Privacy Policy

Including GDPR and Data Protection

This policy describes how personal data is collected, handled and stored to meet the Equine Touch Foundation (ETF) and the International Equine Touch Association UK & Ireland (IETA UK & Ireland) data protection standards and to comply with the law.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (2018) and Data Protection Act (2018) applies to every business that collects, stores and uses personal data relating to customers, staff or other individuals. The draft Data Protection, (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 has been replaced by a new draft, the Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 ISBN 978-0-11-117830-0 in order to correct deficiencies in EU-derived data protection legislation as a result of the withdrawal of the UK from the EU. Still to become statutory in UK, this policy will be reviewed and revised where necessary to meet any changes.

GDPR and DPA (2018) applies to ‘personal data’ meaning any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified in particular by reference to an identifier. This definition provides for a wide range of personal identifiers to constitute personal data, including name, identification number, location data or online identifier, reflecting changes in technology and the way organisations collect information about people.

GDPR applies to both automated personal data and to manual filing systems where personal data is accessible according to specific criteria. This could include chronologically ordered sets of manual records containing personal data.

  1. • _The main Office and all branches of the ETF and IETA UK & Ireland

  2. • _All members and/or volunteers of ETF and IETA UK & Ireland 

  3. • _All sub-contractors, suppliers, Instructors, Assessors, and other people working (paid or unpaid) on behalf of ETF and IETA UK & Ireland 

  4. • _Postal addresses

  5. • _Email addresses _

  6. • _Telephone numbers

  7. • _IP addresses, cookies, electronic data

  8. • _Plus, any other information relating to individuals, learners and or customers and clients.

The ETF adheres to the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR.  This privacy policy sets out how the Equine Touch Foundation (ETF) in association with the International Equine Touch Association UK & Ireland use and protect any information that you give us, directly or indirectly through our constitutional association [see Appendix 1], when you contact us / or use our websites.

ETF and IETA-UK & Ireland are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.

ETF and IETA-UK & Ireland may change this policy from time to time by updating this page and any changes will become effective immediately. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. If we plan to use personal data for a new purpose, we will update our privacy information and communicate the changes to individuals before starting any new processing. This policy is effective from 25 May 2018.

What we collect

We may collect the following information:

  • Your name

  • Your full postal address

  • Other contact information including email address, phone, mobile

  • DOB (students registered on the Lantra approved training programmes only)

  • ETF course attendance information

  • ETF educational progress and qualifications

Why we need the information we gather

The information we gather may be used:

  • To respond to any query that you may submit to us,

  • To manage our relationship with you,

  • For internal record keeping,

  • For external record keeping with Lantra (registered students only),

  • To improve our events, activities, products and services.

How we will use the information we gather

GDPR applies to ‘Data Controllers’ and ‘Data Processors’ of an individual’s personal data. A Data Controller determines the purposes and means of processing personal data. A Data Processor is responsible for processing personal data on behalf of a data controller.  GDPR applies to the processing carried out by ETF.

The information will be used to periodically send promotional emails relating to ETF and IETA-UK & Ireland from our dedicated ETF/IETA email accounts and/or Mail Chimp, using the email address you have provided, but only if you have given your consent or we are otherwise able to do so in accordance with applicable Data Protection Legislation. 

Emails may include information about events, news, activities, products and services and special offers, educational learning and support, courses, training and any other information which we think you may find interesting relating to ETF and other educational opportunities including those relating to IETA-UK & Ireland - learner/practitioner support, events, membership and get-togethers. 

In addition to the previous use, IETA-UK & Ireland Membership will include postal confirmations, bi-annual magazine, and may include important circulars relating to specific ETF business and IETA-UK & Ireland membership.

You may unsubscribe at any time via phone, email or our website

Legal bases used to process personal information

We will rely upon the following legal bases for processing your personal data:

  • Where you have given us your consent to do so for the specific purposes which we have told you about – for example, sending you information about ETF courses and IETA-UK & Ireland events coming up in your area; or

  • Where it is necessary to fulfil our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests; or

  • Where the processing is necessary for a contract we have with you; or

  • Where the law otherwise permits or requires it.

Where we process your personal data because of our legitimate interests, these are our interests in managing our relationship with you; keeping internal records of attendance on ETF courses and all progress and achievement made on registered training courses; offering ongoing training and support to students and IETA-UK & Ireland members: sending out members’ magazines and ezines as well as news of ETF courses and IETA-UK & Ireland special events.

Accuracy and retention of data

  • We do our best to keep your data accurate and up to date, to the extent that you provide us with the information in the first instance. If your data changes (for example, if you move to a new house or have a new email address), then you are responsible for notifying us of those changes.

  • Upon request, we will provide you with what personal information we hold, or process on behalf of ETF and/or IETA-UK & IRELAND. We will retain your information for as long as you are actively interested and/or involved in ETF/IETA-UK & IRELAND activities and courses or as long as needed to provide you with our services and/or support.

  • We may also retain and use your information in order to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, prevent abuse of the intellectual property of ETF and enforce our Agreements.

  • Attendance on courses and qualifications gained will be held for long term future educational reference. 

  • Under common law and in accordance with Insurance agreements we may need to keep some records for seven years. After this time your personal contact may be securely deleted.

Right of access

  • You may request details of the personal information which we hold about you by contacting us at: ukcentretheequinetouch@gmail.com or ietaukandireland@gmail.com. We will aim to respond within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with any applicable law.

  • There is no charge for an individual to access or update their personal information.

  • If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to [Admin, 106 Ballyregan Road, Craigantlet, Holywood, BT18 9RP] or email us as soon as possible, at the email above. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.

  • Should you ask us to delete all your personal information, you should understand that in some situations we may be unable to fully meet your request, as we may be required to retain some data for legal requirements, educational archive and for regulatory and other statutory purposes

Safeguarding your information

We take all reasonable and appropriate measures to protect personal Information from loss, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction, taking into account the risks involved in the processing and the nature of the personal information.  Remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. Once we have received your information, we will use procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access. We cannot guarantee its absolute security.

If you have any questions about the security of your personal information, you may contact us at ietacompliance@gmail.com.

All our electronic accounts require a username and password to log in with access limited to specific personnel only.  Files are backed up in an external hard drive and in dropbox, with paper records stored in locked filing cabinets.

Regarding information stored and accessed through remote service providers/cloud storage, please take time to read their privacy policies as listed: Mail chimp  Drop box

Controlling your personal information

We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties. Information may be provided to Law Enforcement Agencies if we are required by law to do so. 

As ETF and IETA-UK & Ireland are constitutionally linked, your personal information may be transferred between and within the two organisations for purposes mentioned earlier.

How we use cookies

Cookies are used to store browsing preferences within our web sites capturing the visitor’s IP address, when they visited and what page they visited.

A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer nor will it store any personal information about you.

It is possible to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of our website.

Links to other websites

Our websites may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites as such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.  (Further information see our Terms & Conditions of Website Usage)

Your responsibility

It is your responsibility to ensure that your computer is virus protected. Neither ETF nor IETA-UK & Ireland can accept responsibility for any loss you may suffer as a result of accessing and downloading information from us or from our web sites.

 

 

Appendix 1

The International Equine Touch Association – Background

The International Equine Touch Association (IETA-UK) was set up in 2004 by the Equine Touch Foundation (ETF) as a non-profit making organisation to be run by the members, for the members and to:

  • Promote the Equine Touch Foundation Modalities (the Equine Touch (ET), Vibromuscular Harmonisation Technique (VHT), and Canine Touch (CT)) throughout the UK, Ireland and beyond;

  • Promote and support Practitioners and Students of the Equine Touch Foundation Modalities; and

  • Provide a point of liaison between members of the Association and The Equine Touch Foundation.

At an extraordinary meeting of the Association on 13 March 2011 IETA-UK was renamed IETA-UK & Ireland.

From 8 April 2014 three subsidiary sections were made within the Association, each representing the modalities: Equine Touch Association (ETA), Vibromuscular Harmonisation Technique Association (VHTA) and Canine Touch Association (CTA). 

The subsidiary sections allow for individual variation and expansion within each section and to identify Members’ and Graduates’ area of study mETA, mVHTA, mCTA.  All three subsidiary sections are governed in all aspects by the parent Association.

Established as a non-profit making organisation it is IETA-UK & Ireland’s policy to:

  • only process information necessary to establish or maintain IETA-UK & IRELAND membership or ETF student and practitioner support;

  • only process information necessary to provide or administer activities for people who are members of the organisation, past and present, ETF students and practitioners, past and present and members of the public who have shown an interest in our activities and have consented to be kept informed;

  • only share the information with people within IETA-UK & Ireland and ETF and any other organisations necessary to carry out the organisation’s activities.

  • only keep the information while the individual is an interested party, a member or ETF Student or as long as necessary for legitimate interest, membership records; ETF student /educational administration and records; to comply with legal obligations and to enforce our contractual agreements.

First Issue 12 May 2018 / Updated 7 April 2020/Updated 8 April 2021