Introduction

LawCare provides emotional and wellbeing support to members of the legal sector in the UK.  It is regulated by the Charities Commission.

LawCare is committed to operating at all times, and in everything that we do, to the highest standards of integrity.  However, we recognise that all organisations can occasionally be affected by conduct that is dangerous, against the law, or breaches ethical or professional codes.

By promoting a culture of openness within LawCare, employees and other stakeholders are encouraged to raise issues which are of concern. Knowing about concerns at an early stage, means steps can be taken to safeguard the interests of all and should usually prevent problems before they happen.

This policy does not form part of any employee’s contract of employment. LawCare may unilaterally introduce, vary, remove or replace this Policy at any time.

We are committed to good practice and aim to review our policies, notices, and agreements every two years.

Aim

We aim to provide a high-quality support and information service to people working within the legal community and concerned family members and others.

LawCare endeavours to ensure that all employees work in an environment of respect, professionalism, and safety.  At LawCare we are committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful workplace for all employees.

Scope

This policy applies to all staff, the Board of Trustees, volunteers, consultants, stakeholders, and anyone working on behalf of LawCare.  All LawCare staff are expected to comply with this policy and failure to comply may lead to disciplinary action for misconduct.

This Confidentiality policy should be read alongside our other policies and procedures in particular:

• Data protection policy

• Safeguarding policy

• Privacy notice

• Data breach policy

• Data retention policy

LawCare is committed to providing a high-quality service to the legal community.  We hold the privacy and dignity of those seeking our support in high regard, and we recognise the importance of confidentiality in our interactions with individuals who contact us for help.  It is important that anyone contacting LawCare has complete confidence and trust in our services.  Our service is confidential, and we carefully protect any information that individuals choose to share with us.

Any information that an individual discloses to a member of the support services team (both staff and volunteers) or to a peer supporter is treated respectfully and sensitively.  The team work closely to ensure that individuals receive the best support we can offer so sometimes it is necessary to share information within the team.  In accordance with good self-care practice the team may also discuss matters in confidential supervision or support sessions with counsellors who are under the same obligations regarding confidentiality as staff and volunteers.

Personal information conveyed to LawCare will not be shared outside the LawCare without explicit and informed consent (other than in the exceptional circumstances listed below).  Sometimes in order to help an individual we may need to liaise with external organisations so that we can provide effective support, e.g., contacting other support agencies or counsellors.  In these circumstances we will ask for permission to share any relevant information.

Exceptional circumstances and limitations to confidentiality

There are rare instances when we are unable to maintain our commitment to confidentiality. These are circumstances where:

• An individual is perceived to be at serious and immediate risk of harming themselves or others
• An individual discloses details of their involvement in child abuse or abuse of a vulnerable adult
• We are required by law to do so.

In such circumstances we would seek to obtain consent prior to disclosure of any personal information, but if the risk of non-disclosure is judged to be sufficiently serious the information will be shared without consent.

Record Keeping

Individuals may provide information of a personal and sensitive nature about their health, finances, work circumstances or personal difficulties.  A record of the discussion will be kept to ensure that the appropriate response is provided, particularly if the individual contacts LawCare again.  Notes may record the key points or issues raised, the information given by the support services team (including volunteers), relevant background information and any follow-up action, as well as contact details if disclosed.  Access to this information is limited to staff only on a need-to-know basis.

We keep computer-based records of information provided to us. All personal and sensitive data is processed in accordance with the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation 2018 and the Data Protection Act 2018

We collect routine statistical information about those using our services, which is anonymised and used for reporting and evaluation purposes. This information may be summarised and used in LawCare publications. We take great care to ensure that no individually identifiable information is disclosed.

LawCare retains personal data relating to users of its support service for no longer than three years unless support is ongoing for the data subject and deleting this data would impede the service LawCare provides.  It is our policy not to retain data for longer than necessary.  Once data is no longer needed it will be securely and confidentially destroyed.

Access to Records

Under the Data Protection Act 2018 individuals have the right to access information held about them.  Individuals may request access to the personal data held about them by LawCare by emailing [email protected]

This document was last reviewed in January 2026 and is next due for review in January 2028

Introduction

LawCare provides emotional and wellbeing support to members of the legal sector in the UK.  It is regulated by the Charities Commission.

LawCare is committed to operating at all times, and in everything that we do, to the highest standards of integrity.  However, we recognise that all organisations can occasionally be affected by conduct that is dangerous, against the law, or breaches ethical or professional codes.

By promoting a culture of openness within LawCare, employees and other stakeholders are encouraged to raise issues which are of concern.  Knowing about concerns at an early stage, means steps can be taken to safeguard the interests of all and should usually prevent problems before they happen.

This policy does not form part of any employee’s contract of employment.  LawCare may unilaterally introduce, vary, remove, or replace this Policy at any time.

We are committed to good practice and aim to review our policies, notices, and agreements every two years.

Aim

We aim to provide a high-quality support and information service to people working within the legal community and concerned family members and others.

We recognise that sometimes our service may not meet people’s needs or expectations and when this happens it’s important that we know about it so we can respond to any problems quickly and effectively.  This also helps us to continue to improve the service we offer.

LawCare endeavours to ensure that all employees work in an environment of respect, professionalism, and safety.  At LawCare we are committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful workplace for all employees.

Scope

This policy applies to all staff, the Board of Trustees, volunteers, consultants, stakeholders, and anyone working on behalf of LawCare.  It should be read in conjunction with all other relevant LawCare policies.  All LawCare staff are expected to comply with this policy and failure to comply may lead to disciplinary action for misconduct.

What to do if you have a complaint about LawCare’s service, staff, or volunteers

Before making a formal complaint, we encourage callers to contact our support team (0800 279 6888 / [email protected]) to discuss their concerns in detail.  This provides an opportunity to gain clarity of the situation and, where necessary, put things right.

Should we not be able to address the concerns or rectify the situation, the caller may then choose to follow the appropriate complaints procedure, as detailed below.

Please contact the Chief Executive by email at [email protected]

or write to her at Elizabeth Rimmer, CEO, LawCare PO Box 576, Newton Abbot, TQ12 9NN.

If your complaint is about the CEO, please put this in writing to the Chair, Claire Joseph, PO Box 576, Newton Abbot, TQ12 9NN or email [email protected]

The caller should provide as much detail as possible including:

• what has happened or gone wrong from their perspective
• when it happened (or should have happened)
• why and how we could have done things differently
• what they think we should do to put things right
• their preferred method of contact and their contact details

All complaints are confidential and will be acknowledged in writing within 3 days and where possible the outcome of any investigation notified to you within in 14 days.

Process

The CEO will notify the Chair of any complaint received.  The complaint will be investigated by discussing it with relevant staff member/volunteer/staff team and the complainant.  The CEO will respond on behalf of LawCare (in consultation with the Chair) to the complainant and take any appropriate follow up action.  Where the complaint is about the CEO, the Chair will follow the same process and consult with the Board.

The response may include:

• An explanation and an apology
• An explanation of any relevant policy
• An indication of changes made as a result of the complaint.
• Notification of any disciplinary action
• A rejection of the complaint

There is no right of appeal to the Chair or Trustees as all complaints are responded to in consultation with them.

What to do if you have a complaint about our use of your personal data.

A complaint is a verbal or written expression of dissatisfaction.

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal data, you can make a complaint to us using our online form or these contact details:

• By email: Elizabeth Rimmer, Chief Executive at [email protected]

• By post: Elizabeth Rimmer, CEO, LawCare PO Box 576, Newton Abbot, TQ12 9NN.

• Online form: https://forms.office.com/e/MZ4CH4Efwf

Process

We will write to you within 30 days of receiving your formal complaint to acknowledge receipt.  We will also confirm our understanding of your concerns at this point.  We will investigate and respond without undue delay.  If we cannot offer a full response at this stage (because for example, we are completing an investigation into your complaint), we will tell you when we expect to write to you again with a full response.  We will give regular updates about the progress of your complaint.  We will confirm when we are sending the final response to your complaint.

If, on receipt of our final response you remain unhappy with how we’ve used your data after raising a complaint with us, you can also complain to the ICO.  The ICO are an independent organisation.  Their contact details are: 

The ICO’s address:           

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

Website: https://www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint

Third party complaints

A complaint coming from someone who is not a direct user of the service may be investigated, but it is likely that obligations of confidentiality, including GDPR, will mean that a full report cannot be made to the complainant if another party is involved.

How to contact LawCare

Please contact us if you have any question/s about this notice or the information we hold about you by writing to PO Box 576, Newton Abbot, TQ12 9NN or emailing [email protected]

This notice was last reviewed in July 2025 and is next due for review in July 2027

Introduction

LawCare provides emotional and wellbeing support to members of the legal sector in the UK.  It is regulated by the Charities Commission.

LawCare is committed to operating at all times, and in everything that we do, to the highest standards of integrity.

This policy does not form part of any employee’s contract of employment.  LawCare may unilaterally introduce, vary, remove, or replace this Policy at any time. 

We are committed to good practice and aim to review our policies, notices, and agreements every two years.

Aim

We aim to provide a high-quality support and information service to people working within the legal community and concerned family members and others.  It is valuable for us to know about any aspect of our service, or individual member of our team, that are particularly appreciated by those we come into contact with.  This also helps us to continue to improve the service we offer.

Scope

This policy applies to all staff, the Board of Trustees, volunteers, consultants, stakeholders, and anyone working on behalf of LawCare.  It should be read in conjunction with all other relevant LawCare policies.  The policy covers verbal and written compliments received through any channel, including email, social media, in person, and by phone.

A compliment is defined as any expression of praise, satisfaction, or appreciation for a service provided or for the conduct of an individual or the team.  Examples include:

• A caller thanking a staff member for excellent service.
• Positive feedback about an event.
• Praise on social media or public platforms.

How to compliment a staff member

We welcome compliments about our team members through the following channels:

• Email: Send your compliments to [email protected]
• Phone: Compliments can be given over the phone by calling our support line on 0800 279 6888 during business hours
• Social media: where appropriate we encourage you to leave a review on LawCare’s social media channels.
• Online forms or surveys following our webinars or training.

What we will do with a compliment

The member of staff receiving the communication will:

• Acknowledge all compliments within three working days
• Securely pass the feedback to the relevant member of staff, helpline volunteer, online chat volunteer, or peer supporter (where appropriate)
• Ask for permission to note their comments (with all identifying details removed) for use in future LawCare materials or on the website.
• Use your feedback constructively to highlight good practice and reinforce excellent service.
• Protect your privacy according to our privacy policy.
• Respond to any follow-up questions.
• Where appropriate, encourage you to leave a review on LawCare’s social media channels.

Storage

Where permission has been given, the quote or email is recorded in a document accessible only by LawCare staff.  The record should include:

• Date of compliment
• Name and contact details of the person providing the compliment (if available)
• Details of the compliment
• Name(s) of staff member(s) or service involved
• Information on permission to use the compliment for recognition or marketing purposes.

Confidentiality

If a compliment includes personal information or is intended to remain private, it will be handled in line with our confidentiality and/or privacy policy.  Consent will be sought before publishing any feedback with identifiable information.  The caller/sender may contact LawCare at any point in future to request that their quote is not used, even if permission had originally been given.  It will then be deleted from LawCare’s system and no longer used on promotional materials.

Where permission is not given, either to report the compliment to other members of staff, or to record it, no note of the telephone call is taken, or the email is deleted.

Introduction

LawCare provides emotional and wellbeing support to members of the legal sector in the UK.  It is regulated by the Charities Commission.

LawCare is committed to operating at all times, and in everything that we do, to the highest standards of integrity.  However, we recognise that all organisations can occasionally be affected by conduct that is dangerous, against the law, or breaches ethical or professional codes.

By promoting a culture of openness within LawCare, employees and other stakeholders are encouraged to raise issues which are of concern.  Knowing about concerns at an early stage, means steps can be taken to safeguard the interests of all and should usually prevent problems before they happen.

This policy does not form part of any employee’s contract of employment. LawCare may unilaterally introduce, vary, remove or replace this Policy at any time.

We are committed to good practice and aim to review our policies, notices, and agreements every two years.

Aim

LawCare endeavours to ensure that all employees work in an environment of respect, professionalism, and safety. At LawCare we are committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful workplace for all employees.

We aim to provide a high-quality support and information service to people working within the legal community and those concerned about them.

Our charitable activities include working with vulnerable people.  The purpose of this policy is to protect them and provide stakeholders and the public with the overarching principles that guide our approach in doing so.

Scope

This policy applies to anyone working on our behalf, including our trustees and other volunteers.

Safeguarding should be appropriately reflected in other relevant policies and procedures.

Principles

We believe that:

• Nobody who is involved in our work should ever experience abuse, harm, neglect or exploitation.
• We all have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all of our service users, staff and volunteers, to keep them safe and to work in a way that protects them.
• We all have a collective responsibility for creating a culture in which our people not only feel safe, but also able to speak up if they have any concerns.

We recognise that all children and adults at risk whatever their age, ability, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious belief and/or sexual identity have equal rights to protection from abuse.

Types of Abuse

Abuse can take many forms, such as physical, psychological or emotional, financial, sexual or institutional abuse, including neglect and exploitation.

Trustee Responsibilities

The trustees are mindful of their reporting obligations to the Charity Commission in respect of Serious Incident Reporting and, if applicable, another regulator. They are aware of the Government guidance on handling safeguarding allegations.

Trustees are aware of and will comply with the Charity Commission guidance on safeguarding and protecting people and also the 10 actions trustee boards need to take to ensure good safeguarding governance.

Support Services Responsibilities

The Support Services team have responsibility for the oversight of all aspects of safeguarding.  This will include:

• Creating a culture of respect, in which everyone feels safe and able to speak up.
• Providing oversight of any lapses in safeguarding and ensuring that any issues are properly investigated and dealt with quickly, fairly and sensitively, and any reporting to the Police/statutory authorities is carried out.
• Ensuring safeguarding risk assessments are carried out and appropriate action taken to minimise these risks, as part of our risk management processes.
• Ensuring that all relevant checks are carried out in recruiting volunteers.
• Ensuring that all appointments that require safeguarding training are identified.
• Ensuring that a central register is maintained and subject to regular monitoring to ensure that training is kept up to date.
• Ensuring that safeguarding requirements (e.g. DBS) and responsibilities are reflected in job descriptions, appraisal objectives and personal development plans, as appropriate.
• Listening and engaging with service users, staff, volunteers and others and involving them as appropriate.
• Responding to any concerns sensitively and acting quickly to address these.
• Making staff, volunteers and others aware of:
  • Our safeguarding procedures and their specific safeguarding responsibilities on induction, with regular updates/reminders, as necessary.
  • The signs of suicidal ideation and how to report these

Everyone’s Responsibilities

To be aware of our procedures, undertake any necessary training, be aware of the risks and signs of potential abuse and, if you have concerns, to report these immediately (see above).

Fundraising

We will ensure that:

• We comply with the Code of Fundraising Practice.
• Staff and volunteers are made aware of the NCVO Guidance on people who need safeguarding while fundraising.
• Our fundraising material is accessible, clear and ethical, including not placing any undue pressure on individuals to donate.
• We neither solicit nor accept donations from anyone whom we know or think may not be competent to make their own decisions.
• We are sensitive to any particular need that a donor may have.

Online Safety

We will identify and manage online risks by ensuring:

• Volunteers, staff and trustees understand how to keep themselves safe online.  We may use high privacy settings and password access to meetings to support this.
• The online services we provide are suitable for our users.
• The services we use and/or provide are safe and in line with our code of conduct.
• We protect people’s personal data and follow data protection legislation.
• We have permission to display any images on our website or social media accounts, including consent from an individual.

Working With Other Organisations

In working with other organisations, we will comply with Charity Commission guidance by carrying out relevant due diligence and having a written agreement that sets out:

• Our relationship.
• The role of each organisation.
• Monitoring and reporting arrangements.

Whistleblowing

Concerns about the behaviour of another staff member or volunteer should be reported to the Safeguarding Lead or directly to the CEO/trustees if appropriate.  LawCare has a Whistleblowing Policy to protect those raising concerns in good faith.

Confidentiality and information sharing

• Confidentiality must be respected but is not absolute.
• Information should be shared:
  • With consent, where possible
  • Without consent, where there is risk of serious harm or legal obligation
• Follow GDPR principles when storing or sharing data.

Training and support

• All support staff and volunteers will receive safeguarding induction training and regular refreshers.
• Support and supervision will be provided after distressing calls.

Safeguarding procedure

LawCare is committed to taking steps to ensure that anyone using our services is safe and to protect vulnerable people who might be

• at risk, including from another person
• experiencing suicidal thoughts or feelings
• at risk in some other way

LawCare follows clear principles of confidentiality as documented in our Confidentiality Policy and Data Protection Policy.  Nevertheless, there may be occasions when it is appropriate to share information, and it is now a legal requirement that agencies and professionals work together around safeguarding issues.

We will always try to obtain informed consent before sharing information.  If this is not possible there may be occasions when to protect the best interests of service users it will be necessary to override this, for example if someone is at risk.  On these occasions we may raise a safeguarding alert within LawCare and if appropriate involve outside agencies such as emergency services, social services, or any other agency deemed appropriate.

Where a user of LawCare’s support service indicates that they have thoughts of harming themselves, or we consider them to be at risk, a member of LawCare’s support services staff team may call them back to assess the level of risk and ensure that all relevant and necessary support is in place.

If a serious safeguarding concern is identified, it should be immediately discussed with the LawCare support services team to identify next steps which will include:

• taking reasonable steps to ensure the vulnerable person is not in immediate danger and if necessary, seeking urgent medical treatment
• contacting the police if an applicable crime has been committed or someone is in immediate danger
• making a written report of all material observations
• if deemed appropriate the CEO after consultation with the Board of Trustees reporting the notified event to the relevant charity regulator

Statutory Guidance

• Gov.UK – The role of other agencies in safeguarding

• CC: Infographic; 10 actions trustees need to take.

• CC: Safeguarding duties of charity trustees

• CC: Safeguarding – policies and procedures

• CC: How to protect vulnerable groups

• CC: Managing online risk.

• ICO – A 10 step guide to sharing information to safeguard children.

• ICO – Children and the UK GDPR.

• Ofcom: Online Safety Act – The Protection of Children Codes and Guidance. (Apr 25)

Categories of abuse

There are four main categories of abuse which are:

• Physical Abuse.
• Sexual Abuse.
• Mental Mistreatment/Emotional Abuse.
• Neglect.
• Self-Neglect.
• Exploitation.

It is important to be aware of more specific types of abuse that fall within these categories such as:

• Bullying and cyberbullying
• Domestic abuse
• Online abuse and
• Historical abuse

Types of abuse

• Abuse can be a single act or repeated acts
• Can be deliberate or unintentional or result from lack of knowledge
• Can be an act of neglect, an omission or a failure to act
• Can cause harm temporarily or over a period of time
• Can occur in any relationship
• Can be perpetrated by anyone, carried out by individuals or as part of a group or an organisation
• Abuse can constitute a crime

Introduction

LawCare provides emotional and wellbeing support to members of the legal profession in the UK. It is regulated by the Charities Commission.

LawCare is committed to operating at all times, and in everything that we do, to the highest standards of integrity.  However, we recognise that all organisations can occasionally be affected by conduct that is dangerous, against the law, or breaches ethical or professional codes.

By promoting a culture of openness within LawCare, employees and other stakeholders are encouraged to raise issues which are of concern.  Knowing about concerns at an early stage, means steps can be taken to safeguard the interests of all and should usually prevent problems before they happen.

This agreement does not form part of any employee’s contract of employment.  LawCare may unilaterally introduce, vary, remove or replace this agreement at any time.

We are committed to good practice and aim to review our policies, notices, and agreements every two years.

Aim

We aim to provide a high-quality support and information service to people working within the legal community and concerned family members and others.  It’s important that we know about any problems so we can deal with them quickly and effectively.  This also helps us to continue to improve the service we offer.

LawCare endeavours to ensure that all employees work in an environment of respect, professionalism, and safety.  At LawCare we are committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful workplace for all employees.

Scope

This agreement applies to all those who have cause to use LawCare’s support services.

Our confidentiality and quality commitments

At LawCare we are committed to promoting and supporting good mental health and wellbeing across the legal community in the UK.  We have been supporting people in the legal sector for 25 years.

We operate our service via three support channels:

• Freephone helpline open 9:00am-5:00pm (Mon-Fri) 0800 279 6888
• Online Live Chat available via the website www.lawcare.org.uk
• Email contact.

Policies

We have the following regularly updated polices in place to protect and help the service users we support:

• Data Protection (GDPR)
• Confidentiality
• Privacy
• Complaints
• Compliments
• Safeguarding
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

These are available to be read on request.

Use of support channels

• Our team provide confidential listening, signposting, and emotional support.
• Our team do not provide counselling or therapy and are not qualified to do so; where relevant we can signpost to guidance on how to find this support.
• Our team members are not medically qualified and contact with a service user where medical conditions are mentioned is not a substitute for professional medical advice.  We actively encourage support contacts with health concerns to speak to a qualified medical practitioner.
• We do not provide legal advice and cannot comment on any legal proceedings.
• LawCare does not give advice.  Suggestions given or options discussed on our support channels do not constitute advice.
• Our team will not tolerate abuse of any kind and will not engage with a service user they believe may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• Our team members keep notes of helpline calls, emails, and online chats.  We may note down your telephone number if it is available to us.  All notes are stored securely in line with Data Protection and destroyed after three years from the date of the last contact.
• Calls are sometimes recorded for monitoring/training purposes and all call recordings are destroyed within 45 days.  Such calls will only be listened to by the core staff at LawCare and are never shared with third parties.
• If you give feedback on our service during the call or online chat we may use your brief comments in our publicity, including social media and our impact report.  We will only do so when the comment is generic, such as “it was helpful to talk things over,” and we will never do so in a way that allows you to be identified.

Our policy regarding repeat callers

• Service users may use the various support channels more than once if required.
• Calls to our helpline should only very rarely exceed 30-45 minutes as lengthier contacts usually suggest the call has lost focus and become circular and counterproductive as well as tiring.
• LawCare seeks to make its services available to as many people are possible.  We reserve the right to limit repeat contacts in terms of time and frequency to ensure others can access our service.  Such decisions will be made in consultation with the CEO and core staff and will be communicated to the service user.

Responsibilities of Service Users

• Service users take responsibility for the information they divulge.
• Service users should not provide LawCare with any documents relating to their medical history, court cases, or anything else of a personal nature.
• Photographs, videos, or any other personal documentation will be deleted and not opened or stored.  If such media are opened in error the service user will be informed and the files deleted immediately.
• To avoid caller dependence LawCare is not able to inform helpline callers as to when named volunteers or core staff members are on duty.
• Service users are requested not to send gifts or cards for individuals.  If they wish to show their appreciation they may donate via our website or provide feedback on our social media channels.  All donations are used to benefit the aims of the charity and are gratefully received.

Callback

With your consent we may call you back after a reasonable period for feedback and to evaluate our service via an anonymised questionnaire.  You may withdraw your consent at any time and are under no obligation to participate.

Finally

We aim to provide you with a safe, confidential space where you can access support and be signposted to help.

General

We will make it our goal to ensure that every service user feels supported and reassured by their contact with LawCare.

We will work to anticipate the needs of those we serve by proactively working to meet their needs.

We will hold ourselves and each other accountable for our service commitment.

We will be conscious of our communication style and communicate in a professional manner.

Helpline Calls

We will greet callers in a courteous and professional manner, identifying the service when we answer.

We will listen respectfully and actively to callers and assist callers to the best of our ability.

Where calls fall outside the remit of the helpline we will explain this clearly and, where possible, direct the caller to another source of support before ending the call.

We will finish our encounters with our callers in a courteous and professional way.

We will maintain confidentiality, taking any and all steps required to protect the information entrusted to us.

Voicemail

We will respond to voicemails within 24 hours during normal business hours.

We will update our voicemail greeting, advising callers when we will be out of the office for an extended period of time (full day or more), informing callers of when we will return and who they may contact instead.

Email

We will respond to emails within 48 hours during normal business hours.

We will update our email notification message when we will be out of the office for an extended period of time (full day or more). We will indicate our expected return date and indicate a contact person (if applicable).

Internal

We will interact with each other in a courteous and professional manner.

We will work to resolve issues with colleagues by discussing problems directly and working toward agreed upon solutions.

We will be considerate, cooperative and helpful to every staff member.

We will hold ourselves and each other accountable for addressing inappropriate comments and behaviour. We will make a conscious effort to compliment colleagues when their actions comply with these standards.

Introduction

LawCare provides emotional and wellbeing support to members of the legal profession in the UK. It is regulated by the Charities Commission.

LawCare is committed to operating at all times, and in everything that we do, to the highest standards of integrity. However, we recognise that all organisations can occasionally be affected by conduct that is dangerous, against the law, or breaches ethical or professional codes.

By promoting a culture of openness within LawCare, employees and other stakeholders are encouraged to raise issues which are of concern. Knowing about concerns at an early stage, means steps can be taken to safeguard the interests of all and should usually prevent problems before they happen.

This policy does not form part of any employee’s contract of employment. LawCare may unilaterally introduce, vary, remove or replace this Policy at any time.

We are committed to good practice and aim to review our policies, notices, and agreements every two years.

Aim

We aim to provide a high-quality support and information service to people working within the legal community and concerned family members and others. It is important that we know about any problems so we can deal with them quickly and effectively. This also helps us to continue to improve the service we offer.

LawCare endeavours to ensure that all employees work in an environment of respect, professionalism, and safety.  At LawCare we are committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful workplace for all employees.

Scope

This policy applies to all staff, the Board of Trustees, volunteers, consultants, stakeholders, and anyone working on behalf of LawCare. It should be read in conjunction with all other relevant LawCare policies. All LawCare staff are expected to comply with this policy and failure to comply may lead to disciplinary action for misconduct.

This policy applies to all personal data processed by LawCare and is part of LawCare’s approach to compliance with data protection law. All LawCare staff are expected to comply with this policy and failure to comply may lead to disciplinary action for misconduct, including dismissal.

It should be read alongside our other policies and procedures in particular:

• Confidentiality policy
• Privacy notice
• Data breach policy

This policy sets out LawCare’s commitment to ensuring that any personal data, including special category personal data, which LawCare processes, is processed in compliance with data protection law. LawCare ensures that good data protection practice is embedded in the culture of our staff and our organisation.

‘Data Protection Law’ includes the UK General Data Protection Regulation (‘UK GDPR’) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Data protection principles

LawCare complies with the data protection principles set out below. When processing personal data, it ensures that:

• it is processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to the data subject (‘lawfulness, fairness and transparency’)
• it is collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner that is incompatible with those purposes (‘purpose limitation’)
• it is all adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are processed (‘data minimisation’)
• it is all accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date and that reasonable steps will be taken to ensure that personal data that are inaccurate, having regard to the purposes for which they are processed, are erased or rectified without delay (‘accuracy’)
• it is kept in a form which permits identification of data subjects for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data are processed (‘storage limitation’)
• it is processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the personal data, including protection against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage, using appropriate technical or organisational measures (‘integrity and confidentiality’)

Lawful basis

LawCare records data on the lawful basis of legitimate interest in accordance with Article 6.1(f) of the UK GDPR. Collecting and processing this data enables us to provide the service expected by service users and other stakeholders.

We may also collect special category data under Article 9 in order to better assist service users and ensure that we are reaching all sections of the legal community.

The UK GDPR defines special category data as:

• personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin;
• personal data revealing political opinions;
• personal data revealing religious or philosophical beliefs;
• personal data revealing trade union membership;
• genetic data;
• biometric data (where used for identification purposes);
• data concerning health;
• data concerning a person’s sex life; and
• data concerning a person’s sexual orientation.

Process/procedures/guidance

LawCare will:

• ensure that the lawful basis for processing personal data is identified in advance and that all processing complies with the law
• not do anything with personal data that the user would not expect given the content of this policy and the fair processing or privacy notice
• ensure that appropriate privacy notices are in place advising staff and others how and why their data is being processed, and, in particular, advising data subjects of their rights
• only collect and process the personal data that it needs for purposes it has identified in advance
• ensure that, as far as possible, the personal data it holds is accurate, or a system is in place for ensuring that it is kept up to date as far as possible
• only hold onto personal data for as long as it is needed, after which time LawCare will securely erase or delete the personal data
• ensure that appropriate security measures are in place to ensure that personal data can only be accessed by those who need to access it and that it is held and transferred securely.

LawCare will ensure that all staff who handle personal data on its behalf are aware of their responsibilities under this policy and other relevant data protection and information security policies, and that they are adequately trained and supervised. Obtaining (including accessing) or disclosing personal data in breach of LawCare’s data protection policies may be a criminal offence.

Retention of Data

LawCare retains personal data relating to users of its support service for three years from the date of our last contact with them, after which time they will be securely destroyed.

Other data relating to employees/volunteers is retained for seven years from the date the employment/the voluntary arrangement ceases, for example, names and addresses of staff and volunteers, after which time they will be secure destroyed.

Destruction of paper records

Destruction is carried out in a way that preserves the confidentiality of the data. Non-confidential data can be placed in ordinary rubbish bins or recycling bins. Confidential data and records which contain personal data, is shredded. All copies are destroyed at the same time and in the same manner.

Destruction of electronic records

All electronic data, which includes emails, are either physically destroyed or wiped. This is done to a reasonable extent to ensure the data has been destroyed and removed from live and backup systems. 

Data Subject Rights

LawCare will facilitate any request from a data subject who wishes to exercise their rights under data protection law as appropriate, always communicating in a concise, transparent, intelligible and easily accessible form and without undue delay. 

LawCare has processes in place to ensure that it can facilitate any request made by an individual to exercise their rights under data protection law. All staff have received training and are aware of the rights of data subjects. Staff can identify such a request and know who to send it to.  All requests will be considered without undue delay and within one calendar month of receipt. 

Data subjects have the following rights:

Access

Individuals have the right to request information about how personal data is being processed, including whether personal data is being processed. They also have the right to be allowed access to that data along with the right to obtain the following information:

• the purpose of the processing
• the categories of personal data
• the recipients to whom data has been disclosed or will be disclosed
• the retention period
• the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office
• the source of the information if not collected direct from the subject, and
• the existence of any automated decision making.

Rectification

This is the right to allow a data subject to rectify inaccurate personal data concerning them.

Erasure

This is the right to have data erased and to have confirmation of erasure, but only where:

• the data is no longer necessary in relation to the purpose for which it was collected, or
• where consent is withdrawn, or
• where there is no legal basis for the processing, or
• there is a legal obligation to delete data

Restriction of processing

This refers to the right to ask for certain processing to be restricted in the following circumstances:  

• if the accuracy of the personal data is being contested, or
• if our processing is unlawful but the data subject does not want it erased, or
• if the data is no longer needed for the purpose of the processing but it is required by the data subject for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, or
• if the data subject has objected to the processing, pending verification of that objection.

Object to processing

Individuals have the right to object to the processing of personal data relying on the legitimate interests processing condition unless LawCare can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override the interests of the data subject or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Complaints

Complaints about how we have handled data can be handled under our complaints policy.

A complaint is a verbal or written expression of dissatisfaction.

If you remain unhappy with how we’ve used your data after raising a complaint with us, you can also complain to the ICO.  The ICO requires organisations to maintain a complaints procedure and expects that this procedure is followed before they will consider a complaint.  Accordingly, we welcome the opportunity to investigate and respond to your complaint prior to any referral to the ICO.

Responsibility for this policy

The Data Protection Officer at LawCare is Emma Manley. The CEO and trustees of LawCare take ultimate responsibility for this policy and for monitoring compliance with it.

If you have any concerns or wish to exercise any of your rights under the UK GDPR, then you can contact the data protection officer by emailing [email protected]. 

Fundraising

LawCare does not receive any automatic or guaranteed funding, and we don’t have membership fees.  Our helpline, resources, and access to our Life in the Law research are completely free and open to everyone in the legal sector, whether or not they or their organisation support us financially.

Whilst we receive much of our income from the sector’s professional bodies in each jurisdiction, to keep our work going we also rely on voluntary donations, and we wouldn’t be able to provide the direct mental health support, training and research without our volunteers and fundraisers.  We are hugely grateful to have such committed supporters.

The Fundraising Regulator is the independent regulator of charitable fundraising in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  Its work ensures public protection, accountability, and excellence in fundraising now and into the future.  It does this by setting, maintaining and promoting the standards for fundraising, and investigating complaints if and when required.

We are committed to the four pillars of the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Fundraising Practice (“the Code”), which stipulate that our fundraising must be legal, open, honest, and respectful.

Complaints

If you believe we have fallen short of the standards set within the Code, we want to hear from you.  You can contact us by email on [email protected] or write to us at LawCare, PO Box 576, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12 9NN.

If we do receive a complaint or feedback about our fundraising, we promise to do the following:

• investigate the complaint thoroughly and fairly;
• respond fairly and in a way that is appropriate to the complaint;
• avoid unnecessary delays; and
• regularly review complaints and use any relevant learning to make improvements to future fundraising.

We aim to acknowledge and provide an initial response to your feedback within 21 working days of receiving it.  Whilst we expect to be able to resolve most complaints within that timeframe, if we need to conduct a more in-depth investigation, we will aim to provide you with a full response within 35 working days.  If we are unable to meet that deadline due to exceptional circumstances, we will of course let you know.

If your complaint is about our fundraising activities and you are not satisfied with our response, you can escalate it to the Fundraising Regulator.  You can contact them via the online form on their website.  Alternatively, you can contact them in the following ways:

• email [email protected]
• call 0300 999 3407 (Monday to Friday, 9:30am – 4:30pm)
• write to Fundraising Regulator, 50 Featherstone Street, London, EC1Y 8RT

The Fundraising Regulator’s complaints process can be found here.

If your complaint relates to fundraising activities in Scotland, and you are not satisfied with our response, you can escalate it to the Scottish Fundraising Adjudication Panel.  You can contact them via their online form on their website.  Alternatively, you can contact them in the following ways:

• email [email protected]
• call 0808 164 2520
• write to Scottish Fundraising Adjudication Panel, c/o The Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), 2nd Floor Quadrant House, 9 Riverside Drive, Dundee DD1 4NY

The Scottish Fundraising Adjudication Panel’s complaints process can be found here.