Check-In History, Privacy, and Retention
Every check-in is kept as part of a person's attendance history. This article explains how long that history is kept, how to delete one person's check-in history, and how parents can ask for their child's history to be deleted. In every case the person's profile is kept -- only check-in records are removed.
How Long Check-In History Is Kept
By default, TimelyChurch keeps check-in history forever. To keep it for a set time instead:
- Open Planning > Check-In, click the Check-In Settings (gear) icon, and open the Options tab.
- Find Check-in history retention ("How long to keep individual check-in records. Person profiles are never deleted by this setting.").
- Enter a number of days in Keep check-in history for (days). Leave it blank (or 0) to keep history forever.
- Click Save Options. (This needs the Check-In Manage permission.)
Each night, check-in records older than that are removed. Removed check-ins no longer appear in attendance history, session pages, or reports, so choose a period that still covers the attendance records your church needs to keep.
Deleting One Person's Check-In History
To remove all check-in history for one person -- for example, at a family's request:
- Open the person's profile and go to the Attendance tab.
- Next to the Check-Ins count, click Purge check-in history.
- Confirm: "Permanently delete all check-in history for this person? The person record is kept. This cannot be undone."
You need permission to edit people. The Attendance tab appears only when the person has check-in or attendance records.
When a Parent Asks to Delete a Child's History
Parents and guardians can ask for their child's check-in history to be deleted from the member portal.
What the parent does
- In the member portal, open My Profile and the Privacy tab.
- Under Child check-in history ("As a guardian, you may request deletion of a child’s check-in history. Church staff will respond within 45 days. The child’s person profile is never deleted by this request."), click Request check-in history deletion next to the child.
- Confirm. The child then shows "Deletion request pending staff review".
The option is offered to adults in the child's family who are a parent or guardian (a parent or guardian role, or Legal Guardian turned on).
What your team does
- Each church administrator gets a task: Child check-in history deletion request -- "[guardian] requested deletion of check-in history for [child]. Please respond within 45 days."
- Open the child's profile and go to the Attendance tab. A notice reads Guardian requested check-in history deletion -- "Respond within 45 days. Purging history keeps the person record."
- Click Fulfill deletion request and confirm. The child's check-in history is deleted and the request is closed.