Privacy Policy for the Association for Shared Parenting

Effective Date: 1 March 2026

Introduction

The Association for Shared Parenting (“we”, “us”, or “our”) is Registered Charity dedicated to promoting and supporting shared parenting arrangements for the benefit of children and families in the UK. We are committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all individuals whose personal data we process, including members, supporters, volunteers, donors, event attendees, and website visitors.

We are the data controller for the personal data we process. Our registered address is 1 Kendal Drive, Cofton Hackett, Birmingham, B45 8QA.  If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data protection practices, please contact us at info@sharedparenting.org.uk or Tel: 0300 121 0131.

The Association for Shared Parenting has appointed Mr Jim Rowan as it’s Data Protection Officer (DPO) – contact details are:  1 Kendal Drive, Cofton Hackett, Birmingham, B45 8QA.

Definitions

For clarity, here are some key terms used in this Policy:

Personal Data: Any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (e.g., name, email address, IP address).

Processing: Any operation performed on personal data, such as collection, storage, use, or deletion.

Data Subject: The individual to whom the personal data relates (i.e., you).

Controller: The entity that determines the purposes and means of processing personal data (i.e., us).

Principles for Processing Personal Data – We process personal data in accordance with the following UK GDPR principles:

Lawfulness, Fairness, and Transparency: We process data legally, fairly, and openly.

Purpose Limitation: Data is collected for specific purposes and not used incompatibly.

Data Minimisation: We only collect data that is necessary.

Accuracy: Data is kept accurate and up to date.

Storage Limitation: Data is retained only as long as needed.

Integrity and Confidentiality: Data is processed securely to prevent unauthorised access or loss.

Types of Personal Data we collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Contact Information: Name, email address, postal address, phone number.

Membership and Support Data: Details of your involvement, such as membership status, donations, event registrations, or preferences for communications.

Technical Data: IP address, browser type, device information (collected automatically via our website).

Sensitive Data: In limited cases, such as health information if relevant to events or support services (only with explicit consent).

Other: Any information you provide in inquiries, surveys, or feedback.  We collect this data directly from you (e.g., via forms, emails, or events), automatically (e.g., website cookies), or from third parties (e.g., payment processors).

How and Why We Process Personal Data

We process personal data for the following purposes:

• To manage memberships, send newsletters, and provide information on shared parenting resources and events
• To process donations, registrations, and payments
• To respond to inquiries and provide support
• To improve our website and services (e.g., analytics)
• To comply with legal obligations, such as financial reporting
• To promote our advocacy work, where it aligns with your interests

We only process data where necessary and do not use it for unrelated purposes.

Legal Bases for Processing

We rely on the following legal bases under UK GDPR:

Consent: For marketing communications or sensitive data (you can withdraw consent at any time by contacting us).

Contract: To fulfil memberships, event registrations, or service agreements.

Legitimate Interests: For operational efficiency, such as contacting volunteers or analysing website usage (we’ve conducted a Legitimate Interests Assessment to ensure your rights are protected).

Legal Obligation: For tax, accounting, or safeguarding requirements.

Vital Interests: In emergencies, to protect life (rarely applicable).

If you fail to provide required data for a contract, we may not be able to fulfil it.

Retention of Personal Data

We retain personal data only as long as necessary.

Membership data: For the duration of your membership plus 6 years for legal reasons.

Donation records: 7 years for financial compliance.

Inquiry data: 1 year, unless ongoing.

Technical data: Up to 2 years for analytics.

Data is securely deleted or anonymised when no longer needed.

Sharing Personal Data

We may share your personal data with:

• Service providers (e.g., email platforms like Hotmail, payment processors like PayPal) who act as processors on our behalf
• Professional advisors (e.g., lawyers, accountants) for compliance
• Authorities (e.g., HMRC, Police, Social Services) where legally required
• Other organisations for joint events (with your consent)

We do not sell your data. All sharing is under strict data processing agreements ensuring UK GDPR compliance.

International Transfers

If we transfer data outside the UK (e.g., to internet-based tools), we use UK-approved mechanisms like Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions to ensure protection.

Your Data Rights:

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

• Right to be Informed: This Policy provides that information
• Right of Access: Request a copy of your data
• Right to Rectification: Correct inaccurate data
• Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): Delete data in certain circumstances
• Right to Restrict Processing: Limit how we use your data
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a transferable format
• Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for marketing
• Rights Regarding Automated Decision-Making: We do not use automated decisions affecting you significantly

To exercise these rights, contact us at: info@sharedparenting.org.uk

We will respond within one month (extendable if complex). No fee usually applies, but we may charge for excessive requests.

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk or Helpline: 0303 123 1113.

Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including encryption, access controls, and regular reviews. In case of a breach, we notify you and the ICO where required.

Changes to This Privacy Policy:

We may update this Policy to reflect changes in our practices or law. We will notify you of significant changes via email or our website. Check back periodically for updates.

Cookies and Website Tracking Policy

Effective Date:  1 March 2026

Introduction

The Association for Shared Parenting (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Cookies Policy explains how and why we use cookies and similar technologies on our website [www.sharedparenting.org.uk] (the “Website”).

We use only strictly necessary cookies on our Website. These are essential for the Website to function properly and to provide the services you request.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. They allow the website to recognise your device and remember certain information between page visits or return visits.

Cookies can be:

Session cookies — temporary files that expire when you close your browser.

Persistent cookies — files that remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them.

Cookies we use:

We use only strictly necessary cookies. These cookies are essential to enable core functionality such as:

• Navigating between pages
• Maintaining your session (so you stay logged in, if applicable)
• Ensuring security features work (e.g., protecting forms from abuse)
• Delivering the service you explicitly request

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to provide the Website and the services you request, they do not require your consent under the UK GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).  These cookies do not track your behaviour, collect personal information for analytics, serve advertisements, or share data with third parties.

We do not use:

• Analytics cookies (e.g., Google Analytics)
• Marketing or advertising cookies
• Preference or functional cookies (beyond what is strictly required)
• Third-party cookies (except where strictly necessary for core functionality, and only if unavoidable)

How to manage cookies

Since we use only strictly necessary cookies, there is no option to opt out of them while still using the Website — disabling them may prevent the site from working properly (e.g., you may not be able to navigate pages or submit forms).  You can still control cookies through your web browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:

• View what cookies are stored
• Delete cookies
• Block cookies from being set
• Receive alerts when a cookie is placed

Please note that blocking or deleting strictly necessary cookies may affect how the Website functions.

For more information on how to manage cookies in your browser, visit: www.aboutcookies.org (general guidance) and/or your browser’s help menu (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).

Changes to this policy

We may update this Cookies Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The date at the top shows when it was last updated. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Contact us

If you have any questions about our use of cookies, please contact us: The Association for Shared Parenting

Email: [info@sharedparenting.org.uk]

Website: [www.sharedparenting.org.uk]

You can also refer to our separate Privacy Policy for more information about how we process personal data.