Privacy Policy for the Family Mediator Website

Information involved in browsing

These pages do not contain an enquiry form, account registration, payment screen or online appointment system. The website does not send a message to Family Mediator, request your location, access your contacts or collect personal information through form fields.

The code does not set cookies, use browser storage, embed advertising, include analytics scripts or load third-party fonts. Images and other visual assets are served with the website; text uses fonts already available on your device. The mobile navigation and expandable questions operate within the page without sending their state to a server.

Serving a website still involves a connection between your device and its host. Technical information such as an IP address, requested page, browser information and time of access may be processed by the hosting infrastructure. The precise logging settings and retention depend on the deployment; the absence of tracking code is not proof that a host creates no logs.

Selecting a telephone link asks a compatible device to use its calling function. The website does not receive your conversation through that link. Your device, telecommunications provider and any calling application may process information under their own arrangements.

Information you provide when enquiring

During a telephone enquiry, you may provide your name, contact details, the broad reason for the enquiry and practical information about a possible appointment. Share what is necessary to understand the question and discuss next steps. You do not need to provide passwords, payment credentials or a complete set of case documents simply to ask about mediation.

A later assessment or mediation service may require more detailed information about family circumstances, finances, children, safety or access needs. Some of this can be particularly sensitive or concern other people. Ask what is needed, why it is needed and how to provide it through an appropriate channel before sending records.

If you provide another person’s details, take care to distinguish information needed for a legitimate purpose from unnecessary disclosure. Your wish to discuss a situation does not automatically authorise disclosure of another person’s records. Children’s information requires particular care and should be limited to what is relevant.

Tell the service if a contact route is unsafe, shared or accessible by another person. A communication preference can itself be sensitive. Discuss what may be recorded or passed on rather than assuming a phone call creates a safe method for every future exchange.

Purposes and lawful grounds

Personal information needs a lawful purpose and an appropriate legal basis. Depending on the circumstances, relevant purposes may include responding to an enquiry, considering a proposed service, arranging an appointment, providing an agreed service, maintaining necessary records, addressing a concern or complying with a legal duty.

Possible lawful grounds include steps taken at your request before a contract, performance of a contract, compliance with a legal obligation or legitimate interests where those interests are properly balanced against your rights. Consent may be appropriate for a specific optional use. It should not be assumed that every use of information relies on the same basis.

Information concerning health, certain other sensitive characteristics or criminal allegations can require additional legal conditions. A general service purpose alone is not enough to identify every condition. Ask for an explanation of the basis relevant to your information if it is not clear when details are requested.

Consent, where relied upon, must be distinguishable from simply reading a website. You can withdraw consent for the relevant processing without affecting processing that was lawful before withdrawal. Withdrawal does not necessarily remove a separate obligation to keep information for another lawful reason. This website does not enrol visitors in marketing.

Sharing, confidentiality and service providers

Mediation confidentiality and data protection are related but distinct. Before a service begins, ask how information is treated, what is shared between participants and what exceptions apply. Do not assume that an individual conversation, a financial document and a written outcome record all have identical rules.

Information may need to be shared where necessary for an agreed service, through an appropriately engaged support provider, with your valid authority or where a legal duty or safeguarding requirement applies. The relevant circumstances and lawful basis matter. This statement does not give a blanket permission to disclose case information.

Technical providers can be involved in hosting, communications or administration. Ask which providers are involved in handling your information, where it is held and which safeguards apply. These details can differ between a website visit, a telephone enquiry and a mediation service.

If information is to be transferred outside the UK, an appropriate lawful transfer mechanism and safeguards may be required. Ask about the arrangements relevant to the service before sharing sensitive documents if this affects your decision. Identity and third-party privacy may also limit what can be disclosed in response to an information request.

Keeping information accurate and no longer than needed

Tell the service if an important detail is incorrect or a contact method has changed. When asking for a correction, identify the information and explain the change. A disagreement about an opinion or another person’s account may need to be recorded differently from a simple factual error.

Personal information should be retained only for as long as there is a justified purpose, taking account of the service, legal obligations, complaints and the establishment or defence of legal claims. Retention should be explained for the information and purpose involved. Ask for the period or criteria that apply to the particular category of record.

An erasure request does not necessarily require immediate deletion of every record. Some information may need to be kept for a lawful reason, while other information may no longer be needed. The response should address the request and any applicable exception rather than assume that one rule covers all data.

Appropriate organisational and technical safeguards are needed for personal information, but no system is risk-free. Ask about the safeguards relevant to the information you are being asked to provide. Use an agreed channel for documents and avoid sending sensitive material through a route that has not been established for that purpose.

Your information rights and questions

Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights to be informed about processing, access your personal information, correct inaccuracies, request erasure, restrict processing, object to certain processing and receive qualifying information in a portable format. These rights have conditions and exceptions; they are not all available for every processing activity.

Where consent is the lawful basis for a specific activity, you may withdraw it. Where legitimate interests are relied upon, you can raise an objection based on your circumstances. You also have protections relating to certain solely automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects. This website does not make such decisions about visitors.

To raise a request, call 0330 010 0028 and explain that it concerns personal information. Ask for an appropriate channel to provide any necessary detail. Proportionate identity checks may be needed to protect records from being disclosed to the wrong person. A request should be handled within the applicable statutory timeframe, subject to lawful extensions or exceptions.

You may complain about how your information is handled, including to the relevant UK data protection supervisory authority. Raising a concern with the service does not remove that right. This policy may be updated to reflect changes to the website or processing; a wording change does not by itself authorise a new use of your information or remove existing rights.

You can make a clear request without using legal terminology. Explain what information or processing concerns you and what you are asking to happen. If the scope is unclear, clarification may help identify the relevant records while protecting information about other people. Ask for an explanation if a request is refused or only partly fulfilled, including the basis for any applicable limitation.

If your concern relates to safe communication, explain that at the start of the request. A shared device or contact detail can affect how an answer should be provided. Ask what communication route can be used before supplying further sensitive information. Privacy questions should be considered alongside practical safety needs rather than treated as an ordinary preference about convenience.

You can also ask which information is necessary for a proposed service and what would happen if you chose not to provide it. Some information may be required to assess suitability or meet a legal obligation; other information may be optional. Understanding the distinction can help you make a more informed choice.