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Privacy Policy

Start Mediation Ltd

This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with and what your rights are. It covers people who use this website, people who become our clients, and anyone we invite to take part in mediation.

Who we are

Start Mediation Ltd is the data controller.

Start Mediation Ltd
The Hub
2 Civic Drive
Ipswich
IP1 2QA

Email: help@startmediation.co.uk

What we collect through this website

Contact form. Your name, email address, phone number, nearest town, the type of matter you need help with, your preferred contact method and time, and how you heard about us.

Client information forms. Depending on the form, we collect your contact details, date of birth and occupation; details of your relationship and family; financial information; and any health or disability information relevant to whether mediation is suitable.

Information about other people. Our client forms ask for details of the other people involved in your matter, such as their name, date of birth, town, contact details and relationship to you. Please only give us information you are entitled to share.

Information collected automatically. Your IP address, browser type, device, the pages you visit and how long you stay. We and our website service providers collect this using cookies and similar technologies. Our Cookie Policy gives full details.

If you become a client, or are invited to mediation

Once you take part in a private individual meeting, MIAM or mediation, we also hold:

  • meeting summaries and outcome documents
  • a record of any concern that someone or something may be at risk of harm
  • financial information and documents you provide
  • correspondence with you, the other participant and, where you agree, your advisers
  • details of children and other family members, where relevant

If someone else gave us your details. We may receive your details from the other participant, a lawyer or a referring organisation. If so, we will tell you when we first contact you, and point you to this policy.

Email addresses. If we meet with each of you and decide that mediation would be a suitable way forward, we will write to you together by email to invite you to mediate. From that point, each of you will see the other’s email address. If you would prefer the other person not to see your usual address, you can give us a separate one just for mediation.

Confidentiality and its limits. Mediation is confidential. We will share information without your agreement only where the law requires it, or where we believe someone or something is at risk of harm. Our Agreement to Mediate explains this in full.

Who sees your file. Our mediators and case administrators; our practice supervisors and anyone handling a complaint, on the same confidential basis; and service providers who support our work, such as email, video meetings, document storage, e-signature, accounting and case management. They may only use your information on our instructions.

Mediators’ notes. Mediators’ personal notes are a private memory aid. They are kept separately from your file, are not shared with you or anyone else, and are securely deleted when your file is deleted.

Use of AI tools

We use AI tools from established providers to help with administrative work. This may include information you give us.

  • A mediator reviews everything these tools produce.
  • They are never used to make decisions about you, including whether mediation is suitable or should continue.
  • We only use AI tools that do not use your information to train or improve their AI. This means your information does not become part of the AI, is not seen by other users of the tool, and cannot be repeated to anyone else. The provider stores it securely only so that we can use the tool, and we delete it when your file is deleted.

How we use your information

We use your information to:

  • reply to your enquiry
  • assess whether mediation is suitable, and prepare for and conduct your private individual meeting, MIAM or mediation
  • give an initial view on whether you may be eligible for legal aid
  • invite the other people involved to take part in mediation, as our professional rules require, unless it would not be safe or appropriate to do so
  • understand how visitors use the website, so we can improve it
  • keep the website secure and working properly
  • meet our legal and professional obligations

We do not sell your information and we do not use it for advertising or marketing.

Our legal basis

  • Enquiries, client forms, private individual meetings, MIAMs and mediation: we need this information to provide the service you have asked us for.
  • Health and disability information: to assess whether mediation is suitable and whether it needs to be adapted for your circumstances. This is part of the process required before most family court applications, so we process it in connection with legal claims.
  • Information about other people, and inviting them to mediation: our legitimate interest in offering mediation to everyone involved, and our professional obligations.
  • Legal aid, safeguarding and professional requirements: to meet our legal and professional obligations.
  • Google Analytics: your consent, given through our cookie banner.
  • Website security and delivery services: our legitimate interest in running a secure, working website.

Website services we use

We use a small number of service providers to run this website: our UK-based web host and form system, which stores your form answers and emails them to us; security and content delivery services that protect the site and help it load quickly; and services that supply typefaces, icons, maps and the contact button. These providers receive basic technical information, such as your IP address, when you visit.

Transfers outside the UK

Some of our service providers, including providers of AI tools, are based in the United States or the European Union. Where your information is transferred to the United States, it is protected by the UK-US data bridge or by other safeguards approved under UK law. The UK recognises the EU as providing adequate protection.

How long we keep it

  • Website form entries: kept for 12 months, then deleted.
  • Client files: kept for six months after we close your file, then securely deleted.
  • Anonymised information: we may keep anonymised information, from which you cannot be identified, for research and statistics.
  • Analytics data: kept by Google according to our Analytics settings.
  • Security and delivery services: kept only briefly.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

  • ask for a copy of the information we hold about you
  • ask us to correct it
  • ask us to delete it
  • ask us to restrict or stop using it
  • object to how we use it
  • withdraw your consent at any time, where we rely on consent
  • ask for your information in a format you can take elsewhere

Some of these rights are limited in mediation, for example where information also concerns any other participant.

To make a request, email help@startmediation.co.uk. There is no charge, and we will reply within one month.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please contact us first. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date below shows when it was last changed.

Last updated: 23 October 2026