This privacy notice explains the way in which the Ombudsman Association will handle (‘process’) your personal information. The requirements of the privacy notice are set out in the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. 

Collecting and using your information  

When you become a member of the Ombudsman Association (corporate or individual), we will collect the following information needed to process your membership application: 

  • the type of membership; 

  • your name; 

  • your address, telephone number, email address (for corporate membership, we will also collect the title of your post); 

If you do not provide this information, we will not be able to process your membership application. 

If you are applying for Corporate Associate membership, we will also collect the names and addresses of up to the three other individuals to whom papers should be sent, in addition to the named Representative.  

We will use your information for the administration of ongoing membership of the Ombudsman Association, including the delivery of our services and publications, as set out in the Ombudsman Association Member Pack: 

  • the administration of the OA Community area of the website; 

  • the provision of personalised notifications (where requested by individuals); 

  • membership of any of the Ombudsman Association’s Networks – for example, attendance lists, email distributions, and minuting of contributions, etc; 

  • the establishment and delivery of Working Groups/Networks; 

  • any Ombudsman Association publications to which you contribute or your attendance at any Ombudsman Association event or conference; 

  • any actions undertaken on your behalf at your request – for example, travel and accommodation bookings for event speakers, or relating to your access or dietary requirements. 

We will also use your information to provide you with details of Ombudsman Association events and conferences and it may sometimes be necessary to request further information from you in relation to these events - for example, dietary/access requirements. Whilst we may take videos or photographs at these events, for use on social media or in our publications, we will let you know in advance before doing so.  

The Ombudsman Association will use your information for the following purposes: 

  • the administration of Ombudsman Association membership as set out above, which does not override an individual’s interests or rights and freedoms; 

  • to deliver the contracted services offered by the Ombudsman Association, in exchange for the membership fee. 

Sharing your information  

We will provide your name and email address to other Ombudsman Association members to encourage sharing of information and best practice, or for the delivery of the above services and publications. If you are a member of a Network or Working Group, we will share your information with other members within that group, or across groups.  

We will include details of personnel changes at ‘office holder’ level in our Annual Report, along with membership of the Board and Validation Committees, and will include your details in publications to which you have contributed. 

Where the Ombudsman Association undertakes an action on your behalf (for example, travel or accommodation bookings), we will share your information as required to complete that action (for example, with the hotel or travel company).  

Your membership information will also be available to contracted or seconded Ombudsman Association support staff, for the purposes of administrative, legal, accounting or IT support, or support with other projects relating to the Ombudsman Association’s work. 

Retaining your information  

For individual members, we will retain your membership information for the duration of your membership of the Ombudsman Association, and for a period of three years following your membership ending, unless you specify otherwise. This will allow us to reactivate memberships which have inadvertently lapsed. We will keep statistical information relating to membership numbers. 

For corporate members, we will retain your membership information indefinitely. However, in the event that your membership is cancelled or lapsed, we will remove the names of individual members of staff from our membership records. 

We will retain all publications and papers relating to the delivery of Ombudsman Association services indefinitely. 

We will retain all necessary accounting or financial records for six years from the end of the last financial year to which they relate.  

Transferring your information abroad  

The Ombudsman Association will upload material containing personal information to our website, hosted within the United Kingdom – for example, Network minutes. This material will then be available for members outside the United Kingdom to decide whether to download and transfer material from the website.  

The Ombudsman Association uses international cloud-based IT services. This means that some of your personal information will be transferred abroad. We have contracts or data processing agreements in place with our IT suppliers for these services which set out the instructions they must follow.  This includes ensuring that adequate safeguards are in place to protect your information.

Your rights  

Subject to exemptions, and the basis for processing your information, the following rights may be available to you: 

  • the right of access to your personal data; 

  • the right to rectification of incorrect personal data; 

  • the right to erasure of personal data; 

  • the right to restrict processing undertaken; 

  • the right to object to the processing of personal data; and, 

  • the right not to be subject to automated decision making 

Who to contact if you have any queries or concerns  

The Ombudsman Association is the data controller for the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018, including in respect of processing by any appointed data processors.  

If you have any queries regarding the processing of personal data by the Ombudsman Association, or if you wish to exercise any rights set out above, you should contact the Chief Executive, Donal Galligan, on the following details: 

  • Registered Office: Leonard House, 5-7 Newman Road, Bromley, Kent, BR1 1RJ  

If you remain dissatisfied, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office: 

  • Postal address: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF