PRIVACY POLICY

Who we are

Reach Out For Mental Health is a registered charity (No. 1199647) and company limited by guarantee (No. 10113987) based in Essex. We are the data controller for the personal information we collect. You can contact us at info@reachoutfmh.co.uk.

What information we collect

We may collect the following personal information depending on how you interact with us:

Your name, email address, phone number, and general location (e.g. town) when you make a referral, self-refer, volunteer, or contact us

Information about your mental health and wellbeing when you access our services, shared during referral, assessment, or counselling sessions

DBS and qualification details if you apply for a student placement or volunteer role

Any information you provide through our website forms, email, or phone

Why we collect it

We use your information to deliver our services safely and effectively, to assess referral suitability, to allocate you to the right service, to maintain safeguarding responsibilities, to communicate with you about your support, to manage volunteer and student placements, and to meet our legal obligations as a charity.

Our legal basis

We process personal data under the following lawful bases: legitimate interests (providing our charitable services), consent (where you have given it, e.g. marketing communications), legal obligation (safeguarding, regulatory compliance), and vital interests (where there is an immediate risk to life).

Special category data

Information about your mental health is special category data under UK GDPR. We process this on the basis of substantial public interest (provision of health and social care services) and, where appropriate, your explicit consent.

How we store your data

Client records are stored securely in Lamplight, our web-based client management system. Operational records are stored in cloud-based systems including Microsoft 365 and Airtable. Access is restricted to authorised staff and volunteers only.

How long we keep it

We retain client records for 7 years after your last contact with us, in line with sector best practice. Volunteer and placement records are retained for 3 years after your involvement ends. We review and securely delete data that is no longer needed.

Who we share it with

We do not sell or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes. We may share information with your GP or another professional if there is a safeguarding concern or immediate risk to life, with our clinical supervision team (anonymised where possible), and with statutory agencies where we are legally required to do so.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to access the personal information we hold about you, to request correction of inaccurate data, to request deletion of your data (subject to our legal obligations), to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, and to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

Cookies

Our website uses essential cookies to ensure it functions correctly. We do not use third-party advertising or tracking cookies. Squarespace, our website provider, may set analytics cookies — you can manage these through your browser settings.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available on this page.

Last updated: April 2026