Trust & governance
Security & data governance
Written for local authority information governance, assurance and procurement teams. This page describes only controls that are actually in place; anything not yet implemented is listed separately as roadmap.
Controls in place
Data protection approach
- The platform is designed with appropriate technical and organisational controls for the information it holds.
- Processing is limited to operating the placement search, structured enquiry and subscription functions.
- Data protection information for individuals is published in the privacy notice.
Data minimisation
- Structured enquiries are designed so child-identifiable information is not required at initial enquiry stage.
- Enquiry fields capture placement requirements only — age range, placement type, needs summary and urgency.
- Free text is limited to reduce the risk of unnecessary personal information being entered.
Role-based access
- Users hold a role — local authority, provider or administrator — and see only the records that role permits.
- Access rules are enforced in the database with row-level security, not only in the interface.
- Provider users can only see enquiries addressed to their own organisation.
Authentication
- Accounts are created against an organisational email address and verified before access is granted.
- Authentication is handled by a managed identity provider; passwords are not stored by the application.
- Sessions expire and can be revoked.
Encryption
- All traffic to the platform is served over HTTPS with TLS.
- Data at rest is encrypted by the managed database and storage services used by the platform.
Audit logs
- Enquiry creation, provider responses and status changes are recorded with a timestamp and actor.
- Availability updates and reconfirmations are recorded so the history of a vacancy record can be reviewed.
- Administrator actions on verification and reported information are recorded.
- Audit information is available to authorised users only and is never exposed publicly.
Backups
- The managed database service takes automated backups with point-in-time recovery within the provider's retention window.
- Restore procedures are exercised as part of pilot readiness.
Hosting and data residency
- The application and database run on managed cloud infrastructure.
- The specific hosting region and data residency position is confirmed in writing on request, as part of information governance documentation.
Retention and deletion
- Enquiry records are retained to provide an auditable history for participating organisations.
- Accounts can be closed and associated personal information removed on request.
- Final retention periods are being agreed with pilot participants and will be published in the privacy notice.
Incident management
- Suspected security incidents are triaged, contained and recorded.
- Affected organisations are notified, and personal data breaches are handled in line with statutory obligations.
- A formal incident response plan is being documented for the pilot.
Business continuity
- The platform relies on managed, redundant cloud services with automated backups.
- A documented business continuity and disaster recovery plan is in preparation.
Subprocessors
- The platform uses a small number of subprocessors for hosting and database services, transactional email and subscription billing.
- A current subprocessor list, including the purpose of each, is provided on request.
Vulnerability and security management
- Dependencies are monitored and updated, and the codebase is scanned for known vulnerable packages.
- Access to production systems is restricted to the operator.
Roadmap — not yet in place
These are commonly requested in procurement. They are not implemented today and must not be treated as assurances.
- Cyber Essentials certification
- ISO 27001 certification
- Independent penetration testing
- Multi-factor authentication for all account types
- Formal, documented incident response and business continuity plans
- Published data residency commitment
MyPlacementHub holds no security or compliance certification at this time. We will publish certificates here if and when they are awarded.
Information governance & procurement
Local authorities can request the documentation needed to complete their own assurance process. Some documents are still in preparation for the pilot; we will tell you honestly which are available today.
- Data Protection Impact Assessment information
- Data Processing Agreement, where applicable
- Security information and control summary
- Subprocessor list
- Data-flow information
- Retention and deletion information
- Business continuity and security documentation