Common ground is fully committed to handling personal information in accordance with data protection legislation and best practices.
Our privacy policy was updated in line with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) Introduced May 2018.
Due to the impact of Covid-19 and following Public Health Scotland Guidance & Advice. We are continuing to offer our mediation service remotely.
We have undertaken appropriate measures to continue our commitment to your privacy and follow GDPR guidelines.
Introduction
Common Ground Mediation Ltd (CGM) is an independent provider of mediation services primarily in the Scottish education sector, with a view to promoting collaboration among parents and carers, children, schools and educational services.
CGM requires personal information from the people it works with in order to manage its business in an efficient and effective manner.
This data is subject to the General Data Protection Regulations of 2018 (GDPR).
CGM confirms its support of the objectives and terms of use set out in GDPR and CGM will regularly review this policy and amend the same as necessary.
Privacy Statement
CGM is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office. We are committed to protecting and respecting privacy and we endeavour to follow all requirements of the GDPR. We will never pass information to a third party unless we have been given consent to do so or if we need to do so by the law. On those occasions when we do need to disclose personal information we will do so on a confidential basis and in accordance with the GDPR and follows its guidance. This Privacy Policy explains how CGM collects, stores and uses the personal data that the service users give us.
Definitions used
Data: includes computerised data, manual data and any other forms of accessible record that includes personal information held by CGM.
Personal data: means data about a living individual who can be identified from that information.
Data subject: means the individual about whom the personal data is held.
Responsibilities
The responsibility for proper administration and compliance with the Data Protection legislation lies with the Director of CGM, as the Data Controller. This Privacy Policy applies to all consultants, sessional mediators and any other party who handles information for or on behalf of CGM.
Privacy Policy
We respect personal privacy. For the purpose of the mediation process; we collect information by telephone, face to face meetings and emails. The type of information collected and used will be; names, postal address, email, telephone numbers and information relative to the situation. We communicate with key participants involved and update on service delivery. Seek participants views or comments on the service we provide to increase the understanding of mediation. We seek with consent any comments or quotes which may be used in future promotion or publication materials anonymously.
Any personal data collected will follow strict, data protection principles as advised by the Information Commissioner’s Office. Any personal data collected will:
- Be used by CGM in accordance with GDPR
- Be obtained, processed and used fairly, lawfully and transparently.
- Be adequate and relevant in relation to the purpose for which was collected.
- Be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date.
- Kept for no longer than necessary for the specified purpose.
- Be processed and handled in a way that ensures appropriate security, including protection against unlawful or unauthorised processing, access, loss destruction or damage.
Under data protection legislation rights, CGM handles and uses data in accordance with these. For more information on Data Protection: https://www.gov.uk/data-protection
CGM will inform any data subjects:
- What information CGM holds about them
- How to gain access to this data
- How to keep data held up-to-date
Retention & disposal of information
In line with guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office, personal data is stored securely for no longer than necessary, and all case files (both paper and electronic versions) are destroyed after 1 year. You have the right to ask for a copy of the information CGM holds about you. Information we hold is not transferred to other countries. We will not sell or share the information with third parties for marketing purposes. We also periodically review the data we hold and erase or anonymise it when it is no longer needed.
The right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
www.ico.org.uk They are the body responsible for making sure organisations handle data lawfully. You have a legal right to lodge a complaint with ICO at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
It is the responsibility of the Director to make sure that sessional mediators and any other party who handle information for or on behalf of CGM are aware of their own requirements under the terms of this policy. All files and notes that sessional mediators may have been using are either shredded or returned to the Director after each piece of work is finished.
The Director will monitor compliance with this policy and review it annually.
If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy, please contact the Director:
lesleyfairley@commongroundmediation.co.uk
Telephone: 0131 553 5200
CGM endeavours to improve our practice over time and we are open to comments.
Lesley Fairley
Director
Reviewed November 2020