Privacy Notice and Data Protection (GDPR)

Navigating Separation, operated by Mark Watson as a sole trader, is committed to protecting and respecting your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Navigating Separation is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under registration number: ZC236248

1. Data Controller Mark Watson is the Data Controller responsible for your personal data. If you have any questions regarding this policy or how your personal information is handled, contact: mark@navigatingseparation.com

2. What Information We Collect

  • Contact Information: Name, email address, and phone number provided when booking a session or purchasing a digital product.

  • Payment & Transaction Data: Records of payments, invoices, and purchases. (Note: Payment details such as credit card numbers are handled directly by our payment processors and are never stored on our servers.)

  • Intake & Case Materials: Information voluntarily disclosed in pre-session intake forms, notes taken during strategy sessions, and drafts of documents submitted for review (such as position statements, court chronologies, or schedule proposals).

3. Lawful Basis for Processing We process your personal data under the following lawful bases:

  • Contractual Necessity: To deliver the mentoring sessions, document reviews, or digital downloads you have purchased.

  • Legitimate Interests: To maintain standard administrative records and respond to client inquiries.

  • Explicit Consent: Where you share sensitive personal or family background details to facilitate a strategy session or document review, or where you opt in to receive occasional email resources.

4. How We Store and Protect Your Data All client data, session notes, and submitted documents are stored securely using encrypted cloud storage via Google Workspace, secured with multi-factor authentication. Access is strictly restricted to Mark Watson alone.

5. Document Retention and Deletion

  • Case & Review Documents: Draft statements, chronologies, and evidentiary paperwork submitted for Document Reviews are retained only for as long as needed to deliver the service and are permanently deleted from active storage within 30 days of completion, unless you explicitly request otherwise.

  • Financial & Transaction Records: Invoice and payment records are retained for 6 years to comply with UK statutory accounting and HMRC requirements.

6. Third-Party Service Providers We use trusted third-party data processors to run our booking and website infrastructure. Each provider operates under strict privacy and security standards:

  • Squarespace & Acuity Scheduling: For website hosting, scheduling appointments, and intake form collection.

  • Stripe / Squarespace Payments: For secure payment processing.

  • Google Workspace: For encrypted email communication and document storage.

We will never sell, rent, or share your personal data with any third party, including your former partner or their legal representatives, except where strictly required by law or where there is an overriding legal duty to prevent imminent, serious harm to a child or adult.

7. Your Statutory Rights Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

  • Request access to the personal data held about you (a Subject Access Request).

  • Request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete data.

  • Request erasure of your personal data (where retention is no longer legally required).

  • Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

To exercise any of these rights, email mark@navigatingseparation.comRequests are acknowledged and processed free of charge within one calendar month.

8. Complaints If you have concerns about how your data is handled, please contact us directly so we can resolve the issue. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority: Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF (ico.org.uk).

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