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Privacy and Data Protection Policy

Overview

  • Policy updated by: Joanna Sheppard
  • Approved by Park Grove Design Directors on: 24/05/2018
  • Next review date: 11.05.21

Introduction

In the course of its business activity, Park Grove Design Ltd needs to gather and use certain information about individuals.
These can include customers, suppliers, business contacts, employees and other people the organisation has a relationship with or may need to contact.
This policy describes how this personal data must be collected, handled and stored to meet the company’s data protection standards and to comply with the current legislation.

About this policy

This data protection policy ensures Park Grove Design Ltd:

  • Complies with data protection law and follows good practice.
  • Protects the rights of staff, customers and partners.
  • Is open about how it stores and processes individuals’ data.
  • Protects itself from the risks of a data breach.

Data protection law

The Data Protection Act describes how organisations – including Park Grove Design Ltd – must collect, handle and store personal information.
These rules apply regardless of whether data is stored electronically, on paper or on other materials.
To comply with the law, personal information must be collected and used fairly, stored safely and not disclosed unlawfully.
The Data Protection Act is underpinned by eight important principles.
These say that personal data must:

  1. Be processed fairly and lawfully
  2. Be obtained only for specific, lawful purposes
  3. Be adequate, relevant and not excessive
  4. Be accurate and kept up to date
  5. Not be held for any longer than necessary
  6. Processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects
  7. Be protected in appropriate ways
  8. Not be transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA), unless that country or territory also ensures an adequate level of protection.

People, risks and responsibilities

This policy applies to:

  • The Park Grove Design office.
  • All staff and work experience volunteers of Park Grove Design Ltd.
  • All contractors, suppliers and other people working on behalf of

Park Grove Design Ltd.
It applies to all data that the company holds relating to identifiable individuals, even if that information technically falls outside of the Data Protection Act 1998. This can include:

  • Names of individuals.
  • Postal addresses.
  • Email addresses.
  • Telephone numbers.
  • Any other information relating to individuals.

Data protection risks

This policy helps to protect Park Grove Design Ltd from data security risks, including:

  • Breaches of confidentiality. For instance, information being given out inappropriately.
  • Failing to offer choice. For instance, all individuals should be free to choose how the company uses data relating to them.
  • Reputational damage. For instance, the company could suffer if hackers successfully gained access to sensitive data.

At Park Grove Design we are committed to protecting and preserving the privacy of our visitors when visiting our website or communicating electronically with us. This Privacy Policy contains an explanation of what happens to personal data that you choose to provide to us, or that we collect from you whilst you visit this website. Our Privacy Policy should be read in conjunction with our terms of website use. We do occasionally update this Policy so please do return and review this Policy from time to time.

Information We Collect

In running and operating this website we may collect and process certain data and information relating to you and your use of this site. This data and information is detailed below:

  1. Details of visits to our website and the pages and resources that are accessed, including, but not limited to, traffic data, location data and other communication data that may assist us in understanding how visitors use this website.
  2. Information that visitors provide to us as a result of filling in forms on our website, such as when a visitor registers for information or makes a purchase.
  3. Information provided to us when our visitors communicate with us electronically for any reason.

Collection of Personal Information

Cookies are sometimes used to improve the website experience of a visitor to a website. We may sometimes use cookies on this website to record aggregate statistical information about the visitors to our site and the use that our visitors make of the website. When collected this information is used by us to improve our website and further enhance the visitor experience and, may be shared with advertisers. Please note that no personally identifiable information is recorded. We may also use the cookies to gather information about your general internet use to further assist us in developing or website. Where used, these cookies are downloaded to your computer automatically. This cookie file is stored on the hard drive of your computer. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer’s hard drive and then stored there and transferred to us where appropriate to help us to improve our website and the service that we provide to you.

All computers have the ability to decline cookies. You can easily decline or remove cookies from your computer using the settings within the Internet Options section in your computer control panel. Our advertisers may also use cookies on their website. We have no control over this and you should review the privacy policy of any advertiser that you visit as a result of an advert or link on this website.

Use of Your Information

The information we collect is used for our own use in developing our website. In addition, we may use the information for the following purposes:

  1. To provide you with information relating to our website, products or our services that you request from us.
  2. To provide you with information on other products that we feel may be of interest to you.
  3. To meet our contractual obligations to you.
  4. To notify you about any changes to our website, including improvements, and service or product changes that may affect our website.

If you are an existing customer, we may contact you with information about products and services similar to those that you have expressed an interest in previously via our website. Finally, we may use your data, or allow carefully selected third parties to use your data, so that you can be provided with information about unrelated goods and services which we consider are likely to be of interest to you. We or they may contact you about these goods and services by any of the methods that you consented to at the time your information was collected. If you are a new customer, we will only contact you or allow third parties to contact you only when you have provided consent and, only by those means you provided consent for. If you do not want us to use your data for our or third parties use then you will always have the option to object to such use.

Storing Your Personal Data

The contents of this statement may be altered at any time, at our discretion.

Information that we collect may on occasion be transferred and stored outside of the European Union for the purpose of supplying our goods or services to you. By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing. We will always take all reasonable precautions to make sure that your data remains secure and is handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy. Data that is provided to us is stored on our secure servers. Details relating to any transactions entered into on our site will be encrypted to ensure its safety. The transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure and therefore we cannot guarantee the security of data sent to us electronically and transmission of such data is therefore entirely at your own risk. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password so that you can access certain parts of our site, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential.

Responsibilities

Everyone who works for or with Park Grove Design Ltd has some responsibility for ensuring data is collected, stored and handled appropriately.
Each team that handles personal data must ensure that it is handled and processed in line with this policy and data protection principles.
However, these people have key areas of responsibility:

  • The Directors are ultimately responsible for ensuring that Park Grove Design meets its legal obligations.
  • The Office Manager, Joanna Sheppard, is also responsible for:
  • Helping to keep the Directors updated about data protection responsibilities, risks and issues.
  • Reviewing all data protection procedures and related policies, in line with an agreed schedule.
  • Arranging data protection training / awareness and advice for the people covered by this policy.
  • Handling data protection questions from staff and anyone else covered by this policy.
  • Dealing with requests from individuals to see the data Park Grove Design Ltd holds about them.
  • Checking and approving any contracts or agreements with third parties that may handle sensitive data.
  • Ensuring all systems, services and equipment used for storing data meet acceptable security standards.
  • Performing regular checks and scans to ensure security hardware and software is functioning properly.
  • Evaluating any third-party services the company is considering using to store or process data; for instance, cloud computing services, company pension scheme.
  • Approving any data protection statements attached to communications, such as emails and letters.
  • Where necessary, working with other staff to ensure marketing initiatives abide by data protection principles.

General staff guidelines

  • The only people able to access data covered by this policy should be those who need it for their work.
  • Data should not be shared informally. When access to confidential information is required, employees can request it from their line managers or Directors.
  • All employees and freelancers will be trained /aware of the GDPR, ensuring a breach is unlikely.
  • Employees and freelancers should keep all data secure, by taking sensible precautions and following the guidelines below.
  • In particular, passwords must be used, and they should never be shared.
  • Personal data should not be disclosed to unauthorised people, either within the company or externally.
  • Data should be regularly reviewed and updated if it is found to be out of date. If no longer required, it should be deleted and disposed of.
  • Employees or contractors should request help from a Director or the Office Manager if they are unsure about any aspect of data protection.

Data storage

These rules describe how and where data should be safely stored. Questions about storing data safely can be directed to a Director or Office Manager.
When data is stored on paper, it should be kept in a secure place where unauthorised people cannot see it.
These guidelines also apply to data that is usually stored electronically but has been printed out for some reason:

  • When not required, the paper or files should be kept in a locked drawer or filing cabinet.
  • Employees should make sure paper and printouts are not left where unauthorised people could see them, like on a printer.
  • Data printouts should be shredded and disposed of securely when no longer required.
  • When data is stored electronically, it must be protected from unauthorised access, accidental deletion and malicious hacking attempts:
  • Data should only be stored on designated drives and servers, and should only be uploaded to an approved cloud computing services.
  • All servers and computers containing data should be protected by approved security software / a firewall.

Data use

Personal data is of no value to Park Grove Design Ltd unless the business can make use of it. However, it is when personal data is accessed and used that it can be at the greatest risk of loss, corruption or theft:

  • Personal data should not be shared informally.

Subject access requests

All individuals who are the subject of personal data held by Park Grove Design Ltd are entitled to:

  • Give consent and ask what information the company holds about them and why.
  • Ask how to gain access to it.
  • Be informed how to keep it up to date.
  • Be informed how the company is meeting its data protection obligations.
  • The right to be forgotten: Ask how long their personal data is retained for. If there is a legitimate reason why data is being retained, then Park Grove Design Ltd needs to note why. (i.e. for legal reasons).

If an individual contacts the company requesting this information, this is called a subject access request. Subject access requests from individuals should be made by email, addressed to a Director or the Office Manager at: studio@parkgrove.co.uk

Park Grove Design Ltd will always verify the identity of anyone making a subject access request before handing over any information.

Disclosing data for other reasons

In certain circumstances, the Data Protection Act allows personal data to be disclosed to law enforcement agencies without the consent of the data subject. Under these circumstances, Park Grove Design Ltd will disclose requested data. However, Park Grove Design will ensure the request is legitimate.

Third Party Links You may find links to third party websites on our website. These websites should have their own privacy policies which you should check. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for their policies whatsoever as we have no control over them. Access to Information The Data Protection Act 1998 gives all individuals the right to access personal information that is held about them. You can request a copy of any information that we hold about you. Please note that any request for this information may be subject to payment of £10 which covers our administrative costs. Please contact us if you wish to make such a request. If you have any questions or queries relating to this Privacy Policy then please contact us via the contact page.

If you have questions about this Privacy Statement, its implementation, or our practices, please contact us.