1. Introduction

By interacting with St Martin’s Centre for Health and Healing working name St Martin’s Counselling Service you agree to the terms of this Privacy Notice, which is designed to protect your rights while enabling us to carry out our charitable objectives responsibly. St Martin’s Centre for Health and Healing is committed to safeguarding your privacy and ensuring that your personal information is protected. This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal data, as well as your rights under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

2. Who We Are

St Martin’s Centre for Health and Healing is a registered charity based in the UK, dedicated to making professional counselling & psychotherapy as accessible as possible. For the purposes of data protection laws, the data controller is: St Martin’s Centre for Health and Healing – working name St Martin’s Counselling Service Charity number: 1094458

• Registered Charity Number: 109445
• Address: Edgbaston Street, Birmingham. B5 5BB
• Contact Email: admin@smchh.co.uk
• Phone Number: 0121 500 6025 • 07725 74199

3. What Data We Collect

We may collect, store, and process the following categories of personal data:

• Personal Identification Information: Name, address, date of birth, phone number, and email address
• Financial Information: Bank details, donation history, Gift Aid declarations, and payment information
• Special Category Data: In certain circumstances, we may collect health data or other sensitive information, but only where necessary (e.g., to provide services or for accessibility needs), and with explicit consent
• Communication Preferences: Preferences regarding how you wish to be contacted
• Website Usage Data: Information gathered through cookies and analytics tools when you visit our website, such as IP address, browser type, and pages visited

4. How We Use Your Personal Data

We collect and process personal data for the following purposes:

• To Provide Services: To offer services, support, or information requested by individuals
• Fundraising and Donations: To process donations, manage fundraising activities, and send updates on how your support is making a difference
• Communication: To send newsletters, event information, and updates, where you have given consent to receive such communications
• Volunteer and Staff Management: To recruit, manage, and communicate with volunteers, staff, and trustees
• Compliance with Legal Obligations: To fulfil our legal obligations, such as processing Gift Aid claims or responding to data protection requesst
• Website Analytics: To improve the functionality and user experience of our website

5. Legal Basis for Processing

We will only process your personal data when we have a legal basis to do so. These legal bases include:

• Consent: When you provide explicit consent for a specific use of your data (e.g., subscribing to our newsletter)
• Contractual Necessity: When processing is necessary to fulfil a contract with you (e.g., processing donations or providing service)
• Legitimate Interests: When processing is necessary for the legitimate interests of St Martin’s Centre for Health and Healing or a third party, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms
• Legal Obligation: When processing is necessary to comply with legal obligations, such as tax reporting

6. How We Share Your Data

We will never sell or rent your personal data to third parties. However, we may share your data with trusted third-party service providers in the following circumstances:

• Service Providers: We may share data with third-party providers to facilitate our services (e.g., IT providers, payment processors, or mailing services)
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose personal data to regulatory or law enforcement bodies if required by law
• With Your Consent: In any situation where your explicit consent is required for data sharing

7. Data Security

We are committed to ensuring your data is secure. We have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or damage.

• Encryption: Sensitive data is encrypted both in transit and at rest.
• Access Control: Access to personal data is restricted to authorised personnel who require it for their work.
• Data Storage: We store personal data on secure servers and ensure that all physical documents are securely locked away.

8. How Long We Keep Your Data

We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected or to meet legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. For example:

• Donor Records: Financial records related to donations will be retained for six years to comply with tax and Gift Aid regulations.
• Service User Records: Personal data related to service users will be kept for as long as the individual is engaged with our services and for an appropriate period afterward, in line with our data retention policy.

9. Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection laws, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to Access: You can request access to the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: You can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure: You can request the deletion of your data, subject to certain conditions.
• Right to Restrict Processing: You can ask us to restrict the processing of your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to Object: You can object to the processing of your data for direct marketing purposes or where we are relying on legitimate interests.
• Right to Data Portability: You can request a copy of your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 2. We aim to respond to all requests within one month.

10. Cookies and Website Data

Our website uses cookies to enhance user experience and collect information about website traffic. Cookies are small text files placed on your device that allow us to recognise and remember you. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. For more information about how we use cookies, please refer to our Cookie Policy.

11. Changes to This Privacy Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in our operations or legal requirements. Any significant changes will be communicated to you directly, where appropriate. This Privacy Notice was last updated in October 2024

12. Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Notice or how your personal data is handled, please contact our Director

• Director: Robert Jones
• Email: admin@smchh.co.uk
• Phone: 0121 600 6025 • 07725 74199
• Address: Edgbaston Street, Birmingham. B5 5BB

If you are not satisfied with our response, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s supervisory authority for data protection issues:

• Website: www.ico.org.uk
• Phone: 0303 123 1113