Privacy Policy

Medius Dispute Solutions Ltd. (trading as Medius Disputes)

INTRODUCTION

Your privacy matters to us. This privacy policy explains how Medius Dispute Solutions Ltd. ("Medius Disputes", "we", "us", or "our") collects, stores, and uses information about you. We're committed to protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy rights.

When you contact us about mediation services, use our website, or engage us to help resolve a dispute, you're trusting us with important information. We take that responsibility seriously. This policy outlines what information we collect, why we need it, how we look after it, and what rights you have.

By using our website or our mediation services, you agree to how we handle your information as described in this policy. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us using the details at the end of this document.

Last updated: 22 January 2026

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
Who is this policy for?
What information do we collect?
Why do we collect this information?
How do we use your information?
Who do we share your information with?
How long do we keep your information?
How do we keep your information safe?
What rights do you have over your information?
External links and third-party websites
Cookies – what you need to know
Children's information
Data Protection Officer – get in touch
Changes to this policy
Our commitment to you

2. WHO IS THIS POLICY FOR?

This privacy policy applies to:

People who contact us to explore workplace mediation, commercial mediation, or SEND mediation services
People who have appointed us as their mediator or conflict resolution specialist
People involved in a mediation case where Medius Disputes is assisting (this includes both parties, representatives, and family members where relevant)
Visitors to our website (www.medius-disputes.co.uk)

We collect and use information about all these groups, and this policy explains how we do that fairly and legally.

3. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?

We collect different types of information depending on how you interact with us. Here's what we gather:

When you contact us by email or phone

Your name
Your email address
Your phone number
Any details you share about the dispute or situation you need help with
The name of any other person involved in the potential mediation

If you book a consultation or appoint us for mediation

Full contact details for all parties involved in the mediation
Dates of birth of the parties (if relevant to the dispute)
Gender (optional, for monitoring purposes only)
Names and dates of birth of any children (if relevant to the dispute, particularly in family-related disputes or SEND matters)
Workplace details or business information (for workplace and commercial mediation)
Details about the dispute itself – what the disagreement is about, who's involved, and any relevant background

Sensitive information we might collect

Information about child welfare or safeguarding concerns (in SEND mediation or family matters)
Information about any criminal history relevant to the mediation
Information about health or disability (particularly in SEND mediation cases)

We only ask for sensitive information when it's genuinely necessary to help you. We never ask for this information lightly, and we have strict rules about how we use it.

When you visit our website

Information about your browser, network, and device
Your IP address (a unique number that identifies your computer)
Pages you visit on our website
How long you spend on each page
Links you click on
When you visit our website

This information is collected automatically through Wix (our website hosting company). Wix uses this data to help us understand how people use our website so we can make improvements. The data is analysed in a way that doesn't identify you personally.

4. WHY DO WE COLLECT THIS INFORMATION?

We collect information for specific, practical reasons:

To provide mediation services to you

We need your contact details and information about the dispute to set up appointments, communicate with you, and conduct the mediation itself.
We need details about the people involved in the mediation to understand the situation and help resolve it fairly.
When relevant, we need information about children, workplace dynamics, or specific circumstances to provide the right type of support.

To respond to your enquiries

When you contact us with questions, we use your contact details to get back to you and provide information about our services.

To comply with legal requirements

In some situations, we're required by law to keep records or share information (for example, if we have safeguarding concerns about a child).
We may need to retain information for professional conduct investigations or complaints handling.

To protect people from harm

If we become aware of serious risks to someone's safety, we may need to act on that information.
This is rare, but it's important to be transparent about it.

To improve our services

We use website analytics to understand which pages are most helpful and how we can make our website better for you.
We might also gather feedback to help us provide better mediation services.

To manage our business

We need to keep records for accounting and tax purposes.
We may need information to manage our team or handle complaints fairly.

Important note on marketing

We don't use your information for marketing or selling to third parties. We won't add you to mailing lists or sell your details to companies, unless you specifically ask us to.

5. HOW DO WE USE YOUR INFORMATION?

Here's what we actually do with the information you give us:

During the mediation process

We use your contact details to arrange appointments and send you relevant information.
We use dispute details to prepare for mediation sessions and keep records of what's discussed.
We keep notes of mediation sessions (these are confidential and protected by mediation confidentiality rules).
We may share relevant information with the other party in the mediation if it helps move things forward (always respecting confidentiality).

To provide support and follow-up

We may contact you after mediation to check how things are progressing.
We may offer additional support services if needed.
We keep records so we can refer back to earlier discussions if necessary.

For professional and legal purposes

We keep records to defend ourselves if complaints are made about our service.
We maintain records in case we need to investigate any issues that arise during mediation.
We may need to share information if ordered by a court or in response to legal requirements.

To protect people's safety

If we believe a child is at risk of harm, we may share information with relevant authorities.
If we believe an adult is at serious risk, we may take appropriate action.
These situations are rare, but we have a responsibility to act.

For our own record-keeping

We keep copies of agreements reached during mediation.
We maintain financial records for invoicing and accounting.
We keep information for quality assurance and professional development.

6. WHO DO WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION WITH?

We keep your information confidential and don't share it unless necessary. Here are the situations where we might share your information:

With the other party in mediation

In mediation, we may share relevant information between parties if it helps reach agreement. Information is only shared between parties with the express consent of the party providing the information.
However, we always respect confidentiality – anything said "off the record" stays confidential.
We don't share information without good reason.

With people you ask us to

If you specifically ask us to share information with your solicitor, financial adviser, or another professional, we will do that. We'll only share what you've asked us to share.

With our professional bodies

If a formal complaint is made, we may need to share information with the Civil Mediation Council (CMC) or International Mediation Institute (IMI) for investigation.
These bodies have strict confidentiality rules too.

With authorities – only when we must

If we're legally required to share information (for example, if a court orders us to).
If we believe a child is at risk of significant harm.
If we believe an adult is at serious risk to themselves or others.
If we suspect a crime is being committed.
If we believe someone is receiving illegal proceeds.

With our service providers

We use Wix to host our website (they help us keep our site running).
We use Google for our email.
We use Monzo Business Bank to process payments.
These companies need some information to provide their services, but they're bound by strict confidentiality rules and can only use your information as we instruct.

What we do not do

We do NOT sell your information to marketing companies.
We do NOT share your information with other businesses for commercial gain.
We do NOT add you to mailing lists without your permission.
We do NOT use your information for any purpose you haven't agreed to.

7. HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?

We keep information for as long as we need it to do our job properly, then we delete it. Here's our approach:

During an active mediation

We keep all information while we're working with you and for the duration of the mediation process.

After mediation ends

We keep records for 6 years after the mediation concludes (this is a professional standard for dispute resolution).
This protects both you and us if any questions arise later.
After 6 years, we securely delete all information.

For enquiries that don't become mediation

If you contact us but don't proceed with mediation, we keep your information for up to 2 years.
This allows us to follow up if you reconsider or contact us again.
After 2 years, we delete it.

For legal or safeguarding reasons

If we need to keep information for legal proceedings or safeguarding concerns, we keep it for as long as required. We may keep it longer if a court case is ongoing or threatened.

For complaint investigations

If a formal complaint is made, we keep all relevant information until the complaint is resolved and any appeals period has passed.

When we delete information, we do so securely so it can't be recovered or misused.

8. HOW DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SAFE?

Your information is valuable, and we take security seriously:

Technical security

Our website is hosted on Wix's secure servers, which use encryption and advanced security measures.
We use secure email (Google) with password protection.
We store sensitive documents securely with restricted access.

Physical security

Any paper records are kept in a secure, locked location.
Only authorised team members can access confidential information.

Staff training

Our team receives training on data protection and confidentiality.
Everyone who handles your information understands the importance of keeping it private.
We have clear policies about what information staff can access.

Access controls

We only give people access to information they need for their job.
Staff sign confidentiality agreements.
We monitor who accesses sensitive information.

Important honesty clause

No security system is 100% guaranteed. While we do our best to protect your information, we can't guarantee that data sent over the internet will never be intercepted. You send information to us at your own risk (though we work hard to minimise that risk).

9. WHAT RIGHTS DO YOU HAVE OVER YOUR INFORMATION?

You have important rights under data protection law. Here's what you can do:

Right to access your information

You can ask us for a copy of all the personal information we hold about you.
We'll provide this within one month of your request, for free.
This is called a "subject access request".

Right to correct information

If any information we hold about you is wrong or incomplete, you can ask us to put it right. We'll do this as soon as we reasonably can.

Right to delete your information

You can ask us to delete your information, though we might not be able to do this if we're legally required to keep it. For example, if a mediation is ongoing, we need to keep records. If mediation has finished and there are no legal reasons to keep it, we can delete it.

Right to restrict how we use your information

You can ask us to limit how we use your information while we investigate a concern. For example, we might hold your information but not use it until a complaint is resolved.

Right to data portability

You can ask us to give you your information in a format you can use elsewhere. We'll do this within one month of your request.

Right to object

In some situations, you can object to how we're using your information. For example, if we're using it for marketing purposes (though we don't do this).

Exercising your rights

To exercise any of these rights, contact Cristian George Tarcatu, our Data Protection Officer, using the details at the end of this policy. Tell us clearly what you want (for example, "I want a copy of my data"). We'll respond within one month.

Right to lodge a complaint

If you think we're not handling your information properly, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Website: www.ico.org.uk

Phone: 0303 123 1113

10. EXTERNAL LINKS AND THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES

Our website may include links to other websites we think are useful. However:

We're not responsible for those websites or how they handle your information.
Those websites have their own privacy policies, which may be different from ours.
If you click on an external link, you're leaving our site, and we can't guarantee their security or practices.
Always check the privacy policy of any external website before sharing your information with them.

11. COOKIES – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Cookies are small files that websites put on your computer to remember information about your visit. Here's how we use them:

What we use cookies for

To track how people use our website so we can improve it.
To remember your preferences if you visit us again.
To see which pages are most popular and which need improvement.
We use Wix analytics cookies for this.

Cookies we don't use

We don't use cookies to track you across other websites.
We don't use cookies for advertising or marketing.
We don't collect sensitive personal information through cookies.

How cookies work

When you visit our website, Wix stores a small cookie file on your computer.
This doesn't give Wix or us access to other information on your computer.
It simply helps us understand website usage.

Your choices

Most web browsers automatically accept cookies.
You can change your browser settings to reject cookies or warn you before accepting them.
If you disable cookies, some parts of our website might not work as well, but you'll still be able to access the main information.
Blocking cookies won't affect your ability to use our mediation services.

Third-party cookies

Wix may place cookies on your computer.
Google (our email provider) may place cookies if you interact with Google services through our site.
These companies have their own privacy policies explaining how they use cookies.

12. CHILDREN'S INFORMATION

In SEND mediation and some family-related mediations, we might collect information about children. Here's how we handle it:

What we collect

Names and dates of birth of children involved in disputes.
Information about their education, health, or welfare needs (particularly in SEND cases).
Sometimes information about safeguarding concerns.

Why we collect it

To understand family situations in mediation.
To help resolve disputes about children's education or welfare.
To identify if any children need protection.

How we protect it

Children's information receives extra protection.
We have strict rules about who can access it.
We only share it when necessary (for example, with relevant authorities if we have safety concerns).
We delete it securely after the retention period.

Your rights

You can ask for a copy of any children's information we hold.
You can ask us to correct or delete it (unless we're legally required to keep it).
Contact our Data Protection Officer using the details below.

13. DATA PROTECTION OFFICER – GET IN TOUCH

We want you to feel confident that your information is in good hands. If you have any questions or concerns about your privacy, contact our Data Protection Officer:

Cristian George Tarcatu
Data Protection Officer
Medius Dispute Solutions Ltd.
Email: Cristian@medius-disputes.co.uk
Phone: +44 (0)778 483 8741

We'll respond to your enquiry as quickly as we can, and within one month at the latest.

If you'd like to make a formal data subject access request (asking for a copy of all your personal information), please send this in writing to the above address and clearly state "Subject Access Request" in the subject line.

14. CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

We may need to update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in how we work, new technology, or changes in the law.

When we do:

We'll update the "last updated" date at the top of this policy.
If changes are significant, we'll try to contact you directly to let you know.
We recommend checking this policy regularly to see what's changed.
By continuing to use our services after changes are made, you're accepting the updated policy.

15. OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU

We believe in being transparent about how we handle your information. Here's what we promise:

✓ We'll only collect information we genuinely need
✓ We'll use it fairly and lawfully
✓ We'll keep it confidential and secure
✓ We'll respect your rights
✓ We'll delete it when we no longer need it
✓ We'll respond to your questions and concerns
✓ We'll tell you if anything changes

Your privacy is important to us, and we're here to help if you have any questions.

DOCUMENT CONTROL

Version: 1.0
Effective from: 22 January 2026
Next review date: 22 January 2027
Last updated: 22 January 2026
Document owner: Cristian George Tarcatu, Data Protection Officer

Approved by:
Cristian George Tarcatu
Data Protection Officer & Director
Medius Dispute Solutions Ltd.

Date: 22 January 2026

For questions or further clarification regarding any aspect of this policy, please contact us directly.