Privacy Policy

Introduction

CourtPsychology Limited ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal data when you use our website, engage our services, or otherwise interact with us.

We process personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 ("GDPR") and the Irish Data Protection Acts 1988 to 2018. For the purposes of data protection law, CourtPsychology Limited is the data controller.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By using our website or services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

1. Data Controller

The data controller responsible for your personal data is:

Company Registration Number: [CRO Number]

2. Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

2.1 Information You Provide to Us

• Identity Data: name, title, date of birth, gender
• Contact Data: address, email address, telephone numbers
• Professional Data: organisation, job title, professional qualifications (for instructing parties such as solicitors)
• Case Data: information about legal proceedings, court details, case reference numbers
• Assessment Data: information gathered during psychological assessments, clinical interviews, and psychometric testing
• Communications: correspondence with us via email, phone, post, or our website contact forms

2.2 Special Category Data

Due to the nature of our forensic psychology services, we may process special category personal data (also known as sensitive personal data), including:

• Health Data: mental health history, medical records, psychological assessment results, diagnoses, treatment history
• Criminal Offence Data: information about criminal allegations, convictions, or proceedings
• Racial or Ethnic Origin: where relevant to assessment or reporting
• Sexual Orientation: where relevant to the assessment context

We only process special category data where we have a lawful basis to do so, as set out in Section 4 below.

2.3 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect:

• Technical Data: IP address, browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-in types, operating system and platform
• Usage Data: information about how you use our website, including pages visited, time spent on pages, navigation paths
• Cookie Data: information collected through cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 10)

2.4 Information from Third Parties

We may receive personal data about you from third parties, including:

• Solicitors and legal representatives instructing us on your behalf
• Courts and tribunals
• Healthcare providers (with appropriate consent or legal basis)
• Other professionals involved in your case (e.g., social workers, probation officers)
• Credit reference agencies (for business customers)

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

3.1 Service Delivery

• Conducting psychological assessments and evaluations
• Preparing expert witness reports for court proceedings
• Providing expert testimony in court, tribunals, or hearings
• Communicating with you and your legal representatives about your case
• Managing appointments and scheduling

3.2 Business Operations

• Processing payments and invoicing
• Administering contracts with instructing parties
• Maintaining business records and accounts
• Credit checks and fraud prevention (for business customers)
• Responding to enquiries and providing customer service

3.3 Legal and Regulatory Compliance

• Complying with court orders and legal obligations
• Meeting professional regulatory requirements (e.g., Psychological Society of Ireland)
• Responding to requests from law enforcement or regulatory authorities
• Establishing, exercising, or defending legal claims

3.4 Website and Communications

• Operating and improving our website
• Analysing website usage to enhance user experience
• Sending service-related communications
• Marketing communications (only with your consent)

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. The legal bases we rely on include:

4.1 For General Personal Data

• Contract: Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR)
• Legal Obligation: Processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject, including court orders and professional regulatory requirements (Article 6(1)(c) GDPR)
• Legitimate Interests: Processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, except where such interests are overridden by your interests or fundamental rights. Our legitimate interests include operating our business, improving our services, and protecting our legal rights (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR)
• Consent: You have given consent to the processing of your personal data for specific purposes, such as receiving marketing communications (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR)

4.2 For Special Category Data

Processing of special category data (including health data and criminal offence data) requires an additional legal basis under Article 9 GDPR. We rely on:

• Explicit Consent: Where you have given explicit consent to the processing of such data for specified purposes (Article 9(2)(a) GDPR)
• Legal Claims: Processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims (Article 9(2)(f) GDPR)
• Substantial Public Interest: Processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest under Irish law, including the administration of justice (Article 9(2)(g) GDPR, read with Schedule 1, Part 2 of the Data Protection Act 2018)
• Health or Social Care: Processing is necessary for the purposes of preventive or occupational medicine, assessment of working capacity, medical diagnosis, or provision of health or social care (Article 9(2)(h) GDPR)

5. Who We Share Your Data With

We may share your personal data with the following categories of recipients:

• Courts and Tribunals: Expert reports and testimony as required for legal proceedings
• Legal Representatives: Solicitors, barristers, and legal advisors instructing us or representing parties in proceedings
• Other Professionals: Healthcare providers, social workers, probation officers, and other experts involved in your case (where necessary and appropriate)
• Service Providers: IT service providers, cloud storage providers, payment processors, and other third parties who provide services to us (under appropriate data processing agreements)
• Professional Bodies: The Psychological Society of Ireland and other regulatory bodies as required for professional compliance
• Law Enforcement and Regulators: Police, courts, and regulatory authorities where required by law or to protect our legal rights
• Insurers: Our professional indemnity insurers where necessary for claims handling

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law.

6. International Transfers

Your personal data is primarily processed within Ireland and the European Economic Area (EEA). However, some of our service providers may be located outside the EEA.

Where we transfer personal data outside the EEA, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, including:

• Transfers to countries that the European Commission has determined provide an adequate level of data protection
• Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission
• Other legally approved transfer mechanisms

You may contact us to request further information about the safeguards we have in place for international transfers.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy any legal, regulatory, accounting, or reporting requirements.

The retention periods we apply depend on the nature of the data and the purposes for which it is processed:

• Expert Witness Reports and Assessment Records: We retain these for a minimum of 7 years after the conclusion of the matter, or longer if required for ongoing legal proceedings, appeals, or professional regulatory purposes. For cases involving minors, records are retained until the subject reaches the age of 25, or 7 years from the last contact (whichever is longer).
• Financial Records: 7 years from the end of the financial year in which the transaction occurred (as required by Irish tax law)
• Enquiry and Contact Data: 3 years from the date of the enquiry, unless a business relationship is established
• Website Analytics Data: 26 months from the date of collection

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it.

8. Your Rights

Under GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Right of Access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (commonly known as a "data subject access request")
• Right to Rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you
• Right to Erasure: You have the right to request that we delete your personal data in certain circumstances (also known as the "right to be forgotten")
• Right to Restriction: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances
• Right to Data Portability: You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller
• Right to Object: You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where we rely on consent as the legal basis for processing, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time
• Rights Related to Automated Decision-Making: You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, that produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you

Exercising Your Rights

To exercise any of your rights, please contact us at info@courtpsychology.ie. We will respond to your request within one month. In complex cases, or where we receive a large number of requests, we may extend this period by a further two months, but we will notify you if this is the case.

We may need to verify your identity before processing your request. There is no fee for exercising your rights, unless your request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.

Limitations on Rights

Please note that certain rights may be limited in specific circumstances, for example where we are required to retain data for legal or regulatory purposes, where disclosure would adversely affect the rights of others, or where data is subject to legal privilege. We will explain any limitations when responding to your request.

9. Data Security

We have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest
• Secure access controls and authentication
• Regular security assessments and updates
• Staff training on data protection and confidentiality
• Physical security measures for paper records
• Incident response procedures for data breaches

While we take all reasonable steps to protect your personal data, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of data transmitted to our website.

10. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to distinguish you from other users, enhance your browsing experience, and analyse website usage.

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently and to provide information to website owners.

Types of Cookies We Use

• Strictly Necessary Cookies: Essential for the website to function properly. These cannot be disabled.
• Performance/Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting anonymous information. We use this to improve our website.
• Functionality Cookies: Allow our website to remember choices you make (such as your language preference) and provide enhanced features.

Managing Cookies

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can set your browser to refuse cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent. However, if you disable cookies, some parts of our website may not function properly.

For more information about cookies and how to manage them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

11. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these websites. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit. This Privacy Policy applies only to our website and services.

12. Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children through our website. However, in the course of providing our forensic psychology services, we may assess minors where instructed by courts, legal representatives, or other appropriate parties.

Where we process personal data relating to children in connection with our professional services, we do so in accordance with applicable law, typically on the basis of legal claims, court orders, or with appropriate parental/guardian consent. We apply additional safeguards to protect the data of minors.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will post any changes on this page and update the "Last updated" date at the top.

Where changes are significant, we will notify you by email (if we have your email address) or by posting a prominent notice on our website. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

14. Complaints

If you have any concerns about how we handle your personal data, we encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission, the Irish supervisory authority for data protection issues:

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, our data practices, or wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us:

For data protection enquiries, please include "Data Protection" in the subject line of your email.