Cookies and Privacy

What is Surrogacy UK?

SurrogacyUK is a leading volunteer-led, not-for-profit organisation that supports the creation of families and promotes altruistic surrogacy in the UK. It helps surrogates to meet intended parent(s); educates and advises people at all stages of their surrogacy journey; and, works with external stakeholders to improve the experiences and outcomes for surrogates, intended parent(s) and their families. SurrogacyUK operates through a legal entity called surrogacyuk Ltd. 

How we use your personal information

This purpose of this privacy notice is to explain how SurrogacyUK collects, manages, uses and looks after any personal information supplied to us or data created by us about you (which we will collectively refer to as “data”). This includes any data that you provided directly to us, that you have requested from third parties or data that we have created about you as part of our application process or to meet your on-going membership requirements.

If you would like more information on anything in this policy, please do email the SurrogacyUK Data Protection Officer at Data.protection@surrogacyuk.org

Our Privacy Promise

At SurrogacyUK we will:

  • Keep your data safe and secure
  • Not share or sell to third parties any data that could identify you
  • Enable you to change or remove your data at any time

Why do we collect and use your data?

For Non-Members

To allow you to access the non-member forums on SurrogacyUK’s online message boards and attend our socials, subject to you abiding by our rules.

Why?

It is in our legitimate interest:

  • that you have a valid reason to request access to our online message boards and attend our socials
  • to monitor and manage inappropriate behaviour within our online community and at socials.

Additionally, for Members

To support your membership application, your on-going membership of SurrogacyUK, any surrogacy journeys or volunteering activities you may undertake whilst being a member of SurrogacyUK. Relevant data about you is only shared with trusted individuals within the organisation under confidentiality agreements or, where appropriate, with your surrogate or intended parent(s) when forming a team.

Why?

It is in our legitimate interest:

  • to confirm with you that you satisfy the legal criteria for the approval of a parental order, the mechanism for transferring legal parenthood from a surrogate to intended parent(s).
  • to help you to understand SurrogacyUK’s approach and membership expectations and abide by these.
  • to support you and other members on your surrogacy journey(s)
  • to support you and other members when volunteering for SurrogacyUK

Types of data

Contact Your name, address, email, social media usernames and telephone numbers
Social Demographic Age, Employment status and living location if provided
SurrogacyUK Specific Data Membership status and associated details/commentary, surrogacy journey status and associated details/commentary, volunteer status and associated details/commentary
Special Category Data Health, gender, sexual orientation, criminal convictions/DBS
Financial Membership fee payments, surrogacy expenses, volunteer reimbursements for duties completed on behalf of SurrogacyUK, volunteer bank account details.
Images Images if provided by you or used with your consent.

How do we collect and create your data?

Usually your data is collected from you directly or from a third party you have requested data from. Normally your data is provided in the documents, communications and images listed below. Additionally, we may create data about you in the commentary listed below.

Documents Personal identity documents, medical documents, legal documents, DBS, SR/IP application forms, IP profile, team agreement forms, insurance
Communications Letters, voicemails, emails, texts, social media and forum posts and other forms of electronic correspondence
Commentary Advisory session notes, membership application decisions, membership support notes, exit interview reports, team mediation notes and notes of any other meetings or discussions that SUK acts in an official capacity.
Profile Your profile, our private forums and media channels

Marketing

SurrogacyUK may use your contact information to communicate with you about a range of topics, such as:

  • Your communication and marketing preferences
  • SurrogacyUK news, events, fundraising and general member requests
  • Families through Surrogacy news and events
  • General surrogacy community news and events

You have the right to opt-out of any communications we send to you.

Any data that could identify you will not, under any circumstances, be shared or sold to third parties.

Your right not to provide the data requested by SurrogacyUK

You have the right not to provide the data that we request. This may, however, delay or prevent you from:

  • accessing our online message boards and socials;
  • proceeding with your application to join SurrogacyUK; or
  • continuing your membership of SurrogacyUK.

How long do we keep your data?

Non-Member

As a non-member we will retain your data for five years. If your online account is inactive for three years it will be suspended.

If you apply to become a member of SurrogacyUK and this application is unsuccessful or withdrawn by you then the associated data will be retained for three years.

Members

As a member we will retain your data as long as your membership status falls in to the following categories.

  • Non-Member (following a period of membership)
  • Active Member
  • Resting Member
  • Lifetime Member

If you become a non-member after being a member then all your data will be removed after five years, except your online message board posts, which will be removed after ten years.

How to get a copy of your data

You can request a copy of the data we hold about you by contacting us at data.protection@surrogacyuk.org

All paper copies are destroyed and kept on file within our secure document sharedrives according to our retention schedule. 

Letting us know if your data is incorrect

You have the right to ask us to rectify any errors in your data. If you feel that any of your data is incorrect, do let us know so we can look into it.

What if you want us to stop using your data?

You have the right to object to our use of your data or to ask us to delete or stop using it. This is known as the ‘right to object’ and ‘right to erasure’, or the ‘right to be forgotten’. There may be legal or other official reasons why we need to keep or use your data. If this situation occurs, then we will explain and discuss the circumstances with you.

We may sometimes be able to restrict the use of your data as an alternative to deleting it. This means that it can only be used for certain things, such as legal claims or to exercise legal rights. In this situation, we would not use or share your information in other ways while it is restricted.

You can ask us to restrict the use of your data if it is not accurate.

  • It has been used unlawfully but you don’t want us to delete it.
  • It not relevant any more, but you want us to keep it for use in legal claims.
  • You have already asked us to stop using your data but you are waiting for us to tell you if we are allowed to keep on using it.

Please contact us if you want to object to how we use your data, or ask us to delete it or restrict how we use it.

Changes to this Policy

This policy was last updated in May 2018. Over time we may make changes to this policy and you will always be able to see in this section when it was last updated. If we make significant changes then we will publicise these to our members and may communicate with you directly regarding them.

How to manage cookies

Our cookies do not store financial information, or information which is capable of directly identifying you (such as your name or address). Cookies simply allow our website to retrieve this information in order to personalise and improve your experience of our website