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.
Operator and data protection governance
MyPlacementHub is operated by Envirostep Ltd.
Envirostep Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), registration reference ZC229214. ICO registration does not mean that the ICO has approved, certified or endorsed the platform.
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 daily backups within its retention window.
- Restore testing and a documented restore runbook are in preparation for the pilot; we do not yet claim tested point-in-time recovery.
Hosting and data residency
- The application and database run on managed cloud infrastructure.
- The database is hosted in the EEA (Frankfurt, Germany). Personal data is not stored outside the UK/EEA.
- A written data residency and subprocessor summary is provided 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