Our Privacy Policy

Birmingham Settlement Data Privacy Notice

Who We Are

Birmingham Settlement is a charity committed to supporting individuals and communities. In the course of our work, we collect and process personal information in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable data protection laws. This Privacy Policy explains how Birmingham Settlement collects, uses, and protects your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation 1998 (UK GDPR) and the UK Data Protection Act 2018.

Principles

Birmingham Settlement values your privacy and is committed to transparency in data collection and usage. It is important to us that we are honest with you about what data we are collecting, how this is stored, what we will do with it, and how you can withdraw your consent. In accordance with UK GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act 2018 we ensure that all personal data is:

• Collected and processed lawfully, fairly, and transparently.
• Only used for specified, legitimate purposes.
• Limited to what is necessary for those purposes.
• Accurate and kept up to date.
• Stored securely and protected against unauthorised access or loss.

What Information We Collect

The information we collect from you will differ depending on which Birmingham Settlement sessions you attend, services you access and the sites you visit. The list below notes some of the information we collect and store securely with your consent, please note that this is not an exhaustive list.

• Your personal data which can be used to identify you: contact details, including first name, surname, date of birth, address, phone number, email address, emergency contacts to participate in activities. We may also require you to disclose sensitive data: relevant medical information, learning needs, offences and/or convictions, racial or ethical origin, trade union membership etc.
• If you are participating in a paid activity or donating, we will need to take payment details if you choose to pay by card or online.
• With your explicit consent we may take photos and videos during our activity sessions, these may be used to promote Birmingham Settlement online and to demonstrate our impact to funders.
• Employee, freelancer, trustee, grant maker and volunteer records, including safeguarding checks, payment details and date of birth. Job applicant details will be collected and stored for recruitment purposes, these may also be kept for future reference.
• We will keep survey responses and feedback, from in-person and online responses and interactions.
• Cookies, such for Google Analytics to monitor our website usage, analytics tools for social media to monitor our progress and track key performance indicators.

Cookies & Website Tracking

Our website uses cookies to enhance user experience and track browsing behaviour. Cookies identify your computer as you use a network, taking information about website pages viewed, purchasing choices, user journeys, etc. This includes Google Analytics and other tracking tools.

Cyber Essential Certificate

We hold Cyber Essential Certificate that helps us keep your personal and sensitive data safe from cyber-attacks.

How We Collect Information

There are a number of ways that we will lawfully collect information from you, these include;

• Direct in person interactions when signing up for activities, keeping volunteering records and making donations.
• Online forms, including our newsletter sign-ups, event registrations, website cookies, and online surveys.
• Third-party platforms such as Plinth, Advice Pro, Eventbrite, and Easy Fundraising. Plinth is the third-party online platform we use to collect and store service user information and track user journeys over time. Advice Pro is a secure web-based case management system, GDPR compliant, developed specifically for advice organisations which enables us to capture client personal and socio-economic details and casework information over a wide range of matter types.

How We Use Your Information

We will only use your personal data in ways that you have given your expressed consent, this will vary depending on the context upon information was gained. All information will be stored and used securely in line with the UK GDPR and UK Data Protection Act 2018. Please inform us via the email address below if you would like to update any information or change your consent preferences.

There are a number of ways we will use your information; help deliver services and activities, process donations, send newsletters and marketing updates, improve our services and measure impact, and to comply with legal and regulatory obligations. For example, if you grant photo and video consent then we may use these photos and videos on our social media, marketing materials and progress reports to funders. If you provide an email address to receive marketing materials, we will subscribe you to our mailing lists for regular newsletter and marketing updates, you can unsubscribe from these emails at any point.

We are audited every 2 years on the quality of work and with your consent, an external auditor from Recognising Excellence may carry out the examination of your file for the purposes of checking quality of our advice only. Also, with your consent we will share your personal information with other trusted providers for the purposes of appropriate referrals.

Children

Birmingham Settlement works with children, particularly during our Little Settlers (0-5s) and family-based sessions. Personal information collected about children will only be done with consent from their legal guardian and we will never ask children themselves for their personal information. We will not knowingly contact children under the age of 16 via email.

When We Share Your Information

We will never sell your personal data, however we may share anonymised data with project partners and funders in project applications and reports. It is not possible to identify individuals using anonymised data as names, dates of birth and contact details are not shared. For example, the number of people attending a particular session, number of people accessing Money Advice services. We may be required to share your information with service providers under strict data protection agreements.

There are limited instances where Birmingham Settlement may be required to share your information without your permission, for example if;

• A court of law orders us to share information to the police or other regulatory body.
• There is reasonable cause to suspect that someone’s life may be in immediate danger.
• There is reasonable cause to suspect that a child or young person is being harmed or is at risk of experiencing harm.
• You have disclosed information about an act of terrorism.

How Long We Keep Your Information

We retain personal data only as long as necessary for operational, legal, or regulatory requirements. Typically, we keep most records for up to seven years.

You have the right to request access to your personal data, correct any inaccurate information, withdraw consent for marketing communications, request us to delete your personal data under certain circumstances, lodge a complaint with us if you believe that your data has been misused.

You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, if you are unhappy with how we are unhappy with how we have used your personal information.

If you request a copy of all personal/sensitive information we hold about you (this is known as data subject access request), we will provide the information within one month and we will not charge a fee for this.

Contact Us

For privacy-related queries, access requests, or complaints, contact:

Registered Head Office: Birmingham Settlement Sports & Community Centre, 600 Kingstanding Road, Kingstanding, Birmingham, B44 9SH.

Email: info@bsettlement.org.uk
Phone: 0121 250 0770

Data Protection Officer: Money Advice Manager