Privacy statement

We protect your data by asking for only the minimum we need.

We store it securely when we are using it and until we dispose of it securely, informed by guidelines set by the Information Governance Alliance.

When we use other organisations to help provide a service, your data may be used by them too. We’ve got legal agreements in place with them which set out how we share and use this information.

When you start attending a Via service, we keep your data on secure databases, protected by passwords, encryption and firewalls.

If you contact us on social media, you agree to the relevant social media platform’s terms and conditions and understand that information posted in the public domain is not confidential.

We use cookies to collect standard internet log information when you visit our website including your IP address, how many people visit each web page, and your preferences. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

Read more about how to delete and control the cookies stored on your computer here.

We also collect data when you enter information into forms or applications such as:

Job applications
General enquiries
Newsletter subscriptions
Donations

We use the data from cookies to learn how much our website is used, what pages people visit and when they return. This helps us to make our website better. We keep this data anonymous.

By entering data on our forms or apps, we understand that you’ve given us that information for a purpose, for example supplying your name and bank details for job application. You can find out more about how we use that data by following the link above.

Via will use your data to provide the services and support you have asked for, and to improve our organisation and services for others.

Via is a confidential service, so the data you provide directly to us will be kept between Via and you. We have policies on gathering consent and sharing information appropriately. We may share anonymised information to improve our services or report our activity.

We are committed to keeping people safe, and this means that we may share your data with other appropriate organisations if we believe there is a good reason to. We’ll usually let you know if this happens, unless telling you would cause harm.

Visit our confidentiality page for more information.

Once you have submitted data, for example an email address to contact you, it is saved in our systems. If you notice that something is incorrect, email enquiries@viaorg.uk and we will remove or correct it for you.

You have the right to change your mind about who you give your consent to.

If you wish to make a complaint to or about Via and how we are handling your personal information, please contact quality@viaorg.uk. You can also make complaints directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

You can ask us for copies of the personal information that we hold about you on our systems. We may not always be able to provide you with all the information we have but we will explain why if this happens.

You can request a copy of your personal information (also called a Subject Access Request) either in writing or asking someone at your service, or by emailing quality@viaorg.uk.

You can read more about your rights to your personal information on the Information Commissioner’s Office website.

Your data may also be available to our website provider to enable us and them to deliver their service to us, carry out analysis and research on demographics, interests and behavior of our users and supporters to help us gain a better understanding of them to enable us to improve our services.

This may include connecting data we receive from you on the website to data available from other sources. Your personally identifiable data will only be used where it is necessary for the analysis required, and where your interests for privacy are not deemed to outweigh their legitimate interests in developing new services for us.

In the case of this activity the following will apply:

• Your data will be made available to our website provider
• The data that may be available to them includes any of the data we collect as described in this privacy statement.
• Our website provider will not transfer your data to any other third party or transfer your data outside of the EEA.
• They will store your data for a maximum of 7 years.
• This processing does not affect your rights as detailed in this privacy statement.