This privacy notice contains information about how  South West Surrey Domestic Abuse Service (SWSDAS) collects, processes and protects personal data provided by users of, or referrals to, our services either by accessing our services in person, by phone, email or text message.

All personal data is collected, processed and stored in a way that complies with UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (2018)

Who we are

SWSDAS is a registered charity providing domestic abuse services.

Our charity number is 1200638.  As a data controller we are registered with the Information Commissioners Office and our registration number is ZB507492.

How to contact us

Email – swr@swsda.org.uk

Call us – 01483 898884

What information will SWSDAS collect about me?

The information we collect will depend on the purpose for collecting and processing the data. Categories of personal data and the purposes of processing are outlined below.

Personal Data

When you contact us, and depending on the context, we will collect:

  • Your name
  • Contact information
  • Address information
  • Information relating to your personal circumstances
  • Information relating to any children or vulnerable adults.

Special category data

Some data that we collect about you will be considered particularly sensitive and we are legally required to take extra care when we collect this type of data which may depending on the context of our purposes for collecting include:

  • Health or medical data
  • Data about your race, ethnic origin or religious beliefs
  • Data about your sexual orientation.

When you email us

We will collect and store your email address and contact information and any information contained in your email in order to provide our services and, where necessary, provide you with access to external services and support.

When you call us

If you call for advice, we will store your contact information, including your name and phone number, and make any relevant notes in our case management system relating to the context of the conversations with our staff.

When you text us

We will collect information provided, such as contact information including telephone number and name. Our team will contact you and will make notes in our case management system relating to the content of the conversation,

Referrals

In some cases we will receive personal data in the form of referrals from a range of partner organisations who will provide us with contact information and referral details for support and advice.

Our partner organisations include;

  • Law enforcement agencies
  • Public bodies
  • Charities aligned with our work

Operational Work

Browser Information

We also automatically collect information transmitted by your browser when you access this website. This includes your IP address, the date and time of the request, the pages accessed, the access status/ HTTP status code, the data volume transmitted at any one time, the website from which the request has come, your browser, your operating system and interface, as well as the language and version of the browser software. The legal basis for collecting and processing this personal data is to monitor the use of the website and improve the service we offer.

Our use of Cookies

We use cookies (small text files which are transferred to your browser by the website) to identify data traffic patterns and support security.  Some cookies are essential for the site to function. Where we use other cookies that are not essential, you can choose not to consent to these cookies being placed on your device.

What will SWSDAS do with my personal information?

When we collect your personal data we only use it for clear and specific purposes. Principally, we will use your personal information for the purpose of responding to your query and providing support and/or other services as you or other relevant agencies may request, and we are able to provide, as part of this service.

Our lawful basis for processing

When we collect personal data, either directly from you or from another source, we have to have a legal reason to have the data. This is known as a lawful basis under the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK-GDPR. The lawful basis we use will depend on the context of why we have the personal data and what we are doing with it.  We’ve set out our lawful basis below:

Lawful Basis: Consent

When we seek your consent, we will ensure that consent is clearly given and that you understand what data will be collected and the purpose of processing. If we rely on your consent, you are free to withdraw your consent at any time.

We currently expressly seek your consent for:

  • Event registration
  • Signposting to other services in order to share your data.
  • Using your photo/image or words in promotional material such as school workshops.

Lawful Basis: Contract

We rely on contract when we engage with you whether you are a client of ours, a supplier for the charity, a Trustee, or a funder for the charity.

Lawful Basis: Legal Obligation

Personal data may be processed in order to meet safeguarding requirements and comply with legal obligations

Lawful Basis: Vital Interest

Where we believe there is a risk to life we will take appropriate steps to share personal data with appropriate authorities and public bodies.

We may not always be able to collect consent prior to sharing,

Lawful Basis: Public Task

We provide help and support to reduce the impact of domestic abuse.  The processing of personal data is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest.

Examples include:

  • Providing one to one support
  • Carrying out risk assessments
  • Referring users to other services
  • Providing housing support and scheme management
  • Engaging with other services and sharing personal data where appropriate.
  • Acting as independent advisors
  • The provision of counselling services

Lawful Basis: Legitimate Interest

Some of our purposes rely on legitimate interest which balances our need to process personal data against the rights and freedoms of data subjects. Our legitimate interests are as follows:

  • We need to keep our systems and networks secure
  • We need to collect data including usage data, aggregate and statistical data for monitoring and performance purposes

Processing Special Category data

When we collect Special Category data, we must have an additional lawful basis as well as the ones listed above.

In the context of our processing of Special Category data, our lawful basis are either

  • Schedule 1 Article 17 – Counselling or
  • Schedule 1, Part two Article 18 – safeguarding of children or of individuals at risk

 How long will SWSDAS keep my personal information?

Data protection law requires us to keep personal data either for as long as is necessary to achieve the purpose for which the data was collected or if there is a legal requirement to keep the data for a specific period.

Due to the safeguarding requirements, there may be times where we need to retain data indefinitely, for example, to prevent and detect crime.

Will the SWSDAS share my personal information with anyone else?

Generally we will not share your personal information with anyone, including other organisations involved in domestic abuse services, without your explicit consent.

In exceptional circumstances where we need to share your personal information and are unable to ask for your consent, for example when safeguarding concerns exist, we will limit the data shared to ensure that this is strictly necessary.

SWSDAS  is a signatory to the Surrey Multi-Agency Information Sharing Protocol (MAISP), which lays out an agreed set of principles about sharing personal or confidential information.

Sometimes our funders or sponsors ask us to share statistics and example case studies to demonstrate how we are meeting our aims and goals as a charity, or as a funding requirement. Information supplied in response to these requests will always be aggregated and/or anonymised.

Will SWSDAS send my personal information outside of Europe?

No, your personal information will be stored in servers in the UK.   If data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:

  • Adequacy regulations
  • Standard Contractual clauses

 What rights do I have in respect of my personal information?

The UK GDPR sets out the following key rights applicable to data subjects:

  • The right to be informed;
  • the right of access;
  • the right to rectification;
  • the right to erasure (also known as the ‘right to be forgotten’);
  • the right to restrict processing;
  • the right to data portability;
  • the right to object; and
  • rights with respect to automated decision making and profiling

If you have a complaint about the way in which we use your personal information, please contact us in the first instance at swr@swsda.org.ukYou also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner at Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5 AF.  0303 123 1113  http://www.ico.org.uk

Job and volunteer role applications

If you contact us about a job or volunteer role, we will collect all details necessary to your application including your name, date of birth, contact details, address details, right to work details, ID details and your relevant professional/personal history provided to us in your CV or application form.

Our legal basis for collecting this is legitimate interest.  Our legal basis for any special category data we collect is consent.

If your application is unsuccessful or you chose not to proceed, we will retain this data for 6 months.  If you are successful your data will be dealt with in accordance with our staff and volunteer privacy notice.

We may share your data for the purpose of obtaining references, background and DBS checks.  You will be notified in advance if we are going to do this.

When we collect  and process personal data, we ensure that it complies with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK-GDPR). Please see the section above ‘What rights do I have in respect of my personal information’.

 

This Privacy Notice was last updated March 2026

Note: The SWSDAS service is no longer provided through Citizens Advice Waverley but continues to be provided through SWSDAS registered charity number 1200638.