Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 4 December 2024

Last Updated: 10 August 2026

1. Introduction

Ark Mediation Ltd ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), which are the relevant laws of England and Wales. Please read this policy carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your personal data.

2. Who We Are

Ark Mediation Ltd is a family mediation practice registered in England and Wales (Company Number 16121105). We are registered with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) as a data controller under registration reference ZB960918.

Ark Mediation Ltd is the data controller responsible for your personal data. Our contact details are set out in Section 18.

Registered address: 22 Warrington Road, Lymm, WA13 9BG Data Protection contact: contact@arkmediation.co.uk

3. Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following information about you:

Identity & Contact Information: Name, address, phone number, email address, and date of birth.
Case Information: Information you provide as part of the mediation process, including details about your family, children, and financial circumstances. Because of the nature of family mediation, some of this is "special category" and other sensitive information (see Section 4).
Communication Records: Notes, emails, forms, and other communications between you and Ark Mediation Ltd, including messages you send us through our website or chatbot.
Website Usage Data: Information collected through cookies and similar technologies when you use our website, and information you enter into the chatbot on our website (see Sections 12 and 13).

4. Special Category and Sensitive Information

The nature of family mediation means we may collect information that constitutes "special category data" under UK GDPR, including information relating to:

Health (physical or mental)
Children and family circumstances
Allegations of domestic abuse or safeguarding concerns
Racial or ethnic origin (where relevant to your case)

We also handle other sensitive information, such as financial details, as part of the mediation process.

We process special category data only where one of the following applies:

You have given your explicit consent;
Processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims;
Processing is necessary to protect your vital interests or those of another person; or
Another condition under Article 9 of the UK GDPR applies.

We handle all sensitive and special category data with the highest level of care and confidentiality, and we do not use it for marketing purposes.

5. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to:

Provide family mediation and related services;
Schedule, conduct, and manage appointments and meetings;
Respond to enquiries and provide support;
Comply with our legal, regulatory, and professional obligations;
Improve our services and understand client needs.

5.1 Marketing About Our Own and Associated Services

From time to time we may contact you about our own services, and about closely related or associated services — a separate company under common ownership with Ark Mediation Ltd — where these are relevant to family separation, co-parenting, mediation, or post-mediation support.

Where we contact you about our own similar services, we rely on our legitimate interests and, where applicable, the "soft opt-in" under PECR, on the basis that you are an existing or prospective client and the services we tell you about are closely connected to those you have used or enquired about. Where we contact you about the services of an associated company, we will do so on the basis of your consent where required, or otherwise on the basis of our legitimate interests, and we will always make clear who the service is provided by.

We do not use the sensitive or special category information you provide during mediation to target or personalise marketing.

You have the right to opt out of marketing communications at any time. There is no charge to opt out, and doing so will not affect the mediation services you receive. You can opt out using the "unsubscribe" link in any marketing email, or by emailing contact@arkmediation.co.uk. We will always provide a simple means to opt out in each marketing message.

6. Confidentiality of Mediation and Its Limits

Family mediation is a confidential and legally privileged ("without prejudice") process. What is discussed in mediation is kept confidential and cannot generally be referred to in court proceedings. However, there are important exceptions where we may need to disclose information:

Where there is a risk of harm to a child or a vulnerable adult, or a serious safeguarding concern;
Where financial information is provided — financial disclosure in mediation is open and may be used in later court proceedings;
Where we are required to disclose information by law or by a court order;
Where we are required to make a report under money laundering, proceeds of crime, or terrorism-financing legislation.

We will always seek to handle any such disclosure sensitively and in accordance with our professional obligations.

7. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following legal bases:

Performance of a contract: To provide mediation services to you.
Consent: For example, where you give explicit consent to process special category data, or consent to certain marketing.
Legal obligations: Where processing is necessary to comply with the law.
Legitimate interests: For our legitimate interests — such as managing our practice, ensuring security, and marketing our own and closely related services — provided these do not override your fundamental rights.

8. Disclosure of Your Information

We may share your personal information with:

Third-party service providers (sub-processors): Providers who process personal data on our behalf to help us deliver our services (see Section 9).
Professional advisers: For example, legal advisers, where necessary.
Legal or regulatory authorities: As required to comply with our legal or regulatory obligations, or where an exception in Section 6 applies.
With your consent: Where you have asked us to share your information in a specific instance.

We ensure that any third party receiving your information is required to protect it in accordance with this privacy policy and applicable data protection law.

9. Third-Party Service Providers (Sub-Processors)

We use trusted third-party service providers to help us run our practice and website. These providers process personal data on our behalf and are contractually required, under Data Processing Agreements, to protect your data in accordance with UK GDPR.

Our key sub-processors are:

Provider: Google LLC (Google Workspace) / Purpose: Email, document storage, calendar, and related business tools / Location: USA (with data centres in the UK/EU)

Provider: Wix.com Ltd / Purpose: Website hosting, forms, and related website functionality / Location: USA

Provider: Chatbase / Purpose: AI-powered chatbot on our website / Location: USA

We put Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) in place with our sub-processors. Our sub-processors may in turn use their own sub-processors, who are bound by equivalent data protection obligations. A full list of sub-processors is available on request by emailing contact@arkmediation.co.uk.

10. International Data Transfers

Your personal data is primarily stored and processed within the United Kingdom and European Economic Area.

However, some of our service providers are based in, or have operations in, countries outside the UK, including the United States. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including:

The UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) or Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the UK Government;
Transfers to countries or organisations covered by a UK adequacy decision (including the EU and, for certified companies, the USA under the UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework);
Conducting transfer risk assessments where required.

You may request a copy of the safeguards we use for international transfers by emailing contact@arkmediation.co.uk.

11. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, to meet our legal, regulatory, and professional obligations, or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

In practice, we normally retain mediation case records for 6 years following the end of our engagement with you, after which they are securely deleted or anonymised. Records may be retained for longer where required by law or where a matter concerning a child makes longer retention appropriate.

12. Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to make the site work and to improve your experience. Some cookies are essential for the website to function; others (such as analytics and those used by third-party features like our chatbot) are only set where you have given your consent through our cookie banner.

You can manage or withdraw your cookie preferences at any time via the cookie banner on our website or through your browser settings. Further details are set out in our Cookie Policy.

13. Our Website Chatbot

Our website includes an AI-powered chatbot, provided by Chatbase, to help answer general questions. Anything you type into the chatbot is processed by Chatbase on our behalf. Chatbase uses retrieval-based technology to answer questions and does not use your conversations to train AI models. Please do not enter sensitive personal details — such as information about abuse, health, children, or finances — into the chatbot. If you need to discuss sensitive matters, please contact us directly using the details in Section 18.

14. Data Security

We are committed to safeguarding your personal data. We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to prevent unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction of your information, including access controls, secure storage, and confidentiality obligations on everyone who handles your data.

15. Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Access: To request access to your data and obtain a copy.
Rectification: To correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Erasure: To request deletion of your data, subject to certain conditions.
Restriction: To restrict the processing of your data in certain situations.
Data Portability: To receive your data in a commonly used format.
Objection: To object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to object to direct marketing at any time.
Withdraw consent: To withdraw your consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at contact@arkmediation.co.uk. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

16. Data Security Incidents

In the unlikely event of a personal data breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will:

Notify the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach, where required by law;
Notify you directly without undue delay if the breach is likely to result in a high risk to your rights;
Take immediate steps to contain and remediate the breach.

17. Changes to Our Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on our website and, where appropriate, notified to you by email.

18. Contact Us

If you have questions about this policy or our data practices, or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us:

Ark Mediation Ltd 22 Warrington Road, Lymm, WA13 9BG Email: contact@arkmediation.co.uk Phone: 0330 043 6360 ICO Registration Reference: ZB960918