At Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities (BFFC), we are committed to transparency, accountability, and responsible data stewardship. This policy outlines how we retain and manage records related to our operations, including community programs, partnerships, and grant-funded initiatives such as Breastfeed Durham, the SAFE Team, and the Lactation Collaborative.
Purpose
This policy ensures that all organizational records are kept for the appropriate length of time, stored securely, and used responsibly. It supports our mission to serve communities with integrity while complying with all legal, grant-related, and ethical standards.
What We Keep and For How Long
| Type of Record | How Long We Keep It |
|---|---|
| Grant agreements and official reports | 7 years after the grant ends |
| Financial documents (budgets, receipts, etc.) | 7 years |
| Program outreach logs and checklists | 3 years |
| Meeting notes and planning documents | 3 years |
| Educational resources and toolkits | Permanently archived |
| Newsletters and public communications | Permanently archived |
| Consent forms (if collected) | 7 years |
| Sensitive participant data | Not stored by BFFC; kept within clinical systems operated by partners |
Privacy and Parent Data
BFFC itself does not store personal health information or identifiable parent data. However, some of our initiatives (such as the Lactation Collaborative or the SAFE Team) do help connect families with services, including lactation support and emergency infant feeding assistance.
When this work involves parent information, data is securely transmitted and stored within clinical or HIPAA-compliant systems operated by health departments, WIC offices, or licensed lactation consultants — never within BFFC’s systems.
Our standard practice is to avoid collecting personal data altogether unless it is absolutely necessary to connect a family with services — and even then, our role is limited to securely transferring that data to appropriate healthcare providers.
Storage and Security
All internal records (e.g., program documents, financials, meeting notes) are stored in secure, access-controlled digital systems. Public-facing materials like toolkits and newsletters are made available directly through our website to support transparency, education, and replication in other communities.
Policy Review
This record retention policy is reviewed regularly by our leadership team and updated as needed to reflect changes in legal requirements, technology, or program scope.