Family Mediator Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Family Mediator is the data controller for the personal information described in this policy. That means we decide why and how it is used, and we are responsible for looking after it.

The only way to contact us, including about privacy, is by telephone on 0330 010 0028.

2. What this policy covers

This policy explains what personal information is involved when you visit this website or make a telephone enquiry, why it is used, who it may be shared with and the rights you have.

If you go on to take part in mediation, you will be given information in writing, before any session, about how information is handled within the mediation itself, including the limits of confidentiality. This policy covers the website and enquiries only.

3. Information from visiting the website

The website is a simple, static site. It has no forms, no accounts and no comment areas. It does not set cookies, and it does not use analytics, tracking pixels, advertising tools or any third-party scripts, fonts or embedded content. Images are served from the website itself. The only script on the site opens and closes the menu on smaller screens, and it does not collect or store anything.

Like most websites, the server that hosts this site may automatically keep standard logs when pages are requested. These logs can include:

• the IP address of the device making the request;
• the date and time of the request;
• the page or file requested;
• basic details about the browser and device, as sent by the browser.

These logs are used to deliver the website, keep it secure and work out what has gone wrong when there is a fault. We do not use them to build a picture of who you are, and we do not combine them with anything you tell us by telephone.

4. Information you give us by phone

When you call, we receive your telephone number, unless you have chosen to withhold it, and whatever you decide to tell us during the conversation. That may include your name, the names and ages of people in your family, the decisions you are trying to make and any concerns you have.

You choose how much to share. You can ask general questions without giving your name, and you can end the call at any point. If you decide to go ahead with mediation, some details will be needed so that arrangements can be made, and we will explain why.

If you tell us about other people, such as a former partner or a child, please share only what is needed for the enquiry.

5. Sensitive information

Family enquiries can involve personal matters. Callers sometimes mention health conditions, worries about safety, abuse, or the wellbeing of children. Information of this kind needs extra care.

We use sensitive details only where they are needed to understand your enquiry, to consider whether mediation is suitable and safe, and to protect anyone who may be at risk. Our aim is to limit who can see them and to keep them no longer than necessary. Where the law requires a particular condition for using such information, we rely on the condition that applies, and you can ask us about it.

6. Why we use it and on what basis

Data protection law requires a lawful basis for using personal information. In general terms, we rely on:

• Legitimate interests: responding to your enquiry, running and securing the website, and keeping any notes needed to follow up an enquiry, where this does not override your own interests and rights.
• Steps at your request before a contract: where you ask us to explain or arrange mediation, using the information needed to do that.
• Legal obligations: where we must keep or share information to comply with the law.

We do not use your information for automated decision-making or profiling, and we do not use it for marketing unless we have asked you first and you have agreed. If you agree and later change your mind, tell us and we will stop.

7. Who it may be shared with

We never sell your personal information. We share it only with your agreement or where the law requires it, for example where there is a serious risk of harm to someone.

Some service providers handle information on our behalf so that the service can run, such as the company that hosts the website and the provider of our telephone service. We expect them to use it only to provide their service to us and to keep it secure. If you would like to know more about the kinds of providers involved, please ask.

We do not contact the other person in your situation without your agreement.

8. How long we keep it

We keep personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purposes described in this policy and to meet any legal obligations. How long that is depends on what the information is and why it was collected; an enquiry that goes no further, for example, is unlikely to need keeping as long as one that leads to mediation.

When information is no longer needed, our aim is to delete it or destroy it securely. If you would like to know how long a particular kind of information is kept, please ask us by telephone.

9. How it is protected

We aim to take appropriate technical and organisational steps to protect personal information against loss, misuse and unauthorised access, and to limit access to those who need it, including for any notes made from calls.

No method of storing or sending information is completely secure, but we aim to keep risks low and to review our approach when circumstances change.

10. Your rights

You have rights over your personal information. Depending on the circumstances, you can ask us to:

• give you access to the information we hold about you;
• correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete (rectification);
• delete your information (erasure);
• restrict how we use it;
• stop using it, where you object to our use;
• provide it in a format that can be passed to another organisation (portability), where this applies.

Some rights apply only in certain situations, and some may be limited where the law requires, for example to protect another person. To use any of these rights, call us. We may need to check your identity before acting on a request, and we will explain if we cannot do what you ask.

11. Children's information

The website is intended for adults and does not collect information from anyone, including children. Information about children usually reaches us only when a parent or carer mentions them during an enquiry, for example a child's age or school arrangements.

We treat information about children with particular care and use it only to understand the enquiry and to keep children's interests and safety in view.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when our practices or the law change. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last updated. If we ever start using cookies, forms or other tools that affect your information, this policy will be updated first.

13. Questions and complaints

If you have a question about this policy or how your information is handled, or you would like to use any of your rights, please call us on 0330 010 0028.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please tell us so that we can try to put it right. You also have the right to complain to the UK data protection supervisory authority.