Privacy notice
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All individuals accessing support from Stop Domestic Abuse are required to complete a Confidentiality and Sharing Agreement at the start of their engagement with our services. This agreement outlines:
what personal information we collect
how we use your information to keep you safe and provide support
when we may need to share information with other agencies
your rights under UK GDPR
how you can tell us your preferences about information sharing
We go through this agreement with every service user so you can ask questions, understand your rights, and decide how you want your information to be used. You
Our intention is to ensure that all service users are fully informed about how their personal information is handled and to provide assurance that confidentiality, privacy, and data protection are integral to the support we provide.
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When you use our website to browse the content we make available we do collect or use cookies. Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer by websites that you visit. They are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site.
When you submit an enquiry via our website your email enquiry goes directly to Stop Domestic Abuse via email.
We use your email address to respond to your query, including providing you with any requested information about our services. We may also email you several times after your enquiry in order to follow up on your interest and ensure that we have answered it to your satisfaction.
We will do this based on our legitimate interest in providing accurate information.
You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking on the ‘C’ icon. You can then adjust the available sliders to ‘On’ or ‘Off’, then clicking ‘Save and close’. You may need to refresh your page for your settings to take effect.
Alternatively, most web browsers allow some control of most cookies through the browser settings. To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set, visit www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org.
Find out how to manage cookies on popular browsers:
To find information relating to other browsers, visit the browser developer's website.
To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites, visit http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
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Staff and Volunteers privacy notice
This privacy notice tells you what to expect us to do with your personal information when you work for us.
Staff recruitment, administration and management
We collect or use the following personal information as part of staff recruitment, administration and management:
Contact details (e.g name, address, telephone number or personal email address)
Date of birth
National Insurance number
Gender
Photographs (e.g staff ID card)
Copies of passports or other photo ID
Copies of proof of address documents (e.g bank statements or bills)
Marital status
Next of kin or emergency contact details.
Employment history (e.g job application, employment references or secondary employment)
Education history (e.g qualifications)
Right to work information
Details of any criminal convictions (e.g DBS checks)
Political, conflict of interest or gift declarations
Security clearance details (e.g basic checks and higher security clearance).
Performance records (e.g reviews, disciplinary records, complaints or disciplinary action)
Training history and development needs
Monitoring employees’ IT use.
CCTV footage or other recordings.
We also collect or use the following special category information for staff recruitment, administration and management. This information is subject to additional protection due to its sensitive nature:
Racial or ethnic origin
Health information
Sexual orientation information
Salaries and pensions
We collect or use the following personal information as part of managing salaries and pensions:
Job role and employment contract (e.g start and leave dates, salary, changes to employment contract or working patterns)
Time spent working (e.g timesheets or clocking in and out)
Expense, overtime or other payments claimed
Leave (eg sick leave, holidays or special leave)
Maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption leave and pay.
Pension details.
Bank account details.
Payroll records.
Tax status.
We also collect or use the following special category information for managing salaries and pensions. This information is subject to additional protection due to its sensitive nature:
Racial or ethnic origin.
Religious or philosophical beliefs.
Staff health and wellbeing
We collect or use the following personal information for managing staff health and wellbeing:
General health and wellbeing information.
Occupational health referrals and reports.
Sick leave forms or fit notes (e.g Statement of Fitness for Work from a GP or hospital).
Accident at work records.
Access needs or reasonable adjustments
Protected Characteristics (as defined by the Equality Act for the purpose of equal opportunities monitoring).
We also collect or use the following special category information for managing staff health and wellbeing. This information is subject to additional protection due to its sensitive nature:
Racial or ethnic origin.
Religious or philosophical beliefs.
Trade union membership.
Health information.
Sexual orientation information.
Lawful bases and data protection rights
Under UK data protection law, we must have a “lawful basis” for collecting and using your personal information. There is a list of possible lawful bases in the UK GDPR. You can find out more about lawful bases on the ICO’s website.
Which lawful basis we rely on may affect your data protection rights which are set out in brief below. You can find out more about your data protection rights and the exemptions which may apply on the ICO’s website:
Your right of access - you have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. You can request other information such as details about where we get personal information from and who we share personal information with. There are some exemptions which means you may not receive all the information you ask for. Read more about the right of access.
Your right to rectification - you have the right to ask us to correct or delete personal information you think is inaccurate or incomplete. Read more about the right to rectification.
Your right to erasure - you have the right to ask us to delete your personal information. Read more about the right to erasure.
Your right to restriction of processing - you have the right to ask us to limit how we can use your personal information. Read more about the right to restriction of processing.
Your right to object to processing - you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data. Read more about the right to object to processing.
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. Read more about the right to data portability.
Your right to withdraw consent -when we use consent as our lawful basis you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. Read more about the right to withdraw consent.
If you make a request, we must respond to you without undue delay and in any event within one month.
To make a data protection rights request, please contact us using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice.
Our lawful bases for the collection and use of your data
Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information as part of staff recruitment, administration and management are:
Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
Contract – we have to collect or use the information so we can enter into or carry out a contract with you. All of your data protection rights may apply except the right to object.
Legal obligation – we have to collect or use your information so we can comply with the law. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure, the right to object and the right to data portability.
Vital interests – collecting or using the information is needed when someone’s physical or mental health or wellbeing is at urgent or serious risk. This includes an urgent need for life sustaining food, water, clothing or shelter. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object and the right to portability.
Public task – we have to collect or use your information to carry out a task laid down in law, which the law intends to be performed by an organisation such as ours. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure and the right to portability.
Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information as part of managing salaries and pensions are:
Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
Contract – we have to collect or use the information so we can enter into or carry out a contract with you. All of your data protection rights may apply except the right to object.
Legal obligation - we have to collect or use your information so we can comply with the law. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure, the right to object and the right to data portability.
Vital interests – collecting or using the information is needed when someone’s physical or mental health or wellbeing is at urgent or serious risk. This includes an urgent need for life sustaining food, water, clothing or shelter. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object and the right to portability.
Public task
We have to collect or use your information to carry out a task laid down in law, which the law intends to be performed by an organisation such as ours. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure and the right to portability.
Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information as part of managing staff health and wellbeing are:
Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
Contract – we have to collect or use the information so we can enter into or carry out a contract with you. All of your data protection rights may apply except the right to object.
Legal obligation - we have to collect or use your information so we can comply with the law. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure, the right to object and the right to data portability.
Vital interests - collecting or using the information is needed when someone’s physical or mental health or wellbeing is at urgent or serious risk. This includes an urgent need for life sustaining food, water, clothing or shelter. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object and the right to portability.
Public task – we have to collect or use your information to carry out a task laid down in law, which the law intends to be performed by an organisation such as ours. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure and the right to portability.
Where we get personal information from
We collect your information from the following places:
Directly from you
Employment agencies
Schools, colleges, universities or other education organisations.
Referees (external or internal)
Security clearance providers
Occupational Health and other health providers
Pension administrators or government departments (e.g HMRC and DWP)
Staff benefit providers
Public sources (e.g LinkedIn or other websites)
CCTV footage or other recordings
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How We Handle Your Personal Information
Your support means a great deal to us, and so does your privacy. This notice explains what information we collect about you, how we use it, and the choices you have.
When you donate to Stop Domestic Abuse or choose to support our work in any way, we collect certain personal information so we can manage your engagement with us.
Information We Collect
We may collect:
Your name and contact details
Donation and payment information
Gift Aid declarations
Your communication preferences
Details about events you attend or volunteer activities you take part in
Any other information you choose to share with us
How We Use Your Information
We use your information to:
Process donations and Gift Aid
Keep you informed about our work, campaigns, and events (only if you’ve asked us to)
Manage volunteering and fundraising activities
Maintain accurate records of your relationship with us
Meet legal and regulatory requirements
Our Legal Grounds for Using Your Information
We rely on:
Consent when you choose to receive updates from us
Contractual necessity when handling donations or event registrations
Legal obligations for financial and Gift Aid records
Legitimate interests to manage our supporter relationships and improve how we operate
Who We Share Your Information With
We may share your information with:
Trusted partners who help us process donations, send communications, or run events
HMRC for Gift Aid purposes
Regulators or authorities when required by law
They will only receive the information necessary to carry out their work and must meet our data protection standards.
We will never sell your personal information.
Keeping Your Information Safe
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information from loss, misuse, or unauthorised access.
How Long We Keep Your Information
We keep your information only for as long as necessary for the purposes outlined above, including legal and financial record‑keeping.
Your Communication Choices
If you change your mind after opting in to receive updates, you can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails or by contacting us directly.
Your Rights
You can:
Request access to the information we hold about you
Ask us to correct or delete your information
Withdraw your consent for communications at any time
Object to or limit certain types of processing
Raise a concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Credit, debit card and payment information
Donations to Stop Domestic Abuse can be made via credit or debit card payments, standing order, cash and cheques.
We ensure that all payments or donations are carried out securely and, where applicable for payment cards (such as MasterCard and Visa payment), are processed in accordance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
To find out more about PCI DSS standards visit their website at pcisecuritystandards.org.
Your payment information
In addition to keeping your payment information safe during the payment process, we will:
not store your credit or debit card details
securely destroy all card details and validation codes once the payment or donation process is complete
immediately delete any emails received that contain any credit or debit card details
only allow authorised staff to process payments and access payment details.
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Stop Domestic Abuse shall not keep personal data for any longer than is necessary in light of the purpose or purposes for which that personal data was originally collected, held, and processed. When personal data is no longer required, all reasonable steps will be taken to erase or otherwise dispose of it without delay.
Stop Domestic Abuse’s approach to data retention, including retention periods for specific personal data types held by Stop Domestic Abuse is as follows:
Type of Data / Data Subject
Client records
Retention Period
12 years from the last date of engagement with any of our services
Type of Data / Data Subject
Staff & Volunteer HR records
Retention Period
6 years from their last date of employment/volunteering
Type of Data / Data Subject
Financial data and records
Retention Period
6 years from the last date of use
Type of Data / Data Subject
Subject Access Requests
Retention Period
2 years from the date of the request being fulfilled
Type of Data / Data Subject
Complaints
Retention Period
2 years from the date of the last correspondence
Type of Data / Data Subject
Job Applications (unsuccessful candidates only)
Retention Period
1 year from the date of appointment
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Under UK data protection law, we must have a “lawful basis” for collecting and using your personal information. There is a list of possible lawful bases in the UK GDPR. You can find out more about lawful bases on the ICO’s website.
Which lawful basis we rely on may affect your data protection rights which are set out in brief below. You can find out more about your data protection rights and the exemptions which may apply on the ICO’s website:
Your right of access - You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. You can request other information such as details about where we get personal information from and who we share personal information with. There are some exemptions which means you may not receive all the information you ask for. Read more about the right of access.
Your right to rectification - You have the right to ask us to correct or delete personal information you think is inaccurate or incomplete. Read more about the right to rectification.
Your right to erasure - You have the right to ask us to delete your personal information. Read more about the right to erasure.
Your right to restriction of processing - You have the right to ask us to limit how we can use your personal information. Read more about the right to restriction of processing.
Your right to object to processing - You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data. Read more about the right to object to processing.
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. Read more about the right to data portability.
Your right to withdraw consent – When we use consent as our lawful basis you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. Read more about the right to withdraw consent.
If you make a request, we must respond to you without undue delay and in any event within one month.
To make a data protection rights request, please contact us using the contact details below.
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Any questions relating to this policy or to Data Protection Law should be referred to the Data Protection Officer. In particular, the Data Protection Officer should always be consulted in the following cases:
if there is any uncertainty relating to the lawful basis on which personal data is to be collected, held, and/or processed;
if consent is being relied upon in order to collect, hold, and/or process personal data;
if there is any uncertainty relating to the retention period for any particular type(s) of personal data;
if any new or amended privacy notices or similar privacy-related documentation are required;
if any assistance is required in dealing with the exercise of a data subject’s rights (including, but not limited to, the handling of subject access requests);
if a personal data breach (suspected or actual) has occurred;
if there is any uncertainty relating to security measures (whether technical or organisational) required to protect personal data;
if personal data is to be shared with third parties (whether such third parties are acting as data controllers or data processors);
if personal data is to be transferred outside of the UK and there are questions relating to the legal basis on which to do so;
when any significant new processing activity is to be carried out, or significant changes are to be made to existing processing activities, which will require a Data Protection Impact Assessment;
when personal data is to be used for purposes different to those for which it was originally collected;
if any automated processing, including profiling or automated decision making, is to be carried out; or
if any assistance is required in complying with the law applicable to direct marketing.
If you remain unhappy with how we’ve used your data after raising a complaint with us, you can also complain to the ICO.
The ICO’s address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AFHelpline number: 0303 123 1113
Website: https://www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted via:
Post: PO Box 53, Havant, PO9 1UA
Email: dpo@stopdomesticabuse.uk
Telephone: 0330 0533 630
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4.2.2026
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Introduction
This Cookie Policy outlines how we use cookies and similar technologies on our websites to deliver a secure, efficient, and user-centred experience. It explains what cookies are, why we use them, and how you can manage your preferences. By continuing to browse our websites, you agree to our use of cookies in accordance with this policy, unless you have disabled them.
What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you access a website. These files collect and store information about your visit, which is then communicated back to our website or third-party service providers upon subsequent visits. Cookies support website functionality, enhance user experience, and help us understand how our site is being used.
Types of Cookies We Use
We use the following categories of cookies:
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are essential for the operation of our websites. They enable core functions such as security, network management, and accessibility. You cannot opt out of these cookies.
Example:
Remembering your cookie consent preferences
Enabling secure log-in sessions
Performance and Analytics Cookies
These cookies collect aggregated data to help us understand how visitors interact with our site. This includes metrics such as page views, bounce rates, and navigation patterns. All data is anonymised.
Example Tools:
Google Analytics
Functionality Cookies
These cookies remember choices you make (such as language preferences or form inputs) to provide enhanced, personalised features.
Some of these cookies may be set by third-party platforms when you interact with embedded content such as YouTube videos or social media feeds.
Data Collected via Cookies
Through cookies, we may collect:
IP address and device type
Browser type and operating system
Pages visited, time spent, and actions taken
Referral URLs and geographic location (at a city/region level)
This information does not identify you personally and is used solely for statistical, functional, and service improvement purposes.
Legal Basis for Processing
Under the UK GDPR and similar frameworks, we rely on:
Consent for all non-essential cookies (e.g., analytics).
Legitimate interests for essential operational cookies.
Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You have full control over how cookies are used.
You can disable cookies by adjusting your browser settings. However, doing so may impact your ability to access certain parts of our site or experience reduced functionality.
To opt out of Google Analytics tracking, you may install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
Third-Party Cookies
Some features on our website rely on third-party providers who may place cookies on your device. These providers are responsible for their own cookie and privacy policies. We recommend reviewing them directly to understand how your data is processed.
Data Security
We are committed to safeguarding your data. We use a combination of encryption, firewalls, access controls, and real-time monitoring to protect information collected via cookies. While no system is infallible, we maintain industry best practices to mitigate risks.
Policy Updates
We may update this Cookie Policy periodically to reflect changes in legal requirements or our data practices. The most recent version will always be accessible on our website, and material changes will be clearly communicated.
Purpose
This Privacy Notice applies to Southern Domestic Abuse Service, T/A Stop Domestic Abuse.
The safety of your personal information is something that we take very seriously and we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.
It explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It also sets out the lawful bases on which we rely when processing your information, the periods for which we retain it, and the rights you hold as a data subject.
Stop Domestic Abuse will, wherever possible, collect, process, and store only the personal data that you choose to provide to us. We are committed to ensuring that our data processing is fair, transparent, and lawful, and to clearly informing you about the purposes for which your information will be used.
Personal data is any information which would then make you as an individual identifiable, or any information combined with other information which would then make you identifiable.
These privacy statements tells you what to expect when Stop Domestic Abuse collects personal information. It applies to information we collect about groups of people.
Stop Domestic Abuse will only collect, process and store information where we have a lawful basis to do so. We want to be open about collecting this information and clear about what we will use it for.
For some of the groups of people listed below we have different statements which explain in more detail how we process your information, the lawful bases for this, our responsibilities and your rights. You can read those statements by clicking on the sections below: