Privacy Policy

1. About this policy

This policy explains what personal information The Sitter List (“we”, “us”) collects, why, who can see it, and how you can access, correct or delete it. It applies to our website and app. We aim to handle your information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles. Because The Sitter List deals with families and children, and with some Sitters who are under 18, we try to collect only what we genuinely need.

2. What we collect

From Families: your name, email, mobile number, suburb, how you know our community (optional), and a password (stored only in scrambled, hashed form, so we can't read it).

From Sitters: your name, email, mobile number, suburb, date of birth, two emergency contacts, your Working with Children Check number and expiry (if you're 18 or over), any other certificates you choose to list, and a hashed password. If you're under 18, we also collect your parent or guardian's name, phone and their consent. Once approved, you can add a profile photo, bio, hourly rate, experience, the ages you're best with and your weekly availability.

About bookings: the date, time and length of each booking, the number of children, any notes you add, and the booking's status.

Other things you send us: messages through our contact form, and your email address if you join The Sitter List Club newsletter.

Technical information: a sign-in cookie that keeps you logged in, a list of sitters you've shortlisted (saved only in your own browser), and standard server logs such as IP address and browser type, which our hosting provider keeps for security and troubleshooting. Our sign-up and sign-in forms use Cloudflare Turnstile to block bots, which may process your IP address and browser details.

We don't collect children's names, photos or health details. Please only share what a Sitter needs to know (for example, allergies) directly with your Sitter, not in a booking note.

3. Why we use it

• to review and approve accounts, including checking WWCC numbers with the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian;
• to show approved Sitters' public profiles and availability;
• to send, confirm and manage bookings, and to email you about them;
• to share contact details between a Family and a Sitter once a booking is confirmed (see section 4);
• to answer messages, look into complaints and keep everyone safe;
• to send The Sitter List Club newsletter, only if you've signed up for it; and
• to keep the website secure and working.

4. Who can see your information

Anyone visiting the website can see an approved Sitter's name (as they've entered it), photo, suburb, bio, rate, experience, the ages they're best with, whether they hold a WWCC, and their weekly availability. Applicants who haven't been approved are never shown publicly.

Once a Sitter accepts a booking, we share the Family's name, mobile, email and suburb with that Sitter, and the Sitter's mobile, email and emergency contacts (and, for Sitters under 18, their parent or guardian's details) with that Family. Nothing is shared before the booking is confirmed, and emergency contacts are never shown publicly or to anyone else.

Our small team can see account details, applications and bookings so we can approve members, help with bookings and handle safety concerns.

We never sell your information or share it for advertising. We will disclose information if the law requires it, or to the police or child-protection authorities if we believe a child may be at risk.

5. Service providers we use

We use a few trusted providers to run The Sitter List. They store or process information for us and only for that purpose:

• Vercel: website hosting and server logs;
• Supabase: our database and profile-photo storage;
• Resend: sending our emails;
• Cloudflare: bot protection on our forms.

Some of these providers store or process data outside Australia, including in the United States. By using The Sitter List, you understand that your information may be handled overseas by these providers.

6. Keeping your information safe

Passwords are hashed, the website uses encrypted (HTTPS) connections, and only our team can access the admin area. Private details like dates of birth, emergency contacts and WWCC numbers are never shown publicly. No system is completely secure, so please use a strong password and let us know straight away if you think your account has been misused.

7. How long we keep it

We keep your information while your account is open. If you close your account or your application isn't approved, we delete or anonymise your personal details within 90 days, except where we need to keep a limited record for safety reasons, to resolve a dispute, or because the law requires it.

8. Sitters under 18

Sitters aged 14 to 17 can only join with a parent or guardian's consent. We collect the parent or guardian's name and phone, and we may contact them about the account. A parent or guardian can ask us to see, correct or delete their child's information at any time.

9. Emails from us

We'll email you about your account and bookings. These messages are part of the service. The Sitter List Club newsletter is optional. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any newsletter or on our unsubscribe page.

10. Accessing, correcting or deleting your information

Sitters can update most of their profile from their dashboard. For anything else, including a copy of the information we hold about you, corrections, or closing your account and deleting your data, contact us through our contact page. We'll respond within 30 days.

11. Complaints

If you're worried about how we've handled your information, please contact us first through our contact page and we'll try to fix it. If you're not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We'll show the date of the latest version on this page and email members about any significant changes.