At Merseyside Domestic Violence Service (MDVS) we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.
MDVS are committed to making sure that we’re transparent about the ways in which we use your personal information and that we have the right controls in place to make sure it’s used responsibly and is kept safe.
Information we collect and how we use it
Personal information is any information we could use to identify an individual. For example, this could be your name and contact details.
Sensitive personal information is information that meets the ‘personal information’ criteria and also reveals the following;
- Racial or ethnic origin
- Sexuality and sexual life
- Religious or philosophical beliefs
- Trade union membership
- Political opinions
- Genetic and biometric data
- Physical or mental health
- Criminal convictions and offences
- How we use your personal information
- Your privacy rights
- How the law protects you.
Your personal information can be collected and used for one or more of our services. This will depend on your relationship with us and what your contact with us is about.
We can use information about you to:
- Deliver services and support by ensuring other statutory or voluntary agencies who we work with are able to deliver ‘joined up’ services to you
- Ensure we are compliant with relevant UK laws
- Plan future services
- Manage and check the quality of our services
- Keep track of spending on services
- Ensure the health and safety of our staff
- Help investigate any concerns or complaints you have about our services and answer enquiries
- Improve the general experience of our clients and visitors to our websites
- Manage any online transactions you may choose to make and marketing choices or preferences you may have expressed.
We can also use the information:
- If you apply for a job or become employed by us
- For archive, research, or statistical purposes – including the research and evaluation we do ourselves or in combination with research partners.
Although MDVS will hold your information within our records and ensure it is used responsibly and kept safe, you are the owner of the information you provide us.
You have the right:
- To be informed
- To ask us for access to copies of the personal information we hold about you
- To ask us to change your personal information if it is wrong or incomplete
- To ask us to stop processing your personal information (this is known as the ‘right to object’)
- To ask us to erase personal information we hold about you (this is also known as the ‘right to be forgotten)
- To ask us to ‘restrict’ the processing of your personal information (pending outcome of an erasure request) .
How long we keep your information
We will only keep your information for as long as the Law requires us to.
We’re committed to making sure your personal information is safe including from accidental loss or alteration, inappropriate access, misuse or theft.
We will ensure that:
- Your data is always kept safe and secure
- We handle your information responsibly and respect your confidentiality
- Your data is only collected and processed where it is necessary for us to do so
- Your data is securely deleted/destroyed when it is no longer required
- We are open with you about how we use your data and who we may share it with
- Your privacy rights are respected.
Our service providers must put in place appropriate standards and security measures. We will only allow them to process your personal information for specified purposes set out in the contract we have with them.
Use of Cookies
Cookies are pieces of information that a website transfers to your hard drive with information about you. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but, if you prefer, you can change your browser to prevent that. However, by disabling cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of a website.
Although cookies can identify from which computer a website was accessed, they cannot identify the users personally. Cookies cannot track your movements around the web.
Merseyside Domestic Violence Services uses cookies to:
- Monitor the number of visitors to our website
- Monitor how users use our website, i.e., which pages they have accessed
- To help improve our website.
For more data on Cookies visit www.aboutcookies.org. In addition to detailing extensive information on cookies, this site also provides explanations on how to disable cookies on your computer.
Your rights
Under data protection law, you have rights we need to make you aware of.
The rights available to you depend on our reason for processing your information. This can be found on individual service privacy notices.
Your right of access
You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. This right always applies. There are some exemptions, which means you may not always receive all the information we process.
For all requests, we’ll need documentary proof that you are who you say you are. This is for security reasons to make sure we are dealing with you and that none of your personal information is accessed or interfered with by anyone else falsely claiming to be you. Please ensure you provide at least two forms of identification. We can accept:
- A copy of a passport
- Driving licence
- Utility bill
- Bank statement bearing your full name and current postal address.
In some circumstances we may also ask for additional information if necessary. There is no charge for fulfilling a request from you. We will try to respond within one calendar month counted form the first working day after we receive:
- Your request
- Proof of identity
- Any further information we have asked you for.
Your right to rectification
You have the right to ask us to rectify information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete. This right always applies. Read more about this right on the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website.
Your right to erasure
You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances. Read more about this right on the ICO website.
Your right to restriction of processing
You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your information in certain circumstances. Read more about this right on the ICO website.
Your right to object to processing
You have the right to object to processing if we are able to process your information because the process forms part of our public tasks, or is in our legitimate interests. Read more about this right on the ICO website.
Your right to data portability
This only applies to information you have given us. You have the right to ask that we transfer the information you gave us from one organisation to another, or give it to you. The right only applies if we are processing information based on your consent or under, or in talks about entering into a contract and the processing is automated. Read more about this right on the ICO website.
If we are processing your information for criminal law enforcement purposes, your rights are slightly different. Please see the relevant section of the notice.
You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. We have one month to respond to you.
To exercise these rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer (DPO) by emailing info@mdvs.org.
For further information, you can also visit the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website.
Your acceptance of these terms
By using this site, you consent to the collection and use of this information by Merseyside Domestic Violence Serviced and to Merseyside Domestic Violence Services privacy policy.
Please send any questions, concerns or comments you have about these policies to info@mdvs.org.
We may update or amend this policy at any time.