Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2026

 

VOX Scotland is Scotland’s national collective advocacy organisation for people with lived experience of mental ill health. We are committed to protecting your privacy and being clear about how we collect, use, store and share personal information.

This privacy policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who we may share it with, and what rights you have.

VOX Scotland processes personal information in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and other relevant legal and regulatory duties that apply to us as a Scottish charity.

This policy should be read alongside our Cookie Policy.

Who we are

 

Voices of Experience (VOX) Scotland is a national mental health collective advocacy charity.

VOX Scotland is the data controller for the personal information described in this policy. This means we are responsible for deciding how and why your personal information is used.

Our contact details are:
VOX Scotland
Floor 2, Moncrieff House
69 West Nile Street
Glasgow
G1 2QB

Email:  VOXScotland@mentalhealth.org.ukPhone: 0141 226 9856

Company Limited by Guarantee No. 361753
Registered Charity in Scotland No. SC040646

If you have any questions about this policy or how we use your personal information, please contact us using the details above.

The information we collect

 

We may collect and use personal information about:

• individual members
• group members
• associate members and supporters
• people who attend VOX Scotland events, meetings, consultations or training
• people who take part in VOX Scotland campaigns, research, policy work or projects
• people who share stories, views, photographs, audio or video with us
• newsletter subscribers
• people who contact VOX Scotland by email, phone, online form, post or social media
• board members, staff, volunteers, freelancers, suppliers and partners
• people who visit the VOX Scotland website

The information we collect may include:

• your name
• contact details, such as email address, phone number and postal address
• membership information, including membership type and confirmation of lived or living experience where relevant
• organisation or group details, where relevant
• information you give us in forms, emails, surveys, consultations, meetings or events
• your views, feedback, comments, experiences or personal circumstances, where you choose to share these with us
• accessibility, communication or dietary requirements
• equality monitoring information, such as age, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion or belief, and disability, where this is collected through membership or participation forms
• photographs, audio recordings or video recordings, where relevant
• bank details or postal address where we need to reimburse agreed expenses
• website usage information, such as IP address, browser type, pages visited, referral source and time spent on the site

We will only ask for information that is relevant to the activity you are involved in.

Special category information

 

Because VOX Scotland works with people with lived experience of ill mental health, some of the information collected through membership, participation, access planning or equality monitoring may be sensitive. Under data protection law, this is called special category data.

For VOX Scotland, this is most likely to include information about mental health, disability, access needs, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other equality monitoring information.

We do not ask for all types of special category information. We will only ask for this kind of information where it is relevant to our work, where we have a clear reason for using it, and where data protection law allows us to do so.

Where questions relate to sensitive personal information, we will normally provide a ‘prefer not to say’, ‘no’ or ‘other’ option, so that you are not forced to disclose sensitive details where you do not wish to do so.

VOX Scotland may process special category information when this is necessary for our work, for example to:

• confirm membership eligibility where relevant
• understand and represent the views and experiences of our members
• support participation in events, consultations, projects and meetings
• make reasonable adjustments and meet access needs
• gather anonymous or aggregated evidence for policy, research and influencing work
• make sure our work reflects a range of voices and experiences

Where we ask for equality monitoring information, we will explain why we are asking for it and how it will be used. We will use this information carefully and, wherever possible, report it in anonymous or aggregated form.

Where you share lived-experience information, stories, views, photos, audio or video with us, we will explain how it may be used. We will not make identifiable personal stories, photographs, audio or video public without your consent.

Why we use your information

 

We use personal information to carry out VOX Scotland’s charitable work and to support people to take part in collective advocacy.

This may include:

• processing membership applications
• managing individual, group and associate membership records
• keeping members and supporters informed about VOX Scotland’s work
• sending newsletters and updates
• organising events, meetings, consultations, campaigns, training and projects
• supporting people to participate in VOX Scotland activity
• gathering views and evidence to influence mental health policy, law and practice
• producing reports, briefings, blogs, campaign materials and other public communications
• managing consent for stories, images, audio and video
• reimbursing agreed expenses
• maintaining accounts and records
• responding to enquiries
• managing our website and improving people’s online experience
• meeting our legal, regulatory, charity and company responsibilities

We will not sell your personal information.

Our lawful basis for using your information

 

Data protection law requires us to have a lawful basis for using personal information. Different lawful bases may apply depending on the situation.

The table below explains the main ways VOX Scotland uses personal information.

 

Situation	Information we may use	Why we use it	Likely lawful basis
Membership applications and membership administration	Name, contact details, address, contact preferences, membership type, confirmation of lived or living experience where relevant, and equality monitoring information such as age, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion or belief, disability, access needs and dietary requirements	To process applications, manage membership, communicate with members, support participation, understand who our membership reaches and identify whose voices may be missing	Legitimate interests and/or consent. In some cases, special category conditions may also apply
Newsletters and email updates	Name, email address, communication preferences and email engagement information	To send you updates about VOX Scotland’s work, events, opportunities and relevant policy or practice developments	Consent, where you have signed up to receive updates. In some limited circumstances, legitimate interests may apply where you have expressed an interest in, or offered or provided support for, VOX Scotland’s charitable purposes, and where we are permitted to contact you under the charitable purposes soft opt-in. You can unsubscribe or opt out at any time.
Events, meetings, training and consultations	Name, contact details, access needs, dietary needs, attendance information, views and feedback	To organise and run events, support participation, gather feedback and follow up where appropriate	Legitimate interests, consent and, where relevant, special category conditions
Research, policy, campaigns and projects	Contact details, views, experiences, feedback, survey responses, interview or focus group contributions	To understand and represent members’ views, influence policy and practice, and produce evidence-based work	Legitimate interests, consent and, where relevant, special category conditions
Stories, case studies, photographs, audio and video	Name, image, voice, personal story, lived-experience information, consent records	To produce blogs, reports, campaign materials, social media content, films, publications and other communications	Consent, and explicit consent where special category information is made identifiable and public
Expense payments	Name, bank details or postal address, expense claim information	To reimburse agreed travel or subsistence costs and keep financial records	Contract, legitimate interests and legal obligation
Website use and analytics	IP address, device information, browser type, pages visited, cookies and usage data	To run the website, understand how it is used and improve the online experience	Consent for non-essential cookies; legitimate interests for essential site security and functionality
Contact forms, emails, phone calls and enquiries	Name, contact details, message content	To respond to your enquiry or request	Legitimate interests and/or consent
Board, staff, volunteers, suppliers and partners	Contact details, role information, payment details, governance records and correspondence	To manage working relationships and meet legal, financial and governance obligations	Contract, legitimate interests and legal obligation

Membership information

 

When you apply to become a VOX Scotland member, we may ask for information to process your application and manage your membership.

This may include your name, contact details, address, contact preferences, membership type and confirmation that you have lived or living experience of ill mental health, depending on the membership category.

We also ask equality monitoring questions, including age, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion or belief and disability, and questions about access or dietary requirements. These questions help us understand who our membership reaches, whose voices may be missing, and how we can make our work more accessible and representative.

Where questions relate to sensitive personal information, we will normally provide a ‘prefer not to say’, ‘no’ or ‘other’ option. Equality monitoring information will normally be used in anonymous or aggregated form, unless there is a specific reason to use identifiable information, such as arranging access support.

We use Beacon to collect and manage membership applications and related membership information. Information submitted through VOX Scotland membership forms may be processed by Beacon on our behalf.

We will use your membership information to:

• process your application
• keep your membership record up to date
• contact you about VOX Scotland activity
• invite you to take part in relevant opportunities
• understand and represent the experiences and priorities of our members

You can cancel your membership at any time by contacting VOXScotland@mentalhealth.org.uk

Events, consultations, campaigns and projects

 

If you attend a VOX Scotland event, meeting, consultation, focus group, campaign activity, training session or project, we may collect information such as your name, contact details, access needs, attendance information, views, feedback and any information you choose to share as part of the activity.

We will use this information to:

• organise the activity
• support your participation
• communicate with you before and after the activity
• understand people’s experiences and views
• report on what we heard
• influence policy, practice and decision-making

Where we produce reports, briefings or public materials from events, consultations or projects, we will normally use anonymous or non-identifying information unless you have agreed otherwise.

If we are taking photographs, filming or recording an event, we will make this clear in advance or at the event. We will explain how images, video or audio may be used and what options are available if you do not want to be photographed, filmed or recorded.

Personal stories, photographs, audio and video

 

From time to time, VOX Scotland may ask people to share stories, quotes, photographs, audio or video for use in our work.

This may include use in:

• reports
• policy briefings
• blogs
• newsletters
• campaign materials
• social media posts
• films or audio content
• presentations
• funding or impact reports
• media work

We will explain what we would like to use, where it may appear, and whether you will be named or identifiable.

We will not make identifiable personal stories, photographs, audio or video public without your consent. You can withdraw consent for future use by contacting us. If material has already been published, we will take reasonable steps to remove it from VOX Scotland-controlled channels where possible, but we may not be able to remove material that has already been printed, downloaded, shared by others or published by third parties.

Newsletters and updates

 

If you sign up to receive VOX Scotland newsletters or email updates, we will use your name and email address to send you information about VOX Scotland’s work, events, opportunities and relevant mental health policy or practice developments.

In some limited circumstances, we may also contact people who have expressed an interest in, or offered or provided support for, VOX Scotland’s charitable purposes, where data protection and electronic marketing rules allow us to do so. This may include, for example, people who have asked to hear more about our work, taken part in a campaign or event, volunteered, or otherwise supported VOX Scotland’s charitable purposes.

Where we rely on this approach, we will only send communications that further VOX Scotland’s charitable purposes, and we will give you a clear opportunity to opt out when we collect your contact details and in every subsequent email.

We use Mailchimp to send newsletters and email updates. When you sign up to receive VOX Scotland emails, or where we are otherwise permitted to contact you, your name, email address and email engagement information may be processed by Mailchimp.

You can unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe link in our emails or by contacting VOXScotland@mentalhealth.org.uk.

Expenses and payment information

 

Where VOX Scotland has agreed to reimburse travel, subsistence or other expenses, we may need to collect payment information.

If you choose to be paid electronically, we may ask for your bank account name, sort code and account number. If you choose to be paid by cheque, we may ask for your postal address.

We use this information only to process agreed payments, keep financial records and meet accounting or legal obligations.

Website, cookies and analytics

 

When you visit the VOX Scotland website, we may collect limited technical information needed to make the site work properly and keep it secure. This may include information such as your IP address, browser type, device information and basic usage information.

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. Some cookies are essential for the website to work. Other cookies, such as analytics, statistics or marketing cookies, should only be used where they are active on the website and where you have given consent.

You can manage your cookie preferences through the cookie banner or settings on our website. You can also change cookie settings in your browser.

Please see our Cookie Policy for more information.

Links and embedded content

 

The VOX Scotland website may include links to other websites or embedded content, such as videos, images, maps or social media posts.

Embedded content from other websites behaves as if you had visited that website directly. These websites may collect information about you, use cookies, include third-party tracking and monitor your interaction with the content, especially if you are logged in to that service.

VOX Scotland is not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies.

Who we share information with

 

We will only share personal information where we have a lawful reason to do so.

We may share information with:

• service providers, and the Mental Health Foundation, who help us run our website, email systems, events, surveys, forms, databases or cloud storage
• Beacon, which we use for membership forms and membership records
• Mailchimp, which we use for email newsletters and mailing lists
• platforms we use to host meetings, webinars or online events
• payment, banking, accounting or audit providers where needed
• funders or partners, usually in anonymous or aggregated form unless otherwise agreed
• professional advisers, regulators or authorities where required
• emergency services or safeguarding bodies if we believe there is a serious risk of harm
• other third parties where you have given consent

We require organisations that process personal information on our behalf to keep it secure and only use it for the agreed purpose.

We do not sell your personal information.

International transfers

 

Some of the services VOX Scotland uses may process personal information outside the UK. This can happen when we use online platforms, cloud services, email marketing tools, analytics tools, video-conferencing platforms or social media services.

Mailchimp is based in the United States and may process personal information in the USA and other countries where it, its affiliates or subprocessors operate. Mailchimp states that it uses safeguards for international transfers, including the Data Privacy Framework and Standard Contractual Clauses.

Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, we will take steps to make sure appropriate safeguards are in place, where required by data protection law.

How long we keep information

 

We will not keep personal information for longer than necessary. How long we keep information depends on the type of information and why we collected it.

The table below sets out our intended retention approach.

Type of information	How long we keep it
Individual membership records, including Beacon membership form information	For the duration of membership. If you cancel your membership, we aim to delete or anonymise personal information within one month unless we need to keep limited information for legal, audit, safeguarding, consent management or suppression-list reasons.
Group or organisational membership records	For the duration of membership, and for a reasonable period afterwards where we need to keep organisational history, governance or relationship records.
Newsletter records	Until you unsubscribe or ask us to stop contacting you. We may keep a limited suppression record to make sure we do not contact you again by mistake.
Event attendance records for members	For as long as needed to manage the event, support follow-up and maintain relevant membership or participation records.
Event attendance records for non-members	Up to two years, unless a shorter or longer period is required for a specific reason.
Consultation, research, campaign or project contributions	For the duration of the project and any reporting period. Where possible, information will be anonymised or aggregated for longer-term learning, policy or impact work.
Consent forms for stories, photographs, audio or video	For as long as the related material is in use, and for a reasonable period afterwards to manage permissions.
Publicly published materials	May be retained permanently as part of VOX Scotland’s public record, unless otherwise agreed or required.
Expense and financial records	Six years after the end of the relevant financial or tax year, unless a longer period is required.
Website cookie and technical data	In line with the Cookie Policy and the settings of any active website tools.
Contact form or general enquiry records	For as long as needed to respond and follow up, then deleted or archived according to business need.
Board, governance, company and charity records	In line with legal, regulatory, charity and company requirements.

How we keep information safe

 

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or destruction.

This may include:

• limiting access to people who need the information for their role
• using password protection and secure systems
• keeping financial and sensitive information more tightly controlled
• reviewing permissions and access where needed
• using trusted service providers
• training staff and relevant volunteers or board members on data protection responsibilities

No system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we will take care to protect your information and respond appropriately if something goes wrong.

Automated decision-making

 

VOX Scotland does not use your personal information for automated decision-making or profiling that has legal or similarly significant effects on you.

Your rights

 

You have rights under data protection law. These include the right to:

• ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• ask us to delete your information in certain circumstances
• ask us to restrict how we use your information in certain circumstances
• object to us using your information in certain circumstances
• withdraw consent where we are relying on consent
• ask for your information to be transferred to another organisation in certain circumstances
• complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office

If you want to exercise any of these rights, please contact VOXScotland@mentalhealth.org.uk

We will usually respond within one month. There may be some situations where we cannot fully meet a request, for example where we need to keep information to meet a legal obligation or protect the rights of others. If this applies, we will explain why.

You can also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Website: https://ico.org.uk
Phone: 0303 123 1113

Changes to this policy

 

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. When we make changes, we will publish the updated version on our website and update the date at the top of the page.

If we make significant changes to how we use personal information, we will take reasonable steps to let people know.

Contact us

 

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how VOX Scotland uses personal information, please contact:

Email: VOXScotland@mentalhealth.org.uk
Phone: 0141 226 9856

VOX Scotland
Floor 2, Moncrieff House
69 West Nile Street
Glasgow
G1 2QB