Policies & Terms

What we collect

We only collect what we need to respond to enquiries and deliver projects:

• —Contact details you give us — name, email, phone, organisation — when you enquire, book a call or subscribe to updates
• —Project information such as briefs, brand assets, content and correspondence needed to deliver your work
• —Basic analytics about how this website is used, gathered in aggregate form

How we use it and how long we keep it

We use personal information to answer enquiries, deliver contracted work, meet legal obligations and keep records required by funders or partner organisations. We never sell your data.

Enquiry data is kept for up to 24 months; client project records are kept for the length of the relationship plus six years for accounting and legal purposes. You can ask us to delete or correct your information at any time.

Your rights

You can ask to access, correct, delete or restrict the personal information we hold about you, and you can object to processing or request portability. To exercise any of these rights, email us. If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk).

Our commitment

CIRCO will always work in ways that protect the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. We follow the safeguarding policy of any school or organisation we work on site with, and we never work unsupervised with pupils in a way that a school has not agreed in advance.

• —Team members working regularly in schools hold current DBS checks
• —We follow safer recruitment practice, including references and right-to-work checks
• —Photography and content featuring children is only ever produced with written consent from the school and, where required, parents or carers

Raising a concern

If any member of our team has a safeguarding concern on a school site, they report it immediately to the school’s designated safeguarding lead and follow the school’s procedure. If a concern involves our own team, we report it to the relevant local authority designated officer without delay. We never investigate concerns ourselves.

How we work

• —We treat everyone — clients, collaborators, audiences — with fairness and respect, and we do not discriminate on any ground protected by the Equality Act 2010
• —We design accessible content and websites, and we champion inclusive imagery and language in everything we produce
• —We aim to use suppliers and collaborators from a broad range of backgrounds and communities
• —We price our work transparently so that smaller charities, schools and community groups can access professional creative support

If something is not right

If you feel we have fallen short of this policy, tell us — we will listen, take it seriously and put it right. Complaints can be raised through our complaints procedure below.

Our approach

• —We are a small, UK-based agency and we know our people directly — everyone is engaged under fair, documented terms
• —We pay fair rates and never use unpaid trial periods or unpaid "test" work beyond a clearly agreed, paid scope
• —We keep our supply chains short and choose UK suppliers wherever possible — print, photography, venues and freelancers
• —Before working with a new supplier or partner, we consider their employment and ethical practices
• —Any suspicion of modern slavery would be reported to the Modern Slavery Helpline and, where appropriate, the police

Our commitments

• —A digital-first studio: cloud collaboration, electronic contracts, invoices and approvals
• —When print is essential, we specify recycled or FSC-certified stocks and vegetable-based inks, and design to minimise waste
• —We travel only when it genuinely adds value, group meetings into single trips and use video calls first
• —We build energy-conscious websites — lightweight pages, efficient media and clean code
• —We avoid single-use materials at events and shoots, and we reuse sets, props and displays wherever possible

Always improving

Sustainability is a moving target. We review these commitments each year, ask our suppliers what more we can do, and set ourselves practical steps rather than vague ambitions.

How we manage it

• —We hold public liability and professional indemnity insurance
• —Every shoot, event or on-site project has a quick risk assessment before we start — location, equipment, people and safeguarding considered together
• —We follow the health and safety rules of any venue or school we work in, including site inductions where required
• —Equipment is checked, transported and used safely, and cables and kit are never left to create trip or hazard points
• —Any accident, incident or near-miss is recorded and reviewed so we can prevent it happening again

How it works

• —Tell us — by email, phone or in writing, whichever suits you. Please include what happened and what you would like us to do
• —We acknowledge every complaint within two working days
• —We investigate and respond in full within ten working days. If we need longer, we will tell you why and keep you updated
• —If you are not satisfied with our response, you can ask for the matter to be reviewed by the other director, who was not involved in the original response
• —We keep a record of complaints and review them annually to improve how we work

Our continuity measures

• —All client work, brand assets and project files are stored in the cloud with version history and routine backups — nothing lives on a single machine
• —Both directors can access every active project, so a client is never dependent on one person being available
• —We can operate the studio fully remotely with no loss of contact quality or turnaround
• —Every active project has a written brief and status record, so work can be picked up by the other director at any point
• —For events and launches, we prepare contingency options — cover crew, backup assets and fallback formats

If disruption happens

We tell affected clients within one working day, set out the impact and agree a revised plan. Our priority is that deadlines are met wherever possible and that no client is left guessing.

Our safeguards

• —Access to client files is limited to team members who need it for the work, and access is revoked as soon as a project ends
• —Devices are password-protected, encrypted and auto-locking; software is kept up to date
• —We use strong, unique passwords and two-factor authentication on all business accounts
• —Client data is shared only through approved, secure cloud services — never over open email attachments or unencrypted drives
• —Consent records for imagery, especially anything featuring children, are logged and stored carefully
• —If a security breach affects client data, affected clients are told promptly and the incident is reported under UK GDPR where required

Quotes, fees and payment

Every project starts with a written quote or proposal. Work begins once you accept it. Fees are fixed for the agreed scope; anything extra is quoted and agreed before we do it. Brand-new websites are built for a flat fee starting at £700.

Typically we ask for 50% of the fee to start and the balance on completion, unless agreed differently. Invoiced work is payable within 14 days. Late payment may pause a project until the account is settled.

Your content and approval

You are responsible for the accuracy of information and materials you supply, and for having the rights to use them. We build in at least two rounds of revisions per deliverable; further rounds are quoted at our hourly rate. Timelines depend on feedback arriving when agreed — long gaps may move deadlines.

Copyright and confidentiality

We own the copyright in our work until the final invoice is paid, at which point it transfers to you. We keep your confidential information confidential and ask the same of you — nothing shared between us is published or passed on without agreement.

Liability

We carry professional indemnity insurance and take care with everything we deliver. Our liability for any claim is limited to the fee paid for the relevant piece of work. Neither side is liable for events beyond reasonable control. These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.