Last updated: August 2026

About this notice

Equation is committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how we collect, use and protect your personal information. This privacy notice explains how we handle your personal data when you interact with our website or services.

 

Who we are

Equation is a Nottingham-based specialist charity working to reduce the impact of domestic abuse, sexual violence and gender inequality. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and comply with UK data protection laws including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Data Controller: Equation
Address: Equation, Pinnacle House, Nottingham Indoor Bowls Centre, Beechdale Road, Nottingham, NG8 3FH
Phone: 0115 9623237
Email for privacy queries: privacy@equation.org.uk
Information Governance Lead Officer: Anthea Tainton, CEO (anthea@equation.org.uk)

We keep this privacy notice under regular review to ensure it remains accurate and up to date.

What personal information we collect

The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us. We may collect:

Contact and identification information

• Name
• Email address
• Postal address
• Phone number
• Date of birth (where relevant to service provision)

Information you provide when accessing our services

• Details about your circumstances and support needs
• Information about children or other family members (where relevant)
• Health information (with your consent)
• Information about your safety and risk

 

Information from your use of our website

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Pages you visit and time spent on pages
• Referring website
• Device information
• Cookie data (see our Cookie Policy section below)

Special category data

Some personal information is considered “special category” under data protection law because it is particularly sensitive. This includes:

• Health information
• Information about ethnicity (for equality monitoring)
• Information about sexual orientation or gender identity
• Criminal records information (in some circumstances)

We only collect this information where we have a lawful basis to do so, typically with your explicit consent or where necessary to provide services to you.

How we collect your personal information

We collect information in the following ways:

Directly from you when you:

• Make an enquiry via our website, phone or email
• Download and submit a referral form
• Sign up to our mailing list
• Attend our training or events
• Apply for a job with us
• Make a donation
• Interact with us on social media

From third parties:

• Referrals from partner agencies (police, social services, health services, etc.)
• Information from other professionals involved in your care (with appropriate information sharing agreements)
• Publicly available sources (for fundraising or stakeholder engagement)

Automatically through your use of our website:

• Cookies and similar technologies
• Analytics tools

How we use your personal information

We use your information for different purposes depending on how you interact with us:

If you make an enquiry or access our services

What we do with your information:

• Assess your needs and provide appropriate support
• Communicate with you about your case or enquiry
• Make referrals to other agencies (only with your consent or where legally required)
• Safeguard you and others from harm
• Report to our funders (in anonymised form)
• Improve our services through evaluation and monitoring

Legal basis:

• Consent (Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR) – for most service provision
• Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c) UK GDPR) – for safeguarding duties
• Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR) – for service improvement
• For special category data: Explicit consent (Article 9(2)(a) UK GDPR) or substantial public interest (Article 9(2)(g) UK GDPR)

If you sign up to our mailing list

What we do with your information:

• Send you newsletters, updates and information about our work
• Inform you about events, training opportunities and campaigns

Legal basis:

• Consent (Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR)

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or contacting us at privacy@equation.org.uk.

 

If you apply for a job with us

What we do with your information:

• Process your application
• Assess your suitability for the role
• Conduct pre-employment checks
• Comply with employment law requirements

Legal basis:

• Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b) UK GDPR)
• Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c) UK GDPR)

For more details, please see our separate Recruitment Privacy Notice.

If you make a donation

What we do with your information:

• Process your payment
• Send you a receipt
• Thank you for your support
• Keep you updated about our work (if you opt in)
• Comply with financial regulations

Legal basis:

• Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b) UK GDPR)
• Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c) UK GDPR)
• Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR) – for thanking donors

If you interact with us on social media

What we do with your information:

• Respond to your messages or comments
• Manage our social media presence
• Share information about our work

Legal basis:

• Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR) – for communication and awareness-raising

Please note that social media platforms have their own privacy policies. When you interact with us on social media, your information is also processed by those platforms according to their policies.

If you attend our training or events

What we do with your information:

• Manage bookings and attendance
• Send you joining instructions and materials
• Evaluate training effectiveness
• Issue certificates of attendance
• Meet accessibility requirements

Legal basis:

• Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b) UK GDPR)
• Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c) UK GDPR) – for Equality Act duties

Who we share your information with

We only share your information where necessary and appropriate. We may share information with:

Service delivery partners

• Multi-agency risk assessment conferences (MARAC)
• Police (for safeguarding or crime prevention)
• Social services (for safeguarding)
• Other support agencies (with your consent or where legally required)
• NHS and health services (with appropriate information sharing agreements)

Third-party service providers

We use carefully selected third-party providers to help us deliver our services. These processors only act on our instructions and are contractually bound to keep your information secure:

MailChimp – for email communications and newsletters. MailChimp is owned by Intuit and may process data in the USA under appropriate safeguards.

Access CRM – for case management and service delivery. Data is stored securely within the UK.

Stripe – for processing online donations and payments. Stripe may process data internationally under appropriate safeguards.

Website hosting provider – for hosting our website and associated data.

Analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics) – for understanding how our website is used. This information is anonymised where possible.

Funders and commissioners

We provide anonymised statistical information to funders and commissioners to demonstrate the impact of our services. Individual personal information is never shared without your consent unless legally required.

Legal and regulatory bodies

We may be required to share information with:

• Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
• Charity Commission
• Police or other law enforcement
• Courts or tribunals
• Other regulatory bodies

This would only occur where we have a legal obligation to do so.

International transfers

Some of our service providers (particularly Mailchimp and Stripe) may process data outside the UK. Where this happens, we ensure:

• Appropriate safeguards are in place (such as Standard Contractual Clauses)
• The transfer complies with UK data protection law
• Your information remains secure and protected

How long we keep your information

We only keep your information for as long as necessary for the purposes we collected it. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information:

Service users:

• Active case files: Duration of service plus 7 years (or longer if safeguarding concerns)
• Closed case files: 7 years from closure (in line with charity and safeguarding requirements)
• Child protection records: Until the individual reaches 25 years old, or 7 years from last contact, whichever is longer

Enquiries (non-service users):

• General enquiries: Up to 2 years
• Serious enquiries not progressing to service: 7 years

Mailing list subscribers:

• Until you unsubscribe, or if you haven’t engaged for 2 years

Job applicants:

• Unsuccessful applications: 6 months
• If you consent to being kept on file: Up to 12 months

Donors:

• Financial records: 7 years (legal requirement)
• Contact details: Until you ask us to stop contacting you

Website analytics:

• Anonymised data: Up to 26 months

These periods may be extended if required by law or where there are ongoing legal proceedings.

Keeping your information secure

We take data security seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures, including:

• Encrypted email systems – We use CJSM (Criminal Justice Secure Mail) for secure communication of sensitive information
• Access controls – Only staff who need access to your information can view it
• Staff training – All staff receive data protection and information security training
• Secure IT systems – Passwords, encryption, firewalls and anti-virus protection
• Physical security – Secure offices with controlled access
• Regular reviews – We regularly review and update our security measures
• Secure destruction – Confidential waste disposal and secure deletion of digital records

While we do everything we can to protect your information, no internet transmission is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of information transmitted online.

Your rights

Under data protection law, you have important rights regarding your personal information:

Right to be informed – You have the right to know how we use your information (this notice provides that information)

Right of access – You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you

Right to rectification – You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information

Right to erasure – You can ask us to delete your information in certain circumstances (though this may not be possible if we have a legal obligation to keep it)

Right to restrict processing – You can ask us to limit how we use your information

Right to data portability – You can ask for your information in a commonly used format

Right to object – You can object to us processing your information based on legitimate interests

Rights related to automated decision-making – We do not use automated decision-making or profiling

How to exercise your rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@equation.org.uk or write to us at our postal address above.

We will respond to your request within one month. There is no charge for making a request unless it is clearly unfounded or excessive.

If you are accessing services from us and request erasure or restriction of your information, please be aware this may affect our ability to continue providing support to you.

Withdrawing consent

Where we process your information based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing before you withdrew consent.

To withdraw consent, contact us at privacy@equation.org.uk or call 0115 9623237.

Children and young people

We work with children and young people through our services. The information in this notice applies to children as well as adults.

If you are under 18, we encourage you to discuss this privacy notice with a parent, guardian or trusted adult. However, we recognise that young people aged 13 and over generally have capacity to consent to us processing their information for service provision.

For children under 13, we will usually seek parental/guardian consent unless there are safeguarding reasons not to do so.

Cookies and similar technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your experience and help us understand how the site is used.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They help websites remember your preferences and understand how you use the site.

What cookies we use

Essential cookies – These are necessary for the website to function. They enable core functionality like security and accessibility features. You cannot opt out of these cookies.

Analytics cookies – We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our website. This helps us improve the site. These cookies collect anonymous information about pages visited, time on site, and how you arrived at the site.

Marketing cookies – We may use cookies from social media platforms (e.g., Facebook) if we run paid advertising campaigns. These help us understand the effectiveness of our campaigns.

Managing cookies

You can control and/or delete cookies as you wish. You can delete all cookies already on your device and set most browsers to prevent them from being placed. However, if you do this, you may have to manually adjust some preferences every time you visit our site, and some features may not work.

For more information about cookies and how to manage them, visit: www.allaboutcookies.org

To opt out of Google Analytics across all websites, visit: tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

Social media

We use social media platforms to communicate with our community and raise awareness of our work. We currently use:

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Instagram

When you interact with us on social media:

• The platform’s own privacy policy applies to how they process your information
• If you send us a private/direct message, we will handle it according to the relevant section of this privacy notice (e.g., as an enquiry or complaint)
• Public posts and comments are visible to others according to the platform’s settings
• We may use third-party tools to manage our social media presence and analyze engagement

We do not control these platforms’ privacy practices. Please review their privacy policies for more information.

Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to other organisations’ websites. This privacy notice only applies to Equation’s website. When you click on links to other websites, you should read their privacy policies to understand how they handle your information.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites.

Changes to this privacy notice

We may update this privacy notice from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will post any changes on this page and update the “Last updated” date at the top.

If we make significant changes, we may notify you through our website or by email (if we have your email address).

Complaints

We hope we can resolve any concerns you have about how we handle your personal information. However, if you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

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

Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk

Contact us

If you have any questions about this privacy notice or how we handle your personal information, please contact us:

By email: privacy@equation.org.uk
By phone: 0115 9623237
By post: Equation, Pinnacle House, Nottingham Indoor Bowls Centre, Beechdale Road, Nottingham, NG8 3FH

For service-related queries, you can also email: admin@equation.org.uk

 

Accessibility

We are committed to making this privacy notice accessible to everyone. If you need this information in a different format (such as large print, audio, or easy read), please contact us and we will do our best to help.

This privacy notice applies to information processed by Equation in connection with our website and services. Separate privacy notices may apply to specific activities such as recruitment, which will be provided to you at the relevant time.