Privacy & Cookies

SAMH’s Privacy Policy

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully as it contains important information about who we are, how and why we are collecting, storing, using and sharing (known as ‘processing’) your personal data, your rights and how to contact us if you have any questions or concerns about how we process your personal data.

  1. About SAMH.
  2. What information we collect and why?
  3. How we will collect, use, and keep your information safe.
  4. Who do we share your information with?
  5. Your rights.
  6. Changes to the privacy policy.
  7. How to contact us.
  8. Notes.
  9. Cookie Policy. 

1. About SAMH

SAMH is Scottish Action for Mental Health. We have been providing services and working to support Scotland’s mental health since 1923.

SAMH is a registered charity (SC008897), a company limited by guarantee (SC082340) and is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

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2. What information we collect and why?

2.1 Information we collect

Personal information we collect will depend on your engagement with us and may include details such as your name, date of birth, email address, postal address, telephone number and credit/debit card details (if you are making a donation), as well as information you provide in any communications between us. You will have given us this information whilst making a donation, registering for an event, raising a complaint or any of the other ways you interact with us.

If it is appropriate we may:

  • Collect details about your mental/physical health and wellbeing, if you are sharing your personal experience or taking part in an on-line survey; or if you are engaging in a physical challenge for fundraising.
  • Ask you why you have chosen to donate to SAMH – but this question will not be mandatory and you should only answer if you want to tell us.
  • Require further information from you if you have raised a complaint which needs to be investigated – but this will be at your discretion.
  • Send you communications about our news, activities and appeals by post or phone unless you have previously told us that you do not want to be contacted in this way, or by text or email if you have given us your consent. 

We will also gather general information about the use of our websites. Wherever possible, this information will be anonymised and will not identify individuals visiting our website.

There are certain types of more sensitive personal data which require a higher level of protection, such as information about a person's health, race, ethnic origin, political opinions, sexual orientation or religious beliefs. If you share any sensitive personal data with us, we will treat that information with extra care and confidentiality and always in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

2.2 Lawful bases of processing

Lawful bases of processing will depend on the context and reasons for collecting your data. In line with data protection legislation, we will rely on one or more of the following lawful bases of processing:

  1. Consent – you have provided us with consent to process your data
  2. Contractual obligation – to perform a contract we have entered into
  3. Legal obligation – to comply with the law
  4. Vital interests – to protect your vital interests or someone else’s
  5. Legitimate interests – where necessary for legitimate interests pursued by us and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests

Sensitive personal information requires higher levels of protection and further justification for processing. In processing this kind of personal data, we will rely on one or more of the following grounds:

  1. Your explicit written consent
  2. The need to protect you or another person from harm
  3. For the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims
  4. For the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services on the basis of domestic law

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3. How we will collect, use and store your information

3.1 How we will collect your information

We will collect information in the following ways:

  • Directly from you when you:
    • Enquire about our activities
    • Register with us or subscribe to our on-line mailing and email alerts
    • Contact our Information Service
    • Visit our website
    • Donate to or fundraise for SAMH
    • Engage with us via social media
    • Make a complaint
    • Agree to share your story with us
  • Indirectly:
    • Via independent event organisers or fundraising sites (for example Just Giving) if you have indicated that you wish to support SAMH and you have given your consent for information to be shared
    • When you have given permission to other organisations to share your information
    • Via one of our partnerships (for example,  Scottish Athletics or MIND
    • Information publicly available
    • Where we have CCTV installed at our services/premises
  • Via Cookies: These are small files that are stored on your computer, phone or tablet when you visit most websites. We use cookies to collect information about how our visitors use our website and to make it better/ easier to use. You can choose not to accept cookies but this could make our website difficult to navigate. There are more details on this in the Cookie Policy.

3.2 How we will use your information

We may use your information to:

  • Provide you with the service, product, advice or information you have asked for
  • Contact you, if appropriate based on your relationship with us
  • Share your story with our stakeholders in accordance with your consent
  • Fulfil a contract
  • Understand how we can improve our services, products and information
  • Provide you with information about our plans: which may include information about surveys, training, future campaigns, policy initiatives or fundraising initiatives
  • Keep a record of your relationship with us, keep your information up-to-date and accurate, and to ensure we comply with your communication preferences
  • Administer your donation, support your fundraising and process Gift Aid on your donations
  • Send you fundraising updates and appeals we think might be of interest to you, if you have given your consent
  • Help us to ensure that our communications to you are relevant
  • Undertake analysis and statistical reporting. Where we undertake this activity the data is usually anonymised unless and except we have advised and confirmed this with you in advance
  • Segment our databases (for example by geographical or demographical information) to help us to target our resources more effectively and to provide an improved experience to people who choose to support us

We will only use your personal information for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we need to use your personal information for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and explain the legal basis which allows us to do so.

3.3 Learning more about current and prospective supporters

Occasionally we will undertake profiling and research activity to learn more about our current supporters and to identify prospective supporters. When we do this we identify the interests of people and organisations and the potential for them to give a financial donation to SAMH or to increase the level of their donation. We do this because the information helps us to better understand our supporters and to engage with people who may be interested in helping us to further the aims and objectives of SAMH.

When we undertake this type of profiling we will use information you have already given us or that is publicly available. We may analyse personal information we collect about you including how you have engaged with us previously, demographic information, measures of affluence, philanthropic interests and networks. We may also use information in the public domain, for example listed Directorships or typical earnings in a given area. In particular circumstances we may engage the services of a third party to undertake this activity on our behalf.You can opt-out of this activity at any time. To do this, please email fundraising@samh.org.uk.

3.4 How we will keep your information safe

We ensure that there are appropriate technical, physical and organisational measures in place to protect your personal information both on-line and off-line information that we hold on you will be stored securely and only kept as long as is reasonable and necessary, and in line with any statutory obligations placed on SAMH. 

In cases where we may need to transfer or process your personal information outside the European Union we will comply fully with our legal obligations.

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4. Who we will share your information with

We will not share data with third parties unless there is a legislative, regulatory, insurance, contract or compliance requirement to do so or where you have given clear consent. We will aspire to share the minimum amount of data necessary for the purpose and restrict the use of data that directly or indirectly reveals your identify.

All our third party service providers or partners are required to take appropriate security measures to protect your personal information in line with data protection legislation.

  • SAMH may share your information with our partners:
    • Where we do this we will communicate this in advance.
    • Generally information will be anonymised before sharing.
  • Where we engage a third party to deliver a service on our behalf (for example, mailchimp or survey monkey), only required data will be shared. This will be in line with data protection legislation and covered by a data processing agreement where appropriate. 
  • SAMH may be required to share information in specific cases where we are providing a direct service/contract or where we are required by law.
  • Where you have chosen to share your story to help further our work and you have given your explicit consent, we may share your information in materials promoting our campaigning, services or fundraising work or in specific documents.
  • SAMH will comply and co-operate with regulatory authorities when we are legally required to do so.
  • Where there is a perceived threat to life due to suicidal intent or serious concern regarding a child or a vulnerable adult, SAMH may be required, in line with its duty of care, to report these concerns to the police or social work.

In circumstances other than those noted above, SAMH will not share your information with any other organisation for marketing, market research, fundraising or commercial purposes.

In particular SAMH will also not:

  • Pass your details to other websites.
  • Sell-on any information about you.

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5. Your rights

You have a right to:

  • Request to see the personal information we hold about you*
  • Request that inaccurate or incomplete information about you is corrected*
  • Request that your information is erased (in certain circumstances)
  • Request that we restrict processing of your information (in certain circumstances)
  • Object to the processing of your information (in certain circumstances)
  • Ask that we transfer your information to another organisation or to you (in certain circumstances)
  • Change your ‘opt-in’ preferences
  • Unsubscribe from email communications - if you no longer wish to receive email communications from us. You can do this by clicking on the ‘unsubscribe’ link at the bottom of our email communication
  • Request that SAMH does not undertake ‘Profiling’ of your information

* Please note that we may require proof of identity before we provide you with this information or make changes.

To exercise any of your rights, please see the section below on contacting SAMH.

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6. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We will keep our Privacy Policy under regular review to ensure that it accurately reflects how we process your information.  Any changes will be incorporated into this document and if the changes are significant we will provide a more prominent notice. 

This Privacy Policy was last updated in October 2022.

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7. How to contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or any other Data Protection queries; would like to exercise any of your rights noted above; or to change your ‘opt-in’ preferences, please contact:

dataprotection@samh.org.uk

Or you can write to us at:

Data Protection Officer
SAMH
Brunswick House
51 Wilson Street
GLASGOW G1 1UZ

If you are a donor/supporter please contact: fundraising@samh.org.uk or mark your correspondence for the Fundraising Team.

You can also contact the ICO if you are unhappy with how we process your personal data. The ICO contact details are as follows:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

ICO website: https://www.ico.org.uk

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8. Notes

  • Where we are commissioned to provide you with a direct service there will be a specific agreement in place and we shall communicate this through a separate privacy policy.
  • Our website may contain links to other websites. Please note that these other websites are not covered by this Privacy Policy.

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9. Appendix - Cookie Policy

Cookie information

Cookies are very small files that are stored on your computer when you visit most websites. They are sent back and forth between the website’s server and your Internet browser to allow the website to remember actions you’ve made.

We use cookies and other local storage means to help improve the performance of this website by measuring web traffic and tracking user journeys. We also use a security cookie to identify our website’s developers. Most of these only contain randomly generated numbers, and cookies cannot carry viruses or install malware on your computer.

Cookies set by this website

Google Analytics

Cookies: _utma; _utmb; _utmc; _utmz

Expiry: 2 years; 30 minutes; when you quit your browser; 6 months (respectively)

Purpose: These cookies collect information about how our visitors use this site. This data is collected anonymously, and is used to help improve this website’s functionality. For more information, see Google Analytic’s page on safeguarding your data.

Managing cookies

Most Internet browsers allow users to control the acceptance of cookies via the browser’s settings. Visit allaboutcookies.org to find out how to configure these settings on a number of major browsers.

You can opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites by installing Google’s opt-out browser add-on. However you should be aware that by opting-out it could make our website difficult to navigate.

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