Privacy Policy

Introduction

This privacy policy provides you with details of how we collect and process your personal data through your use of our site https://Smallsteps.help and any of our other contactable methods.

Any personal data provided by you to Smallsteps.help through any means (verbal, written, in electronic form, or by your use of our website) will be held and processed in accordance with the data protection principles set out in the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation for the purposes for which you have given consent, and to provide the services you have requested from us.


What is GDPR?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect on the 25th May 2018 and in the UK will replace the previous Data Protection Act (1998). It describes how organisations must collect, handle, and store personal data:

  • Processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to individuals;
  • Collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner that is incompatible with those purposes; further processing for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes shall not be considered to be incompatible with the initial purposes;
  • Adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are processed;
  • Accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date; every reasonable step must be taken to ensure that personal data that are inaccurate, having regard to the purposes for which they are processed, are erased or rectified without delay;
  • Kept in a form which permits identification of data subjects for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data are processed; personal data may be stored for longer periods insofar as the personal data will be processed solely for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes subject to implementation of the appropriate technical and organisational measures required by the GDPR in order to safeguard the rights and freedoms of individuals; and
  • Processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the personal data, including protection against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage, using appropriate technical or organisational measures.


It also states:

“The controller [Smallsteps.help] shall be responsible for, and be able to demonstrate, compliance with the principles.”


How do we ensure your information is safe?

Data protection is incredibly important to us to ensure that our customers, employees, and anyone else who deals with us are secure in the knowledge that their information is safe with us. The steps below are how we ensure your information is kept safe:

  • All at Smallsteps.help are trained according to this policy.
  • Any electronic information we have stored is stored on a password protected computer on a single user area. This computer is located in locked premises.  The only people who have access to this information are Smallsteps.help personal (ie. Michelle Wilcox and Simon Bradley; IT consultant). If this information needs to be uploaded to the cloud it is only uploaded to authorised and checked cloud services which is also password protected.
  • Any electronic information we have stored on portable hard drives, are password protected (ie. emails, contact phone numbers, ICE information).
  • All computers are protected by approved security software and internal firewalls.
  • Any non-electronic information we have stored (ie. contracts) is in secure lockable storage where unauthorised people cannot access (with exception of the *’Therapeutic Will’ being activated), until such time the contract is void or terminated.
  • Personal data will be held in as few places as possible.

*Therapeutic Will is activated in the event I am unavailable for reason’s such as emergency or death, where a trusted, nominated colleague will have been alerted to your contact name and number to inform you of such instances.


Who we are

We are Smallsteps.help Counselling Services. Our website is http://smallsteps.help.

This Privacy Policy explains how we use and protect any information that you give us when you use this service. We are committed to ensuring your data is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using our services, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement. We may change this policy from time to time and we suggest that you regularly check this page to ensure that you continue to be comfortable with the measures we are taking to protect your privacy. This policy is effective from 23rd February 2019. By visiting http://smallsteps.help you are accepting and consenting to the practices described in this policy. By continuing to use our site you are agreeing to our use of cookies described below. Any changes we make to our privacy and cookie policy will be posted on this page. Please check back frequently to see any changes to our privacy and cookie policy.

For the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998, the data controller is Michelle Wilcox.


What personal data do we collect?

Among the types of Personal Data that this Application collects, by itself or through third parties, we collect the following Personal Data from you:

  • Identity Data may include your first name, last name.
  • Contact Data may include your email address and telephone number.
  • Technical Data may include your, internet protocol addresses, browser type and version, browser plug-in types and versions, time zone setting and location, operating system and platform and other technology on the devices you use to access this site.
  • Usage Data may include information about how you use our website.
  • Cookie Data information gathered by the use of cookies in your web browser.


When do we collect your personal data?

By accessing our services your Personal Data is collected via the following methods:

  • Completing forms on our website.
  • Communicating with us by email or text messages.
  • Automatically collected Technical Data about your equipment, browsing actions and usage patterns. We collect this data by using cookies, server logs and similar technologies.
  • When contracting between the Client and Counsellor.


How and why do we use your personal data?

The Data is used to respond to your queries or questions about our services, as well as for the following purposes: analytics, SPAM protection and managing contacts and contacting the User.

We want to provide the best possible User experience for customers, and we use Data to allow us to offer to you information and services that are most likely to benefit you.

The Data privacy law allows this as part of our legitimate interest in understanding our clients and delivering the best possible service.


Where your personal data may be processed

The Data is processed at the Owner’s operating offices, and in any other places where the parties involved in the processing are located.


Who we share your data with

We do not share our users’ data with any third-party providers.


How long we retain your data

We do not request or store any user data via the website.


What rights you have over your data

You can request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.


Your contact information

We do not request or store any contact information via the website.


Access to information

You can request access to the personal information that we hold about you and, except in limited circumstances when we are not permitted to do so for legal reasons, we will provide this information to you within 30 days. If you feel that any information that we hold about you is inaccurate then you are able to ask us to update your information. If you want us to delete your information then please do so in writing and we will endeavour to do so unless we are required to keep it for legal, professional or internal business purposes.


Our contact information

If you have any privacy-specific questions, concerns, complaints or requests for your information then please contact our Data Protection Officer, Michelle Wilcox via email at michelle@smallsteps.help


Contacting the Information Commissioner’s Office (UK)

If you have any issue with how your Data has been handled or are not satisfied with the response you have received to any request, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office by calling 0303 123 1113 or go online to www.ico.org.uk/concerns.

Cookie Policy

Cookies

This website uses cookies, by clicking or navigating this website you agree to allow our collection of information through cookies. This site does use cookies in order to distinguish you from other users, to enable social media functions and for the website to monitor traffic to the site. You are able to disable cookies, which will prevent your visit being tracked. Some cookies are essential for the website to work properly. We would advise you to disable cookies on your internet browser regularly. Please see http://www.youronlinechoices.com/uk to provide you with information about cookies and https://www.aboutcookies.org for advice about deleting and managing cookies.


Social media buttons

We embed a Facebook button to allow you to view our Facebook page. This button may collect your IP address, your web browser User Agent, store and retrieve cookies on your browser, embed additional tracking, and monitor your interaction with the button, including correlating your Facebook account with whatever action you take within the button, if you are logged in to Facebook. For more information about how this data may be used, please see Facebook’s data privacy policy: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/update


We embed a Linkedin button to allow you to view our Linkedin page. This button may collect your IP address, your web browser User Agent, store and retrieve cookies on your browser, embed additional tracking, and monitor your interaction with the button, including correlating your Linkedin account with whatever action you take within the button, if you are logged in to Linkedin. For more information about how this data may be used, please see Linkedin’s data privacy policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy


Embedded content from other websites

This site may include embedded content (e.g. Videos, Images, Articles, Maps, Social Media Buttons etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website. These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.


Analytics

We use google analytics as a third party company to collect behaviour patterns of our website visitors. This information does not identify individuals but shows a collection of website usage from the number of website visits, frequently used pages etc. Google’s use and ability to share information collected via Google Analytics about your visits to this site is restricted by the Google Analytics Terms of Use and the Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com

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