Privacy Policy

Data Protection Officer

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact the Diocesan Data Protection Officer:

What Personal Data We Collect

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

• Identity data: Name, title, date of birth
• Contact data: Address, email address, telephone numbers
• Financial data: Bank details for standing orders or Gift Aid declarations
• Special category data: Religious beliefs (implied through parish membership), health information (for pastoral care)
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, and usage data when you visit our website
• Sacramental records: Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage, and other sacramental information

How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To administer parish membership and maintain parish records
• To provide pastoral care and support
• To organise and administer sacramental preparation
• To communicate parish news, events, and newsletters
• To process donations and Gift Aid claims
• To safeguard children and vulnerable adults
• To respond to enquiries and requests
• To comply with legal and canonical obligations

Lawful Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the following lawful bases:

• Consent: Where you have given explicit consent (e.g., newsletter subscriptions)
• Contract: Where necessary to perform a contract with you (e.g., hall bookings)
• Legal obligation: Where we are required by law (e.g., safeguarding, Gift Aid)
• Legitimate interests: For the administration of the Church and its activities
• Religious organisation exemption: Under Article 9(2)(d) of UK GDPR for processing by a not-for-profit religious body

Who We Share Your Data With

We may share your personal data with:

• The Archdiocese of Southwark (our Data Controller)
• HMRC (for Gift Aid purposes)
• Other Catholic parishes (where you transfer membership, with your consent)
• Statutory agencies (where required by law, e.g., safeguarding)
• Third-party service providers who process data on our behalf (e.g., IT services, payment processors)

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain personal data in accordance with the Archdiocese's retention policy:

• Sacramental records: Kept permanently in parish registers (Canon Law requirement)
• Financial records: 7 years (legal requirement)
• Gift Aid declarations: 6 years after the last donation
• Safeguarding records: In accordance with statutory requirements
• General parish records: Reviewed periodically and deleted when no longer needed

Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure: Request deletion of your data (subject to legal/canonical requirements)
• Right to restrict processing: Request limitation on how we use your data
• Right to data portability: Request transfer of your data
• Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, please contact the Diocesan Data Protection Officer at dpo@finance-rcdsouthwark.org.

Cookies

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Complaints

If you have concerns about how your personal data is being processed, we encourage you to contact us first. However, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Any significant changes will be communicated through our website. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.