters or regulatory requirements.

Subject to applicable data protection laws, you may have the right to:

If you wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact us using the details set out in this Privacy Policy.

Requests may be submitted by email to: privacy@thevilij.co.uk

We may ask you to provide information to verify your identity before responding to a request.

We will respond to requests in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

The exercise of certain rights may be subject to legal exemptions and limitations. Where we are unable to comply with a request, we will explain the reasons unless we are legally prevented from doing so.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data or responded to a request, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Further information is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Visit the Information Commissioner’s Office →

If you have any concerns about how we collect, use or otherwise process your personal data, we encourage you to contact us first so that we have an opportunity to investigate and address your concerns. You can contact us using the details set out in this Privacy Policy.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office, if you believe that we have processed your personal data in breach of applicable data protection laws. Further information is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Visit the Information Commissioner’s Office →

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate, maintain and improve the Platform.

Cookies may be used to:

Further information about the cookies we use and how you can manage your cookie preferences is available in our Cookie Policy.