Exchange House Ireland National Traveller Service Privacy Notice

Exchange House Ireland National Traveller Service ("Exchange House Ireland", "we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of our website visitors and service users, including children. This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, disclose, and store your personal information, including special category data, when you use our services or visit our website.

About Us

Exchange House Ireland National Traveller Service is an organisation of Travellers and non-Travellers and a leading provider of front line and support services to some of the most marginalised Travellers in Ireland since 1980. We offer a multi-disciplinary approach through the following services:

• Education and Training Services: Provides high-quality education programs that respect and build on existing strengths and skills of participants.
• Children and Young People Services: The main provider of youth services to the Traveller community in the greater Dublin area.
• Family Support and Crisis Intervention Services: Offers family support, social work, and addiction outreach.
• Addiction Services: Supports individuals struggling with addiction.
• National Traveller Mental Health Service: A Traveller-specific mental health and suicide prevention service.

We also deliver partnership services through training, expertise provision, and collaboration with other organisations serving Travellers in Ireland. Our aim is to break down barriers and discrimination to ensure equitable access to services. 

What Does This Privacy Notice Cover?

This Privacy Data explains how we use your personal data: how it is collected, how it is held, and how it is processed. It also explains your rights under the law relating to your personal data.

What is Personal Data?

Personal data is defined by the General Data Protection Regulation (EU Regulation 2016/679) (the “GDPR”) as ‘any data relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified in particular by reference to an identifier’.

Personal data is, in simpler terms, any data about you that enables you to be identified. Personal data covers obvious data such as your name and contact details, but it also covers less obvious data such as identification numbers, electronic location data, and other online identifiers.

What Are My Rights?

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights, which we will always work to uphold:

• The right to be informed about our collection and use of your personal data. This Privacy Notice should tell you everything you need to know, but you can always contact us to find out more or to ask any questions.
• The right to access the personal data hold about you.
• The right to have your personal data rectified if any of your personal data held by us is inaccurate or incomplete. The right to be forgotten, i.e., the right to ask us to delete or otherwise dispose of any of your personal data that we have.
• The right to restrict (i.e., prevent) the processing of your personal data.
• The right to object to us using your personal data for a particular purpose or purposes.
• The right to data portability. This means that, if you have provided personal data to us directly, we are using it with your consent or for the performance of a contract, and that data is processed using automated means, you can ask us for a copy of that personal data to re-use with another service or business.
• Rights relating to automated decision-making and profiling. We do not use your personal data in this way.

What Information Do We Collect?

We may collect the following types of information:

• Personal Information: This includes information that can be used to identify you, such as your name, contact information (email address, phone number), and demographic information. In some cases, this may also include information about your children if they are receiving services from us.
• Special Category Data: We may collect special category data, such as ethnicity (specifically Traveller ethnicity), in order to provide targeted services and support to the Traveller community. We will only collect this data with your explicit consent. 
• Non-Personal Information: This includes information that does not identify you personally, such as your browsing activity on our website, IP address, and device information. This information is collected automatically through cookies and other tracking technologies.

How Do We Use Your Information?

We use your information for the following purposes:

• To provide you and your children (where applicable) with the services you request
• To respond to your inquiries and requests
• To improve our services
• To send you information about our services, events, and news (with your consent)
• To conduct research and analysis to improve our services to the Traveller community (including anonymised data)
• To comply with legal and regulatory requirements

How Do We Share Your Information?

We will not share your personal information with third parties without your consent, except in the following circumstances:

• To service providers who help us operate our website and services (these providers are bound by contractual obligations to keep your information confidential)
• To comply with legal and regulatory requirements
• To protect the rights and safety of ourselves, our users, or others 

How Long Will You Keep My Personal Data?

We will not keep your personal data for any longer than is necessary in light of the reason(s) for which it was first collected and in accordance with the legal obligations.

How and Where Do You Transfer My Personal Data?

When your personal data is transferred outside of the EEA, we will take suitable steps in order to ensure that your personal data is treated just as safely and securely as it would be within the EEA and under the GDPR

Children's Privacy

We take children's privacy seriously. We will only collect and use children's personal information where it is necessary to provide services and with parental or guardian consent. We will never share children's personal information with third parties for marketing purposes. 

Cookies

This website uses cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Please read this Cookie Policy carefully and ensure that you understand it.

Data Security

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

Special Category Data

We will only process your ethnicity data (Traveller ethnicity) in accordance with strict data protection laws and regulations. We will only use this data for the purposes outlined above and will never share it with third parties for marketing purposes. 

Changes to this Privacy Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. We will post any changes on our website.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice, please contact us at info@exchangehouse.ie 

If you have any cause for complaint about our use of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commissioner, contact details as follows:

The Data Protection Commissioner
Canal House
Station Road
Portarlington
R32 AP23
Co. Laois