Privacy Policy and GDPR Compliance

We are committed to protecting and respecting privacy. Please read the following information carefully as it explains how we and the Mediators we work with will store, use and share personal information obtained in the course of providing our services to you. This policy covers the collection, processing and other use of personal data under the Data Protection Act 2018 (“DPA”) and the General Data Protection Regulations 2016 (“GDPR”).

The information we collect and process:

1. We only retain relevant information needed for a case.
2. Such information is held in our client database and our Mediators own records.
3. All information gathered is considered relevant, adequate and limited to what is necessary.
4. We may hold your details if a client or a third party refers to you in correspondence or communication  relating to their mediation. The information we retain is full name and contact details. We will only retain home address, date of birth, national insurance number, ethnicity, health & disability information, and financial information, if collected directly from you.
5. Additional details provided to the Mediator during them carrying out their role, will be retained by that Mediator.
6. All information collected by us or the Mediators we work with is recorded in the strictest confidence. Mediators do not share information with external third parties without your prior consent, unless expressly directed to do so by a court or if we have urgent safeguarding concerns or believe a crime is being committed.

Data Retention and Data Sharing:

1. If mediation has commenced, your details will be kept securely for two years once the case concludes, with digital copies being retained for a total of six years; if mediation does not commence, your information will only be stored for 12 months after the case is closed. All data is securely and permanently destroyed.
2. We do not need  specific consent to retain data about you as we have a ‘legitimate interest’ under GDPR in processing it.
3. If a formal complaint made against  a Mediator is escalated, then private and confidential notes from the MIAMs and joint meetings might be shared with the Family Mediation Council (FMC), in order for them to investigate and respond in their role as regulator.
4. We will not contact you for sales or marketing purposes, nor will we pass your details to third party companies for such purposes.
5. We will not use your data for automated decision-making including profiling.

Your rights

1. You can ask to see what data we hold about you by making a Subject Access Request. We ask that all such requests are clearly marked “Subject Access Request” and contain a comprehensive list of what personal data you want, including any details, relevant dates, or search criteria that will help to identify what you want; and how you would like to receive the information (eg by email or letter). We reserve the right to charge an admin fee if we have reason to believe your request is manifestly unfounded or excessive. This will be in line with the guidance set out by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and based on the administrative costs incurred in dealing with the request. We will respond to the request within a calendar month (with limited exceptions as per the ICO’s guidance).
2. If the data we hold is incorrect or incomplete, you can ask for this to be rectified at any time.
3. You have the right:
4. To be informed
5. To have access to the data

iii. For the data held to be rectified

1. Of erasure
2. To restrict processing
3. To data portability

vii. To object

viii. Not to be subject to automated decision-making including profiling.

Website

We do not collect personal data from our website other than via our “Contact us” form and appointment requests. We may store cookies on your device. These allow us to count the number of visitors and track site usage, and for third party analytics. If you wish to restrict or block the cookies set when visiting our website, you can do this through your browser settings.

Our website contains links to other sites for information purposes only. This policy only applies to our website, and we ask that you check the policies of other sites that you visit. We accept no responsibility for the operation, content or policies of other websites.

Data Processing Complaints

Countrywide Mediation is part of the Amity Mediation Services Group (Trading as A Mediation Services Limited) is a registered data controller. Its ICO registration number is ZB376258.

If you would like to make a complaint in relation to the way we process your personal information, please contact our DPO Kerry Dover via the contact us form on our website or by email [email protected]

We will endeavour to resolve any issues, however if we are unable to do so to your satisfaction, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk, or by telephoning 0303 123 1113.

For more information head to https://mediationcompliance.co.uk