Last updated: 10 June 2026
1. Purpose of this policy
This Privacy Policy explains how KCPA collects, uses, stores and protects personal information when people use the website, submit nominations, create accounts, add support, share stories, use the forums, contact support, volunteer, judge or take part in platform activities.
This policy is written with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”) and the Data Protection Act 2018 in mind.
2. Information we may collect
We may collect information you provide directly, including your name, email address, phone number, account details, nomination details, nominee details, support comments, forum posts, stories, event information, volunteer applications, messages to support and information submitted to judges or staff.
We may also collect technical information such as IP address, browser type, device information, login activity, security logs and basic usage data needed to operate and protect the platform.
3. Special category and sensitive information
The platform may receive sensitive information because users may discuss knife crime, personal experiences, family circumstances, safeguarding, community safety, victims, young people or traumatic events. Users should avoid submitting unnecessary sensitive information, graphic details or information that could put someone at risk.
Where sensitive information is submitted, we will handle it carefully and restrict access where appropriate.
4. How we use information
We use information to operate the awards, process nominations, create nominee profiles, review authenticity, manage judging, publish approved stories, run forums, respond to support requests, manage accounts, send notifications, moderate content, protect users, prevent abuse and improve the platform.
We may also use information to comply with legal obligations, respond to safeguarding concerns, investigate misuse, protect the integrity of the awards and maintain audit records.
5. Lawful bases for processing
Depending on the situation, we may process personal information because it is necessary for legitimate interests, because you have given consent, because it is necessary to provide platform services you request, because we must comply with legal obligations, or because processing is necessary to protect vital interests in a serious safeguarding or emergency situation.
6. Public information
Some information may be visible publicly, including nominee names, organisation names, award categories, public profile summaries, approved stories, public forum posts, news articles and public support messages where enabled.
Contact details, private judge notes, staff notes, private account settings and restricted management information are not intended for public display.
7. Nominations and nominee data
When a nomination is submitted, we may store details about the nominator, nominee, award category, reasons for nomination, impact, evidence and support. Nomination information may be reviewed by KCPA staff, authorised judges and relevant administrators.
Some nomination information may be used to create public nominee profiles, but we aim to avoid publishing unnecessary private contact details.
8. Stories and forums
If you submit a story or forum post, it may be reviewed and published. Published content may be visible to other users or the public. You should not include private information about other people without consent.
9. Sharing information
We may share information with authorised staff, judges, moderators, volunteers or service providers where needed to operate the platform. We may also share information where required by law, where necessary for safeguarding, or where needed to prevent harm, fraud, abuse or serious misuse.
We do not sell personal information.
10. Service providers
The platform may use third-party services for hosting, email delivery, security, analytics, backups or technical support. These providers should only process information as needed to provide their services.
11. Cookies and analytics
The website may use cookies or similar technologies for login sessions, security, preferences, analytics and platform functionality. You can manage cookies through your browser, but some features may not work without essential cookies.
12. Retention
We keep information only for as long as reasonably needed for awards administration, account management, judging, public records, safeguarding, audit, legal compliance, dispute resolution and platform security.
Some public content may remain available for historical or awards archive purposes unless removal is required or agreed.
13. Security
We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect information, including access controls, restricted management areas and secure handling practices. No online system can be guaranteed completely secure, but we aim to reduce risk and respond appropriately to concerns.
14. Your rights
Under UK data protection law, you may have rights to access, correct, erase, restrict or object to processing of your personal information. You may also have the right to data portability and the right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
Some rights may be limited where we need to keep information for safeguarding, legal, audit, awards integrity or legitimate operational reasons.
15. Requests and complaints
You can contact KCPA through the support page about privacy requests. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have not been respected.
16. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as the platform develops. The latest version will be published on the website.