Privacy Policy 

This policy sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us. Please read the following carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your personal data and how we will treat it. By using our service and completing any forms you agree to your data being used for the purposes specified below:

For the purpose of The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 25/05/18 Entente Family Mediation will be what is termed the “Controller” of the personal data you provide to us. Our registered address is BTC, Bessemer Drive, Stevenage, Herts SG1 2DX.

 

Information we may collect from you & why

We collect the following data about you:

We will collect basic personal data about you and may also collect special categories of personal information about you (often known as “sensitive personal data”). This is due to the nature of our work and is necessary for us to write up documents containing the outcomes of the process which you may elect to provide to a solicitor within divorce proceedings in order to create a legally binding final order or to demonstrate an outcome signed up to by both parties containing the relevant background information with intentions or considerations given or as part of any arrangement or to demonstrate to a court an arrangement that was signed up to by both parties and recorded by the mediators present. Information includes name, address, email address, telephone numbers, date of birth, occupation, children’s names, children’s dates of birth and educational establishments currently attended, basic income and outgoings information, diagnosed medical conditions that are relevant to the process such as the special needs of a child or adult that should be considered within any proposal worked on in mediation.  We also require this information in order to contact clients during the process. Financial information such as bank statements, P60’s, payslips company accounts and other evidence based financial documents are only required for financial or all issues mediation not for children’s matters. The exception to this is a children’s matter where child maintenance or additional finance is a matter disputed during the process in which case evidence of income and basic outgoings may form part of the process. Mediation is a voluntary process and if both parties do decide to proceed without full disclosure it may still be possible to reach an outcome that can be made legally binding by order of the court ultimately.

If there is a court order in place, we will need to have sight of it and it may be added to your client file. This is to ensure that all mediations conducted do not breach any existing orders or put any persons, particularly any minors, at risk of harm to include the mediators.

If a client specifically requests that personal data such as their email address, telephone number or address are kept confidential during the mediation process we will respect their privacy.

We work with clients in many different situations and therefore if a client informs us that if information is disclosed, they or their children could be at risk we will take this very seriously. That does not imply a judgement about the accuracy or basis of such comments but simply to avoid potential harm or accusation of harm.

 

 

Where we store your personal data

Entente Family Mediation stores your personal data in a lockable cabinet in a room that is alarmed when not in use by the Gr team. We do not email or post any data to third parties except at your specific request such as to post a MIAM certificate to your solicitor or to forward a file note to another mediation service where for example the other party wishes to mediate in a different region and our client need not attend a further MIAM appointment with a file note supplied. In a situation such as the aforementioned, we are likely to need to contact the other service and inform them of passwords where we are sending encrypted files. By submitting your personal data, you agree to your information being stored. Outcome documents containing your data will not be drawn up without your express consent in writing. We do not record telephone calls but do keep notes of calls and file notes as a memory aid for the mediator, these belong to the mediators and as explained at the MIAM appointment and on the Agreement to Mediate with each client the process is confidential, and proposals discussed in mediation cannot be disclosed to a court unless both parties agree to this. Any exceptions to confidentiality are discussed at the first meeting and written in the Agreement to Mediate form which must be signed to protect all parties before mediation commences.

Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our site; any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access.​

What we do with it?

All the personal data we hold about you will be processed by our staff in the United Kingdom and no third parties will have access to your personal data unless there is a legal obligation for us to provide them with this.

 

Any information held by us might be shared with the FMSB in the event of a formal complaint made to the FMSB, to which the information pertains.

How long we keep it?

Clients – We will generally keep your personal data for 6 years after you cease using our services after which it will be destroyed if it is no longer required for the lawful purpose (s) for which it was obtained.

Cookies

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