Last updated: June 2026
This privacy notice explains how Devon Counselling College collects, uses, stores and protects personal information about prospective learners, current learners, former learners, website visitors, newsletter subscribers, tutors, contractors, referees, emergency contacts and other people who contact us.
Introduction
Devon Counselling College is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information lawfully, fairly and transparently.
This privacy notice explains what personal information we collect, why we use it, the lawful bases we rely on, who we may share it with, how long we keep it, and what rights you have.
We do not sell personal data. We only use personal data where we have a lawful reason to do so under UK data protection law.
About us
Devon Counselling College is the data controller for the personal information described in this privacy notice.
Data controller registration number: ZB398086.
Our privacy contact is:
Devon Counselling College
2 Sheila Robb House
Oak Place
Newton Abbot
Devon
TQ12 2EX
You can contact us about privacy or data protection matters by using the contact form on our website. Please mark your message “Privacy / Data Protection” so that it can be identified and dealt with appropriately.
What information we collect
We may collect and use the following types of personal information, depending on your relationship with us:
- name, address, email address, telephone number and other contact details
- date of birth, where needed for course administration or identification
- emergency contact details
- course enquiries, application information and enrolment information
- records of courses, workshops or events you have attended
- attendance records, assessment records, tutor feedback and progression records
- payment information, including invoices, instalment records, outstanding balances and payment history
- communication records, including emails, contact forms and other correspondence
- reference request information, where you ask us to provide a reference
- newsletter preferences and marketing preferences
- website and analytics information, such as how visitors use our website
- information you choose to provide about wellbeing, health, disability, support needs, access needs or other circumstances relevant to your learning, participation or safety
Special category data
Some of the information we collect may be more sensitive. This may include information about health, disability, wellbeing, support needs, safeguarding concerns, reasonable adjustments, or other information you choose to tell us because it is relevant to your course, learning, participation or safety.
We only collect this information where it is necessary and appropriate. We use it to support learners, manage access needs, meet safeguarding or legal responsibilities, and help ensure that training is delivered safely and appropriately.
Where we process special category data, we identify both a lawful basis under UK GDPR and a separate condition for processing special category data.
We keep special category data under review and restrict access to those who need it for their role.
How we use your personal information
We use personal information only where we have a lawful reason to do so. The table below explains the main ways we use personal information and the lawful bases we may rely on.
| Purpose | Examples of information used | Lawful basis |
|---|---|---|
| Responding to enquiries | Name, contact details, enquiry details | Legitimate interests, or steps before entering into a contract |
| Processing applications and enrolments | Application details, contact details, course choices | Contract, or steps before entering into a contract |
| Delivering courses and learner support | Contact details, attendance, course records, support information | Contract; legitimate interests; where relevant, an additional condition for special category data |
| Managing attendance, assessment and progression | Attendance records, assessment records, tutor feedback and progression records | Contract; legitimate interests |
| Taking and managing payments | Invoices, instalments, outstanding balances and payment records | Contract; legal obligation for accounting and tax records |
| Maintaining learner records | Course history, achievement records and relevant communications | Contract; legitimate interests; legal obligation where applicable |
| Providing references where requested | Course history, attendance, achievement and other relevant information | Consent or legitimate interests, depending on the request |
| Managing complaints, concerns or disputes | Correspondence and records relevant to the issue | Legal obligation; legitimate interests |
| Safeguarding or serious welfare concerns | Relevant contact, course, wellbeing or incident information | Vital interests, legal obligation, legitimate interests and, where relevant, an additional condition for special category data |
| Website security and analytics | IP address, browser information, usage data and cookie data | Legitimate interests for website security; consent where required for non-essential cookies |
| Meeting legal, regulatory, insurance or professional obligations | Records relevant to the issue | Legal obligation; legitimate interests |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, our interests include running the college effectively, responding to enquiries, maintaining appropriate records, supporting learners, managing risk, protecting the security of our systems, improving our services, and communicating with people who have shown an interest in our courses. We only rely on legitimate interests where we have considered that your rights and interests do not override our legitimate reasons for using the information.
Reference Requests
Please be aware that we are not obliged to provide references for current or past learners and will only give a reference to an outside agency if you have requested this in writing. In any event, we’ll only use your information for the purpose or purposes it was collected for (or else for closely related purposes).
Marketing and course updates
We may send you information about our courses, workshops, events and related services where you have asked to receive this, where you have subscribed to our newsletter, or where we are otherwise permitted to do so by law.
You can unsubscribe or change your marketing preferences at any time by using the unsubscribe link in our emails, by contacting us, or by asking to be removed from our marketing list.
We will not sell your details to third parties for marketing purposes.
Who we share personal information with
We do not sell personal information.
We may share personal information where necessary with:
- tutors, assessors, supervisors or administrative staff involved in delivering or managing your course
- IT, website, email, database, cloud storage and technical support providers
- payment, banking, bookkeeping, accountancy and financial administration providers
- insurers, legal advisers or professional advisers, where necessary
- awarding, accreditation, membership or professional bodies, where relevant to a course or qualification
- safeguarding, emergency, health, legal or regulatory bodies where we are required or permitted to do so
- analytics providers, where cookies or similar technologies are used in accordance with our cookie information and your choices
We only share the information necessary for the relevant purpose. Where service providers process personal information on our behalf, we expect them to protect it and use it only for the agreed purpose.
Administration
We use personal data for administrative purposes (i.e. to carry on our business activities). This includes:
- Performing our obligations under learner’s contracts
- Managing finances – course payments and instalments
- Maintaining learner/supervisor/counsellor contact details, referee details
How we protect data
We employ various physical and technical measures to keep your data safe and prevent unauthorised access to, use, or disclosure of your personal information.
Electronic data and databases are stored on secure computer systems, and we control who has access to information (using both physical and electronic means).
Where we store information
We are based in the UK. We aim to store and process personal information in the UK, or within the UK/EU/EEA, where possible.
Some service providers we use may process or store personal information outside the UK. Where this happens, we will take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, as required by data protection law.
How long we keep personal information
We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, insurance, safeguarding, accreditation, complaints or record-keeping requirements.
Our usual retention approach is:
| Type of information | Usual retention approach |
|---|---|
| General enquiries | Usually up to 2 years after the last contact, unless the enquiry leads to enrolment |
| Newsletter records | Until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove you |
| Application and enrolment records | For the duration of the course and then in line with our learner-record retention requirements |
| Attendance, assessment and achievement records | Kept for an appropriate period after the course for verification, reference, accreditation, complaints and insurance purposes |
| Financial and invoice records | Usually 6 years after the end of the relevant financial year |
| Reference request records | Kept with the relevant learner record or for as long as necessary to evidence the reference given |
| Complaints records | Kept for an appropriate period after closure, depending on the nature of the complaint |
| Safeguarding or serious welfare records | Kept for as long as necessary in line with safeguarding, legal, insurance and risk-management requirements |
| Website analytics data | Kept according to the settings of the analytics service we use |
| Marketing suppression records | Kept as necessary to make sure we do not contact people who have opted out |
We may keep information for longer where we need to establish, exercise or defend legal claims, comply with a legal obligation, deal with complaints, or protect the rights, safety or wellbeing of learners, staff or others.
We do not store payment card information.
Your rights
You have rights under data protection law. Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis we rely on, these may include:
- the right to be informed about how we use your personal information
- the right of access to the personal information we hold about you
- the right to have inaccurate information corrected
- the right to have personal information erased in certain circumstances
- the right to restrict how we use your information in certain circumstances
- the right to object to certain uses of your information
- the right to data portability, where this applies
- the right to withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on consent
- rights relating to automated decision-making, if this ever applies
The right to object applies especially where we rely on legitimate interests or use your information for direct marketing. You can object to direct marketing at any time.
Some rights are not absolute. There may be circumstances where we cannot fully comply with a request, for example where we need to keep information for legal, contractual, safeguarding, complaint-handling, accounting or insurance reasons.
To exercise your rights, please contact our privacy contact using the details above.
Data protection complaints
If you have a complaint about how we collect, use, store or share your personal information, please contact us using our website contact form or by writing to us at the address above.
Please mark your message “Data protection complaint” so that we can identify it and deal with it appropriately.
We will acknowledge receipt of a data protection complaint within 30 days of receiving it. We will take appropriate steps to investigate and respond to your complaint without undue delay. We may contact you for further information if we need it to understand or investigate the complaint.
We will keep you informed where appropriate and will tell you the outcome of our investigation.
If you are not satisfied with our response, or if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Cookies and analytics
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies. Some cookies are necessary for the website to work properly. Others, such as analytics cookies, help us understand how people use our website and improve it.
Where cookies are not strictly necessary, we will ask for your consent before using them. You can change or withdraw your cookie preferences at any time using the cookie controls on our website, where available.
We may use analytics services, such as Google Analytics, to understand website traffic and visitor behaviour. Analytics information may include technical information such as IP address, browser type, pages visited and time spent on the site.
For more information about how Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services, please see Google’s privacy information.
Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content or security of other websites.
If you follow a link to another website, you should read that organisation’s privacy information to understand how they collect and use your personal information.