HGI Data Protection Complaints Process

If you think your personal data has been misused, that we have not responded quickly enough to a request to see the information held about you or that we have not kept it securely, you are entitled to make a complaint to us, which we must investigate thoroughly.

You may also make a complaint directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office, (ICO) instead of contacting us, or contact the ICO later, if unsatisfied by our response to you. You can call the ICO on weekdays between 9am and 5pm on 0303 123 1113.

Grounds for complaints

• Information about you was lost, stolen or used inappropriately
• Information held about you is incorrect
• A request from you to see the information held about you was not responded to within 30 days
• Information about you was kept for longer than necessary
• Information about you was used for a purpose for which you had not given consent.

How to complain

You can complain to the Human Givens Institute in any way you choose – for instance by phone, by email or via our social media pages.

• The details of any complaint made by phone to 01323 811 690 or 01323 811 662 will be recorded at the time and read back to you, to ensure details are correct. You will be asked for your preferred contact method for keeping you up to date with progress or any unavoidable delays. Your complaint will be passed to the HGI board to be addressed.
• Written complaints about the HGI should be emailed to chairsupport@hgi.org.uk
• It is fine to make your complaint via our social media channels, if you choose. However, you will be asked for an alternative contact method to use thereafter, as it is not generally secure to send personal information via social media channels.
• It will be helpful to give as much information as possible at the outset to explain and back up your complaint and also to indicate the kind of outcome that would satisfy you – for instance, an apology, a decision to be altered or a change in our processes.

What happens next?

You will receive an acknowledgment of your complaint within 30 days and you will be asked for any further information deemed necessary for investigating your complaint thoroughly. This investigation will begin as soon as possible.

The time taken to complete the investigation will depend upon the complexity of the issue and circumstances. You will be given a point of contact, so that you can get in touch at any time with any questions.

The outcome of the investigation will be communicated to you as soon as possible. If you are unhappy with it, you can take your complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office, details of which are given at the top of this document.

What we will do

We will:

• Ensure staff are instructed in how to recognise data protection complaints and direct them to the right place.
• Keep records of the date that your complaint was received; the date of the acknowledgement sent to you; any relevant conversations and documents; the outcome of the complaint; any actions taken as a result.
• Look at all the relevant facts thoroughly and fairly; speak to relevant members of staff; compare information from all sources; and check whether we have upheld our own terms, policies and standards and whether these need amendment.
• Store the records for a suitable length of time. For instance, if there is a chance of civil litigation, records will be kept for six years, by which time any legal claim must have been brought. In the event of a legal claim or the complaint being escalated to the ICO, the records will be kept until resolution has been reached. If the complaint is easily resolved to your satisfaction, records will be destroyed after two years.