General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

From the 25th May 2018 the General Data Protection Regulations (commonly referred to as GDPR) came in to effect. These regulations are a significant upgrade on the way data protection is managed in the UK, building on the existing legislation that came in to effect in 1998. Mary Ward Legal Centre is committed to meeting the requirement in the new regulations and want to ensure that the personal data of clients, staff and others who work with us, are only collected because we need them, are kept safely, are not shared with anyone who should not see them and are disposed of when we no longer need them.

Our Data Management and Records Policy includes more information about GDPR and you can view a copy by clicking on the link below:

MWS Data and records mgt policy reviewed Oct 2022

There is also plenty of information about GDPR on the Information Commissioner’s website. This can be accessed through the link below:

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/

One of the important new requirements is that we tell anyone we are collecting personal data on some important information. This includes the legal basis for collecting the information, what we intend to do with the information and who we share it with. This statement is called a privacy notice and a number of these, covering a number of different circumstances can also be seen by clicking the links below:

Clients provided with advice and/or casework in housing, debt, or welfare benefits should read the following Privacy Notice: Data Protection Privacy Notice Casework

Clients seen at our pro bono clinics by volunteer lawyers should read the following Privacy Notice: Data Protection Privacy Notice Pro Bono Clients – updated

Clients assessed for Debt advice who are not given a face-to-face appointment but signposted to other services should read the following Privacy Notice: Data Protection Privacy Notice debt referrals – updated

Clients seen at the Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme: Data Protection Privacy Notice HPCDS – updated

Those making a complaint should read the following Privacy Notice: Data Protection Privacy Notice Complaints – updated

Our Data Protection Officer is Beverley Campbell. If you have any concerns about data protection then please contact Beverley by email at dpo@marywardcentre.ac.uk

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