Our contact details
Name: Melanie Robinson
Address: Bright Mediation Services Ltd
Phone Number: 07825 811897
E-mail: info@brightmediationservices.co.uk
This privacy information applies to the processing of personal data carried out by Bright Mediation Services when you visit our website or mobile applications, use our services, or otherwise interact with us.
It is important that we use your data only in accordance with applicable data protection legislation, in line with your expectations and in a transparent manner.
This page sets out information about what data is collected, why it is collected, how it is used and your options and rights regarding the collection and use of your data.
The type of personal information we collect
We currently collect and process the following information (a file can be paper and/or electronic) :
- Your name, your contact details including your address, phone number and email. We also collect your date of birth and if any aspect of your costs are paid for by the Legal Aid Agency either directly or indirectly, then we will ask you about your ethnic origin and if you are registered disabled. You are NOT obliged to answer these questions. We also ask for your National Insurance number to identify you if you apply for Legal Aid.
- If you have asked us to conduct a financial mediation then we will request financial documentation from you to enable us to have a clear understanding of your current financial circumstances. Hard copies and any electronic copies of this financial documentation will be securely destroyed six months after your mediation has ceased. The only exception to this is if you have received legal aid funding either directly or indirectly. If this is the case then whilst we can securely destroy any documentation – there will be a record detailing your financial circumstances such as an Open Financial Statement. This will be for audit purposes which the Legal Aid Agency conduct on an annual basis.
- If you have asked us to apply for legal aid on your behalf, we will also request financial evidence of your current circumstances so we are able to ascertain whether you qualify for public funding. We are contractually obliged to keep this information for six years. If you are a fee-paying client we are obliged by our insurers to retain our paperwork relating to your case for three years. After this period of time your files will be securely destroyed.
- If you are entitled to public funding either directly or indirectly, then your information will be shared with Access Mediation Direct as they are the entity that hold the contract with The Legal Aid Agency. The purpose of sharing this information with Access Mediation Direct is for the purposes of providing publicly funded mediation. Please let us know if you require a copy of their privacy policy where you will find details of their privacy policy which your information is also subject to.
- If you are entitled to public funding Access Mediation Direct will share information listed above with The Legal Aid Agency. The purpose of sharing this information with the legal aid agency is for the purposes of providing publicly funded mediation. Details of how they store your information can be found on their website
Personal information charter – Legal Aid Agency – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
How we get the personal information and why we have it?
Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you for one of the following reasons:
- To enable us to conduct our business as family mediators
- To identify you for the purposes of Legal Aid funding.
We use the information that you have given us in order to conduct our business as family mediators.
We may share this information with the Legal Aid Agency if you have directly or indirectly received public funding for your mediation costs.
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the lawful bases we rely on for processing this information are:
(a)Your consent. You are able to remove your consent at any time. You can do this by contacting info@brightmediationservices.co.uk.
(b) We have a legitimate interest.
If you have directly or indirectly received public funding via the Legal Aid Agency then we are obliged to store your data for three years if you just attended a MIAM and mediation did not take place. After that your information will be securely destroyed. If mediation did take place then we are obliged to store your information for up to six years. After that your information will be securely destroyed. If you are a fee paying client we are obliged by our insurers to retain our paperwork relating to your case for three years. After this period of time this paperwork will be securely destroyed.
If you raise a complaint about our service, then with your permission, we will share your file with the Bright Mediation Services Professional Practice Consultant (PPC). If we are unable to resolve your complaint using our own internal procedure, you will then need to contact the FMSB – Family Mediation Standards Board via The Family Mediation Council (details are contained within our complaints procedure). They will need to have sight of your file in order to manage your complaint effectively.
How we store your personal information
Your information is securely stored on our computer systems and/or on Progress Mediation Case Management Systems.
All mediators are required to sign a data risk assessment to ensure your information remains safe and secure at all times.
Your data protection rights
Under data protection law, you have rights including:
Your right of access – You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.
Your right to rectification – You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
Your right to erasure – You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to restriction of processing – You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to object to processing – You have the the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to data portability – You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.
You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.
Please contact us at info@brightmediationservices.co.uk if you wish to make a request.
How to complain
If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to us at Bright Mediation Services Ltd at info@brightmediationservices.co.uk.
You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data.
The ICO’s address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Helpline number: 0303 123 1113
ICO website: https://www.ico.org.uk