Privacy Policy

The privacy policy is a statement of

What data we store, on whom, how we collect and how we use it.
What rights an individual has to know about, access, rectify, erase, restrict the use of, object to and request transfer of, their personal data.

Your rights in relation to data privacy

Under GDPR (the General Data Protection Regulations) an individual has a number of additional and augmented rights compared to previous Data Protection regulations. MCTA intends to uphold these rights, unless there is an overriding legal requirement otherwise. We will always seek to have a ‘lawful ground’ to hold each item of personal data on an individual. These include fulfilling a contract or service (e.g. employment or delivering training), satisfying legal compliance (e.g. for donors) and having a legitimate interest (e.g. sending details of training opportunities to people who have previously attended our training). Where none of these is relevant or reasonable for an individual we will seek explicit consent to having continued contact from us.

The rights provided within GDPR are to know what data we store, on whom, how we collect and how we use it. In addition an individual has the right to be shown, rectify, erase, restrict the use of, object to and request transfer of, their personal data.

Who we collect data about

MCTA collects and stores personal information about individuals for the purpose of providing counselling and training. This includes current and future students, staff, and volunteers (counsellors, supervisors, clients, members of the management team and other roles).

Links to other websites

Our website contains links to other third-party sites – particularly alliance partners and sites we recommend. MCTA is not responsible for the privacy practices within any of these other sites. You should be aware of this when you leave the MCTA website and we encourage you to read the privacy statements on other websites you visit.

Disclosing your information

We may pass on your personal information if we have a legal obligation to do so, or if we have to enforce or apply our terms of use and other agreements. This includes exchanging information with government departments for legal reasons. We won’t share your information with any other organisations for marketing, market research or commercial purposes.

Retention Period

Where we hold data from people who we have not had contact with for 7 years, after which time that data will be deleted.

Data Breach In the unlikely event of a data breach, you will be informed as soon as possible and you will be asked to change your email password.

The remainder of this policy explains how we intend to comply with the GDPR.

MCTA PRIVACY POLICY (staff, volunteers, students)

Note that a separate policy covers information related to our future counselling clients, for whom we collect a wider range in data.

What we collect and store

Staff: we collect data relevant to any employment contract or agreement, including payment details and diversity information;
Volunteers: we collect data relevant to the volunteer position, including evidence of suitability;
Students: we collect data relevant to the course the person applies for, including evidence of suitability and of previous relevant qualifications;
Workshop delegates: we collect contact details and selected payment method for delegates.

How we store and use data

The information we collect and store is all provided directly by the individual concerned, and then stored electronically on secure storage & applications.

Contacting us in relation to your personal data

Please contact us at info@mercurealliance.co.uk in the first instance. An appropriate member of staff will reply to you within the timescale required by the GDPR.

MCTA PRIVACY POLICY (clients, when a counselling service becomes available)

Note that a separate policy covers information related to our counsellors, supervisors, other volunteers and students, for whom we collect a wider range in data.

What information do we collect and store

If you apply for counselling with us we will request that during the referral process (currently online) you provide information that enables us to assess and process your application, manage your counselling and evaluate the service that was provided to you.

This includes details of:

General demographics.
Previous counselling or psychotherapy.
Current doctor’s practice or health centre.
Ongoing medical treatment and medication.
Contact with the Community Mental Health Team.
Incidents of recent self-harm.
Drug and alcohol use.
Other information that helps us to assess the person’s suitability for the counselling service we offer.

Why do we collect this information and where do we store it

The information we collect and store is all provided directly by the individual concerned and stored electronically. Some additional information, not including a person’s name, is also stored separately to enable counselling to be set-up, progressed and evaluated, for quality monitoring and for statistical purposes. Electronically held data is stored on secure storage for which authorised access is granted to individuals based on job role.

Contacting us in relation to your personal data

Please contact us at: info@mercurealliance.co.uk in the first instance. An appropriate member of staff will reply to you within the timescale required by the GDPR.

Cookie Compliance

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Learn more about who we are, how you can contact us and how we process personal data in our Privacy Policy.

Please state your consent ID and date when you contact us regarding your consent.

Your consent applies to the following domains: www.mercurealliance.co.uk