We’ll get your permission by asking you to tick a box online.
Before we ask for your permission, we’ll always explain how we use your information.
What information we ask for
We’ll only ask for information that’s relevant to your problem. Depending on what you want help with, this might include:
- your name and contact details – so we can keep in touch with you about your case personal information – for example about family, work, or financial circumstances details about services you get that are causing you problems – like energy or post details of items or services you’ve bought, and traders you’ve dealt with
- Information like your gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation
If you don’t want to give us certain information, you don’t have to. For example, if you want to stay anonymous we’ll only record information about your problem and make sure you’re not identified.
How we use your information
The main reason we ask for your information is to help solve your problem.
We only access your information for other reasons if we really need to – for example:
- to investigate complaints
- to get feedback from you
- to help us improve our services
All advisers and staff accessing data have had data protection training to make sure your information is handled sensitively and securely.
Understanding people’s problems
We use some information to create statistics about who we’re helping and what problems are the most common. This information is always anonymised – you can’t be identified. We share these with funders to show the impact and value of the service they have paid for. The statistics also inform our development of the BAM website and local policy campaigns to bring change and improvement around local issues.
When we share your information with other organisations
With your permission, we might share your information with other organisations so we can:
- Refer you quickly to another organisation whose expertise can better answer your problem
- Monitor our services
Organisations we share your data with must store and use your data in line with General Data Protection Regulations.
Storing your information
The adviser responding to your enquiry will log all your information, correspondence, and notes about your problem into our secure case management systems.
Emails between you and your adviser are stored within the email system of the advice agency where the adviser is based. Each advice organization will have their own policy for how they keep these emails secure. If you require a copy of the individual policy please e-mail: info@bam.org.uk.
We keep your information for 6 years. If your case has been subject to a serious complaint, insurance claim or other dispute we keep the data for 16 years.
Our case management systems are EEA safe harbor compliant. For more information on this please read Freshdesk.com -where the data is hosted.
Contact us about your data
You can contact us at any time and ask us:
- what information we’ve stored about you
- to change or update your details
- to delete your details from our records
Email info@bam.org.uk
If you want to make a complaint
If you’re not happy with how we’ve handled your data, you can make a complaint by e-mailing info@bam.org.uk