Site is currently under construction

Privacy Statement

Introduction

Welcome to the Council on Children and Families' website. We recognize that visitors to our website are concerned about their privacy. The Council, as described herein, is committed to maintaining your privacy and adheres to the provisions of the New York State Internet Security and Privacy Act, the Freedom of Information Law and the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. 

For purposes of this policy, "personal information" means any information concerning a natural person which, because of name, number, symbol, mark or other identifier, can be used to identify that natural person. The Council on Children and Families does not collect any personal information about you unless you provide that information voluntarily by sending an e-mail, responding to a survey, or completing an on-line transaction.

Links Disclaimer

The Council on Children and Families provides links to websites of local, state and federal government agencies and other organizations. When you click on these external links, you will leave the Council on Children and Families' website. A link does not constitute an endorsement of the content, viewpoint, accuracy, opinions, policies, products, services or accessibility of that website.

Other websites operate under the auspices and at the direction of their respective owners. Once you link to another website, you are subject to the terms and conditions of that website, including, but not limited to, its privacy policy. Therefore, if you have a question or comment about any of these sites, please contact that particular site owner directly.

Information Collected Automatically When You Visit This Website

When visiting this website the Council on Children and Families automatically collects and stores the following information about your visit:

  1. The Internet Protocol Address and domain name used, but not the e-mail address. The Internet Protocol Address is a numerical identifier assigned either to your Internet service provider or directly to your computer;
  2. The type of browser and operating system you used;
  3. The date and time you visited this site;
  4. The web pages or services you accessed at this site;
  5. The web site you visited prior to coming to this web site;
  6. The web site you visit as you leave this web site; and
  7. If you downloaded a form, the form that was downloaded.

None of the foregoing information is deemed to constitute personal information.

The information that is collected automatically is used to improve this website's content and system performance. The information is not collected for commercial marketing purposes and the Council on Children and Families is not authorized to sell or otherwise disclose the information collected from the website for commercial marketing purposes. The information is retained in accordance with the public retention provisions of the New York State Arts and Cultural Affairs Law.

Cookies

Cookies are simple text files stored on your web browser to provide a means of distinguishing among users of this website. The use of cookies is a standard practice among Internet websites. In order to better serve you, we may use "temporary" cookies to enhance, customize or enable your visit to this web site. Temporary cookies do not contain personal information and do not compromise your privacy or security and are erased during the operation of your browser or when your browser is closed.

During your visit to this website, you may complete a registration form in order to personalize your use of the website. In such an event, we may deliver a "persistent" cookie which would be stored on your computer's hard drive. This persistent cookie will allow the website to recognize you when you visit again and tailor the information presented to you based on your needs and interests. The Council on Children and Families uses persistent cookies only with your permission.

The software you use to access the website allows you to refuse new cookies or delete existing cookies. Refusing or deleting these cookies may limit your ability to take advantage of some of the features of this website.

Information Collected When You E-mail this Website

During your visit to this website you may send an e-mail to the Council on Children and Families. Your e-mail address and the contents of your message will be collected. Your e-mail address and the information included in your message will be used to respond to you, to address issues you identify, to improve this website, or to forward your message to another State agency for appropriate action. Your e-mail address is not collected for commercial purposes and the Council on Children and Families is not authorized to sell or otherwise disclose your e-mail address for commercial purposes.

The Council on Children and Families does not knowingly collect personal information from children or create profiles of children through this website.

Special Note Regarding Children

Consistent with the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the Council on Children and Families does not knowingly collect personal information from children (persons under the age of 13) or create profiles of children through this website. Users are cautioned, however, that the collection of personal information submitted in an e-mail will be treated as though it was submitted by an adult, and may, unless exempted from access by federal or state law, be subject to public access. The Council strongly encourages parents, guardians and teachers to be involved in children's Internet activities and to provide guidance whenever children are asked to provide personal information on-line.

Information and Choice

As noted above, the Council on Children and Families does not collect any personal information about you through this website unless you provide that information voluntarily by sending an e-mail, responding to a survey, or completing an on-line form. You may choose not to send us an e-mail, respond to a survey, or complete an on-line form, and always have the option to respond through use of regular mail. While your choice not to participate in these activities may limit your ability to receive specific services or products through this website, it will not normally have an impact on your ability to take advantage of other features of the website, including browsing or downloading most publicly available information.

Disclosure of Information Collected Through This Website

The collection of information through this website and the disclosure of that information are subject to the provisions of the Internet Security and Privacy Act. The Council on Children and Families will only collect personal information through this website or disclose personal information collected through this website if the user has consented to the collection or disclosure of such personal information.

However, the Council on Children and Families may collect or disclose personal information without consent if the collection or disclosure is: (1) necessary to perform the statutory duties of the Council on Children and Families or necessary for the Council on Children and Families to operate a program authorized by law or authorized by state or federal statute or regulation; (2) made pursuant to a court order or by law; (3) to validate the identity of the user; or (4) solely for statistical purposes that is in a form that cannot be used to identify any particular person.

Further, the disclosure of information, including personal information, collected through this website is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Law and the Personal Privacy Protection Law.

The Council on Children and Families may disclose personal information to federal or state law enforcement authorities to enforce its rights against unauthorized access or attempted unauthorized access to the Council on Children and Families' information technology assets.

Confidentiality and Integrity of Personal Information Collected Through this Website

The Council on Children and Families is strongly committed to protecting personal information collected through this website against unauthorized access, use or disclosure. Consequently, the Council limits employee access to personal information collected through this website to only those employees who need access to the information in the performance of their official duties. Employees who have access to this information follow appropriate procedures in connection with any disclosures of personal information.

In addition, the Council on Children and Families has implemented procedures to safeguard the integrity of its information technology assets. These security procedures have been integrated into the design, implementation and day-to-day operations of this website as part of the Council's continuing commitment to the security of electronic content as well as the electronic transmission of information.

For website security purposes and to maintain the availability of this website for all users, the Council uses software to monitor traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information or otherwise damage this website.

Disclaimer

The information provided in this privacy policy should not be construed as giving business, legal, or other advice, or warranting as fail proof, the security of information provided through this website. Please see the Council's Website Disclaimer for further information.

Contact Information

For questions regarding the Council's Privacy Policy, please contact:

Records Access Officer
NYS Council on Children and Families
52 Washington Street, Room 256 West
Rensselaer, NY 12144

e-mail:
council@ccf.ny.gov

Telephone:
518-473-3652

Fax:
518-473-2570