Breakeven Is your service confidential?

Confidentiality means not sharing information with anyone else about what you tell us. Whatever you say will be just between you and Breakeven, unless you request otherwise in writing. You can feel safe talking to us, knowing that we will not pass on personal information without letting you know.

But sometimes, if we’re worried about your safety, we may need to get you help. We’d only need to get help or take action if:

• You ask us to;
• We believe your life, or someone else’s life, is in danger;
• You’re being hurt by someone in a position of trust, like a partner, carer or friend;
• You tell us that you’re seriously harming another person / people.

Our team work to a standard code of practice, which includes strict confidentiality within the team. Counsellors need to discuss their work with their supervisor, and may need to pass information to their colleagues to ensure we are providing the most appropriate help, but no information about callers is disclosed to third parties without your consent, except in the circumstances stated above.

What information are you collecting about me?

At this stage we would need to record more information to make sure your referral can be passed over to the correct counsellor, which will include personal sensitive data such as your name and contact details.

We will collect information such as non-identifying demographic information to get a better idea of who is using our services and why, and to understand how our services may be able to adapt to meet changing needs. We will record data about your gambling issues, and information about how we are helping you. We may also collect some sensitive data, for example information about your health, family structure, ethnic origin and any criminal record you may disclose to us. If you would rather we didn’t record this, just let us know.

Why are you collecting information about me and what are you doing with it?

We collect information about you so that we can have a better understanding about who is using our service and why. Sensitive personal information, such as about your health, ethnic origin and criminal record, can help us tailor our services to your needs and make sure you get the very best help possible from our team.

This type of data, always anonymised, will also help us with research, raising awareness about our services, and improving our understanding about gambling in Great Britain. Our funders (GamCare/ GambleAware) also want to understand the service we offer, so we share anonymised, non-identifying data with them as part of our funding agreement. This is pooled with data from their other funded treatment services in a national report published each year (the Data Reporting Framework).

Who are you sharing my personal information with?

Breakeven provides a confidential service, the information is stored on a confidential system which is shared with GamCare who are the National Providers for Responsible Gambling.

Can I access to the personal information you hold about me?

Certainly! Please email info@breakeven.org.uk from an email address you have used to contact us before, or call 01273 833 722, and let us know what information you would like to access and why. We may take a few more details from you to make sure you get the right information. We will provide the information you have asked for, where possible, with 40 days.

Please bear in mind that Breakeven reserves the right not to send you any information that mentions a third party, or which could be used in any way to cause harm to you or someone else. We also cannot take responsibility for any items that may get lost in the post.

What if I don’t want you to hold my personal data?

When providing a treatment service, we have a responsibility to keep you and others safe from harm. If you have received treatment from us, you will sign a consent form which tells us that you are happy for us to keep your treatment records for seven years (this is best practice in clinical services) and longer in some cases (where a young person is involved).

Remember, if you would rather not give us some of your information at the start, as long as we can provide a safe service to you without it, that’s ok. Your counsellor will always explain to you if a particular bit of information will be helpful, but it’s always your choice how much information you would like to tell us. However, if you are unwilling to share your name, date of birth, address and contact details with us, we may not be able to offer you a service as it would not be safe for us to do so.

When seven years has passed since you last received treatment or follow-up contact from Breakeven, records of your personal information will be destroyed. We will keep anonymised information – as described above – and if you have any questions about this please ask your practitioner.