Privacy Policy

PRIVACY NOTICE for THE MINISTRY TRAINING ACADEMY

Your personal data – what is it? 

“Personal data” is any information about a living individual which allows them to be identified from that data (for example a name, photographs, videos, email address, or address). Identification can be by the information alone or in conjunction with any other information. The processing of personal data is governed by [the Data Protection Bill/Act 2017 the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (the “GDPR” and other legislation relating to personal data and rights such as the Human Rights Act 1998]. 

Who are we? 

This Privacy Notice is provided to you by the Ministry Training Academy in Aberdeen which is the data controller for your data. 

MTA is a partnership of four different Christian churches (Banchory Christian Fellowship Church, Deeside Christian Fellowship Church, Gilcomston Church, and Trinity Church, Aberdeen) who work together to deliver the MTA’s vision. The MTA is operated by: 

• the Administrators of the MTA
• the Members of Staff who teach on the course (modules, preaching labs, and Book or Doctrine in a Day courses)
• Visiting lecturers

How do we process your personal data? 

The data controllers will comply with their legal obligations to keep personal data up to date; to store and destroy it securely; to not collect or retain excessive amounts of data; to keep personal data secure, and to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure and to ensure that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data. 

We use your personal data for some or all of the following purposes:

• To process applications to the MTA for our two year course
• To enable us to meet all legal and statutory obligations
• To carry out comprehensive safeguarding procedures (including due diligence and complaints handling) in accordance with best safeguarding practice from time to time with the aim of ensuring that all adults-at-risk are provided with safe environments;
• To deliver the MTA’s vision to our local church communities, and to carry out any other voluntary or charitable activities for the benefit of the public as provided for in the constitution and statutory framework;
• To maintain our own accounts and records;
• To seek your views or comments;
• To notify you of changes to our services, events and course provisions
• To send you communications which you have requested and that may be of interest to you. These may include information about campaigns, appeals, other fundraising activities;
• To process a grant or application
• We will process data about role holders for legal, personnel, administrative and management purposes and to enable us to meet our legal obligations, for example to pay role-holders, monitor their performance and to confer benefits in connection with your engagement as a Role Holder. “Role Holders” includes volunteers, MTA students, employees, contractors, agents, staff, retirees, temporary employees, beneficiaries, workers, treasurers and other role holders.
• We may process sensitive personal data relating to Role Holders including, as appropriate:
• – information about an Role Holder’s physical or mental health or condition in order to monitor sick leave and take decisions as to the Role Holder’s fitness for work;

– the Role Holder’s racial or ethnic origin or religious or similar information in order to monitor compliance with equal opportunities legislation;

– in order to comply with legal requirements and obligations to third parties.

• Our processing also includes the use of CCTV systems for the prevention and prosecution of crime. 

What data do the data controllers listed above process? 

• Names, titles, and aliases, photographs.
• Contact details such as telephone numbers, addresses, and email addresses.
• Where they are relevant to our mission, or where you provide them to us, we may process demographic information such as gender, age, date of birth, marital status, nationality, education/work histories, academic/professional qualifications, employment details, hobbies, family composition, and dependents.
• Non-financial identifiers such as passport numbers, driving license numbers, vehicle registration numbers, taxpayer identification numbers, employee identification numbers, tax reference codes, and national insurance numbers. 
• Financial identifiers such as bank account numbers, payment card numbers, payment/transaction identifiers, policy numbers, and claim numbers.
• Other operational personal data created, obtained, or otherwise processed in the course of carrying out our activities, including but not limited to, CCTV footage, recordings of telephone conversations, IP addresses and website visit histories, logs of visitors, and logs of accidents, injuries and insurance claims.
• Other employee data (not covered above) relating to Role Holders including emergency contact information; gender, birth date, referral source (e.g. agency, employee referral); level, performance management information, languages and proficiency; licences/certificates, citizenship, immigration status; employment status, retirement date; billing rates, office location, practice and speciality; publication and awards for articles, books etc.; prior job history, employment references and personal biographies. 

The data we process is likely to constitute sensitive personal data because, as a Christian charitable body, the fact that we process your data at all may be suggestive of your religious beliefs. Where you provide this information, we may also process other categories of sensitive personal data.

What is the legal basis for processing your personal data? 

Most of our data is processed because it is necessary for our legitimate interests, or the legitimate interests of a third party (such as your home church). An example of this would be our safeguarding work to protect adults at risk. We will always take into account your interests, rights and freedoms. We may also process data if it is necessary for the performance of a contract with you, or to take steps to enter into a contract. We will also process your data in order to assist you in fulfilling your part in the MTA including pastoral and administrative support or if processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation. As a religious organization we are also permitted to process information about your religious beliefs to administer admittance to the MTA or contact details. 

Where your information is used other than in accordance with one of these legal bases, we will first obtain your consent to that use. 

Sharing your personal data 

Your personal data will be treated as strictly confidential. It will only be shared with third parties including other data controllers where it is necessary for the performance of the data controllers’ tasks or where you first give us your prior consent. It is likely that we will need to share your data with

• Our agents, servants and contractors. For example, we may ask a commercial provider to send out newsletters on our behalf, or to maintain our database software;
• Other administrative staff (eg Assistant Administrators). 

How long do we keep your personal data? 

We will keep some records permanently if we are legally required to do so. We may keep some other records for an extended period of time. For example, it is current best practice to keep financial records for a minimum period of 7 years to support HMRC audits. In general, we will endeavour to keep data only for as long as we need it. This means that we may delete it when it is no longer needed. 

Your rights and your personal data 

You have the following rights with respect to your personal data: – 

When exercising any of the rights listed below, in order to process your request, we may need to verify your identity for your security. In such cases we will need you to respond with proof of your identity before you can exercise these rights. 

1. The right to access information we hold on you

– At any point you can contact us to request the information we hold on you as well as why we have that information, who has access to the information and where we obtained the information from. Once we have received your request we will respond within one month.

– There are no fees or charges for the first request but additional requests for the same data may be subject to an administrative fee . 

2. The right to correct and update the information we hold on you

– If the data we hold on you is out of date, incomplete or incorrect, you can inform us and your data will be updated. 

3. The right to have your information erased

– If you feel that we should no longer be using your data or that we are illegally using your data, you can request that we erase the data we hold.

– When we receive your request we will confirm whether the data has been deleted or the reason why it cannot be deleted (for example because we need it for our legitimate interests or regulatory purpose(s)). 

4. The right to object to processing of your data

– You have the right to request that we stop processing your data. Upon receiving the request we will contact you and let you know if we are able to comply or if we have legitimate grounds to continue to process your data. Even after you exercise your right to object, we may continue to hold your data to comply with your other rights or to bring or defend legal claims. 

5. The right to data portability

– You have the right to request that we transfer some of your data to another controller. We will comply with your request, where it is feasible to do so, within one month of receiving your request. 

6. The right to withdraw your consent to the processing at any time for any processing of data to which consent was sought.

– You can withdraw your consent easily by telephone, email, or by post 

– Note, by invoking this right there is a possibility that you may not be able to undertake your role.

7. The right to object to the processing of personal data where applicable. 

8. The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioners Office. 

Transfer of Data Abroad 

Any electronic personal data transferred to countries or territories outside the EU will only be placed on systems complying with measures giving equivalent protection of personal rights either through international agreements or contracts approved by the European Union. Our website is also accessible from overseas so on occasion some personal data (for example in a newsletter) may be accessed from overseas. 

Further processing 

If we wish to use your personal data for a new purpose, not covered by this Data Protection Notice, then we will provide you with a new notice explaining this new use prior to commencing the processing and setting out the relevant purposes and processing conditions. Where and whenever necessary, we will seek your prior consent to the new processing. 

Changes to this notice 

We keep this Privacy Notice under regular review. This Notice was last updated in September 2022.

Contact Details 

Please contact us if you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or the information we hold about you or to exercise all relevant rights, queries or complaints at: 

The Data Controller, The Ministry Training Academy

Email: admin@ministrytraining.scot

You can contact the Information Commissioners Office on 0303 123 1113 or via email https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/email/ or at the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire. SK9 5AF.