Service Information
Horizon is the name of the online counselling service offered by Cyfannol Women’s Aid through the website: horizonsvs.org.uk (“us” “our” “we”). This Service Information applies to horizonsvs.org.uk whether you want information, support, online counselling or training from us, use our services, donate to us, work or campaign for us.
Services governed by this policy include Horizon’s online video counselling, live chat and messaging.
Cyfannol Women’s Aid is registered under the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 as a data controller with the number Z1003218. Full details of this listing can be seen on the Information Commissioner’s Office website. Cyfannol Women’s Aid’s registered charity number is 1045890 and our company number is 02995805 (registered in England and Wales).
This Service Information, along with our privacy and cookies policy and website terms and conditions lets you know how we collect, use and keep your personal information safe.
If you have any queries, please get in touch with our team:
- By email: horizon@cyfannol.org.uk
- By post: Horizon, 3 Town Bridge Buildings, Park Road, Pontypool, NP4 6JE
Data protection
The information about confidentiality in no way contravenes your rights under the General Data Protection Regulation May 2018 to access personal data that Horizon holds on you. Horizon keeps confidential records and statistics about its clients. All records are kept securely and are only seen by authorised Horizon personnel. These records are subject to the General Data Protection Regulation May 2018. Some of the information we may collect is classified as sensitive personal data and we can only use such data where we have your explicit consent. This data may include racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, trade union membership, physical or mental health, sexual life, criminal proceedings and offences. Your personal and sensitive personal data will only be used in order to provide the service to you and for managing and quality assuring the service. Records are kept for up to a period of 7 years and are then destroyed.
Horizon recognises that on occasion, our clients may wish to exercise their rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (May 2018) and make a subject access request in respect of their personal information held by Horizon. If information is provided by more than one individual, Horizon will only release information if consent has been given by all of the individuals involved.
If you wish to make a subject access request, please read the section 'Your rights and managing your own data' in our privacy policy for full details on how to do this.
Confidentiality
Horizon counselling is a private and confidential form of help. We hold information about each of our clients and the counselling they receive in confidence. This means that we will not normally give your name or any information about you to anyone outside the organisation. However, there are exceptional cases where Horizon might ethically or legally have to give information to relevant authorities, for example, if we had reason to believe that someone, especially a child, is at serious risk of harm or to prevent a miscarriage of justice. We will discuss any proposed disclosure with you unless we believe that to do so could increase the level of risk to you or to someone else.
If you want counselling with a partner or your family, the counsellor may suggest seeing each of you individually. It is important for you to know that what is said in those individual sessions will be confidential and not shared with your partner or family.
We know from our experience that working with couples or family members together may not be safe. If this is so, the counsellor will help each person to get individual specialist support from Horizon or another agency.
Privacy
Unauthorised electronic recording
In order for you to work safely and effectively with a counsellor, it is important that the privacy of the work is respected. Please do not attempt to record your counselling session using any device or app. If it is found that recordings have been made covertly, counselling services for the individual responsible may be discontinued immediately and Horizon reserves the right to seek legal advice regarding possible further action.
Authorised electronic recording
Occasionally a counsellor, for example, one who is undertaking a training course, will be required to tape or electronically record a counselling session. Some counsellors regularly use audio or video recording in their work and in these circumstances, you will be asked to give your written consent for this to happen. The consent will specify all the ways in which the recording will be used (for example training, supervision or research) and will specify how and when the recording will be destroyed.
Reports and client records
Occasionally Horizon is asked by our clients or by external to write reports on the progress made in counselling. We are not normally in a position to do this because of our duty of confidentiality to our clients and because Horizon counsellors are not trained in the specialist areas of diagnosis or social work assessment. However, we can in some circumstances, and on receipt of written consent from the client(s) who attended counselling, provide brief information about the dates and number of sessions attended.
In addition, we are also asked by clients, their solicitors, the police and the courts for access to the client records. These are not suitable as evidence in legal proceedings and Horizon reserves the right to resist legal requests to produce the records in court. We do this in order to protect Horizon’s duty of confidentiality to all its clients and to preserve Horizon’s reputation as a provider of confidential counselling.
Codes of ethics and practice
All Horizon counsellors and supervisors are required to comply with the code of ethics and practice that is appropriate to the work they undertake. In addition, Horizon personnel must comply with Horizon’s practice policies and guidance which both complement the external codes and set specific organisational standards for ethical working. Please ask your counsellor if you would like to know more about this.
Feedback: compliments, concerns and complaints
If you'd like to pay us a compliment or share a positive experience you've enjoyed with Horizon, please complete in our feedback form.
We welcome feedback and if you have a concern or complaint, we will always take it seriously as it allows us to improve the service we offer you. If you feel we haven't delivered a good experience, we operate a formal complaints procedure.
How to make a Complaint
If you have a complaint/comment about any aspect of our service, or the behaviour/actions of another woman using our service or a staff member, if appropriate, please speak to the person concerned to try to resolve the matter swiftly.
If you have been unable to resolve the problem yourself, please discuss it with your support worker if appropriate. If you would prefer to make a written complaint, please complete this form and return it to the Deputy Director* by email, post or in person. If you do not wish to do this, you may send in your complaint directly to the Director at the following address:
Cyfannol Women’s Aid, The Chrysalis Centre, 3 Townbridge Buildings, Park Road, Pontypool NP4 6JE
Your complaint will be acknowledged within 5 working days of receipt. The complaint will then be investigated and you will be informed of the outcome, in writing, within 15 working days of receipt.
If the complaint is about a member of staff, this may lead to an investigation under the disciplinary process.
You may also be invited to a meeting to discuss your complaint or invited to participate in mediation if your complaint is about another client. In all cases you have the right of appeal if you are still not satisfied with how we have responded to your complaint.
Further details of our complaints and appeals procedure can be found within our Complaints & Comments Policy.
*Please note that complaints from stakeholders should be addressed to the Director of the Chair of the Board of Trustees.