Family Mediator Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Family Mediator aims to handle personal information connected with this website and with telephone enquiries. It is written in plain language so that you can understand what to expect.

It applies to people who visit the website, to those who telephone to ask about mediation and, later, to those who choose to take part in mediation. Where mediation begins, you will be told of any additional information handling that applies to it.

The pages are designed to be read without entering any personal information. There is no contact form, account area, online booking tool or payment page. Our aim is not to use advertising or tracking cookies on this website.

The technology that delivers a website to your device, such as your internet provider or the server hosting the pages, may process technical data such as an address identifying your connection. This is a normal part of how the internet works, and it is outside the control of the content of these pages.

When you call 0330 010 0028, you may tell us about your circumstances. We may note what you say so that we can respond helpfully and remember the key points of the conversation. This can include your name, contact details, the nature of your situation and information about others affected, such as children or the other person.

You decide how much to share. We will not ask for more than is needed to understand your enquiry, and you can decline to answer any question.

Our aim is to use the information you give us for a limited set of purposes:

• to respond to your enquiry and explain how mediation works;
• to assess whether mediation seems suitable, including considering safety;
• to arrange meetings if you choose to proceed;
• to keep sensible records of what was discussed and agreed;
• to meet legal or regulatory obligations that apply to us;
• to improve the way we explain and provide our services, using information in a way that does not identify you where possible.

We do not intend to sell your information, and we do not use it to send you unrelated promotions.

Our aim is not to record telephone calls. If that ever changed, we would tell you at the start of the call and explain why, so that you could decide how to proceed.

We may keep written notes of the main points discussed, as described above. If you would prefer that something is not noted, you can ask, and we will explain what is possible.

Data protection law requires a lawful basis for handling personal information. Where we respond to your enquiry or take steps you have asked for, this is usually because it is necessary for that purpose or because we have a legitimate interest in running our service responsibly. In some cases we may ask for your consent, and where we do, you may withdraw it at any time.

Some information about family circumstances is particularly sensitive. We aim to take extra care with it and to request only what is needed.

When you talk about your family situation, you will naturally mention others, such as your former partner, your children or relatives. We aim to treat that information with care, to note only what is relevant and to keep it separate from anything that is not.

Please think about how much detail about other people is necessary. You do not need to share everything for us to understand your situation.

Mediation depends on trust, so our aim is to keep what you tell us private. We do not intend to share your information with others except where this is necessary and appropriate. Examples include situations in which you have asked or agreed to this, where it is necessary to protect someone from serious harm or where the law requires disclosure.

Where we use organisations to help us run our service, such as providers of telephone systems or record keeping, we expect them to protect information appropriately and to use it only for the purposes we set.

Where we hold information about you, we aim to keep it accurate and up to date. If something changes, such as how you prefer to be contacted, or if you notice a mistake, please tell us and we will aim to put it right promptly.

We aim to take reasonable steps to protect personal information against loss, misuse and unauthorised access. These include limiting access to people who need it and being careful about how and where records are kept.

No system is entirely free of risk. If you have concerns about how you share information, tell us and we will discuss alternatives.

Our aim is to keep personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purposes described here, or as required by law. Enquiries that do not lead to mediation are intended to be kept for a shorter period than records of mediation itself.

If you would like to know how long information about you is likely to be kept, you can ask when you call.

We do not use automated systems to make decisions about you, and we do not use profiling on this website. Our aim is not to place advertising or analytics cookies on your device.

If we ever introduce a feature that changes this, we would update this policy and make the change easy to notice.

If you give us a telephone number, we aim to use it only for the purpose for which you gave it. If you tell us that you do not wish to be called back, or that calls should be made only at certain times or in a particular way, we will aim to respect that.

Our aim is to keep personal information within the United Kingdom wherever practicable. If information were ever to be handled elsewhere, we would expect it to receive an equivalent standard of protection, as the law requires.

The law gives you rights over your personal information. Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

• ask what information we hold about you and receive a copy;
• ask us to correct information that is wrong or incomplete;
• ask us to delete information where there is no good reason for us to keep it;
• ask us to restrict how we use information in certain situations;
• object to certain types of handling;
• ask for information you gave us to be provided in a portable format, where that applies.

These rights are not absolute and some are subject to conditions. To make a request, please call 0330 010 0028 and explain what you would like. We aim to respond clearly and without undue delay.

The website is written for adults. When mediation concerns children, we may hear information about them from their parents or carers. We aim to handle it carefully, to use only what is needed and to focus on the child's wellbeing.

If you are unhappy with how your information has been handled, please tell us first, so that we have an opportunity to put things right. You also have the right to raise a concern with the public body responsible for overseeing data protection in the United Kingdom.

We may update this policy as our practices or the law change. The date at the top shows when it was last revised. Where a change is significant, we aim to make it easy to notice.

For any question about privacy, call 0330 010 0028. We will do our best to answer clearly.