Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy – FindADoula.co.uk
Effective Date: 11 July 2026

1. Who We Are

FindADoula.co.uk (“Find a Doula”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is a UK-based professional platform that helps individuals and families discover and connect with end of life doulas, practitioners, organisations and related support services.

Find a Doula is the data controller responsible for deciding how and why personal data collected through the platform is processed.

Operator: Find A Doula
Location: United Kingdom
Contact Email: [email protected]

2. About Our Platform

Find a Doula is an independent professional directory and signposting platform.

We do not directly provide end of life doula services, medical care, nursing care, counselling, legal advice, emergency assistance or other regulated professional services.

Our platform allows individuals and families to discover and contact independent practitioners and organisations. Members are responsible for the accuracy of their profiles and for the services they provide.

Any communication, engagement, support arrangement or service agreement between a visitor and a member is entered into independently and at the parties’ own discretion.

3. Personal Data We Collect

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

3.1 Information You Provide

your name
your email address
your telephone number
your postal address or service location, where provided
professional, training or organisational information
account usernames and securely stored login credentials
profile descriptions, photographs, logos and other profile content
areas covered and services offered
messages, enquiries and support requests sent through the platform
information provided when applying for professional verification
records of your acceptance of our policies, terms and verification arrangements

3.2 Public Profile Information

If you create a professional profile, information that you choose to include in that profile may be published publicly on FindADoula.co.uk.

This may include your name, photograph, business or organisation name, professional description, qualifications, services, areas covered, contact details and links to external websites or social-media profiles.

You should not include confidential, highly sensitive or unnecessary personal information in your public profile.

3.3 Payment and Subscription Information

Payments are processed by third-party payment providers such as Stripe.

We may receive and retain payment-related information including:

payment status
transaction identifiers
subscription status
billing name and address
payment dates and amounts
limited information about the payment method used

We do not receive or store your full payment-card number or card security code. Payment providers process payment information in accordance with their own privacy policies and legal obligations.

3.4 Professional Verification Information

If you request or apply for a verified profile, we may process information required to confirm your training, qualification, graduate status, professional membership or other relevant eligibility.

This may include:

your name
your email address
the training provider or professional organisation associated with you
an identifier or reference associated with your record
your training, qualification, completion or membership status
the date on which verification was requested, completed, updated or withdrawn
the outcome of a verification request

Where possible, our verification process uses a privacy-focused matching method and exchanges only the minimum information necessary.

After an initial match has been established, subsequent verification checks may use an internal or provider-issued reference identifier rather than repeatedly transmitting your name and email address.

3.5 Information Received From Verification Partners

Where you request verification, we may receive information about you from a relevant training provider, professional body, membership organisation or other approved verification partner.

The information received will normally be limited to information necessary to:

match you to the appropriate record
confirm whether you satisfy the relevant verification criteria
maintain the accuracy of your verified status
identify changes that may affect your verified status

We do not require verification partners to provide us with full course records, assessment materials or other information that is not necessary for the verification purpose.

3.6 Automatically Collected Information

When you use the website, we or our service providers may collect technical information including:

IP address
browser type and version
device type and operating system
approximate location derived from your IP address
pages visited and website interactions
referring website or source
dates and times of visits
security, diagnostic and server-log information
cookie and consent preferences

4. How We Use Personal Data

We may use personal data to:

create, administer and secure user accounts
provide membership and subscription services
publish, display and maintain professional profiles
process payments, refunds and recurring subscriptions
provide member dashboards and account functionality
respond to enquiries and provide customer support
verify training, qualifications, graduate status or professional membership where requested
display and maintain verification badges or statuses
apply any membership terms, features or discounts connected with verified status
send essential account, billing, security and service communications
detect, investigate and prevent misuse, fraud and security incidents
maintain, troubleshoot and improve the website
measure website performance and usage where consent has been given
comply with legal, regulatory, accounting and tax obligations
establish, exercise or defend legal claims

We will not use information obtained for professional verification for unrelated advertising or promotional profiling.

5. Our Lawful Bases for Processing

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation, we must have a lawful basis for each purpose for which we process personal data.

Depending on the circumstances, we rely on the following lawful bases.

5.1 Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform our contract with you, including to:

create and administer your account
provide membership and subscription services
publish and manage your profile
process payments and subscriptions
provide customer support
administer membership features requested by you

5.2 Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where necessary for our legitimate interests or those of another party, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.

Our legitimate interests may include:

operating and improving the platform
protecting the security and integrity of the website
preventing misuse and fraud
maintaining accurate professional-directory information
communicating with members about their accounts and relevant platform developments
keeping appropriate administrative and audit records
establishing, exercising or defending legal claims

5.3 Consent

We rely on your consent where required, including for:

non-essential cookies and analytics technologies
certain direct-marketing communications
initiating an optional professional-verification request with an external verification partner
receiving and using the resulting verification information for the purposes explained in this policy

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

5.4 Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where necessary to comply with legal obligations, including accounting, taxation, fraud-prevention and lawful disclosure requirements.

6. Professional Verification

6.1 Purpose of Verification

Some members may be eligible to obtain a verified profile or verification badge.

The purpose of verification is to help confirm whether a member satisfies specified criteria relating to training, qualification, graduate status, professional membership or another relevant status.

Verification does not constitute an endorsement, recommendation, professional guarantee or assessment of the quality, suitability or safety of a member’s services.

6.2 How Verification Works

Where you actively request verification and provide the required consent, Find a Doula may contact or electronically communicate with the relevant training provider, professional body, membership organisation or other approved verification partner.

The verification process may involve:

creating a normalised or hashed representation of limited identifying information
submitting that representation to a verification partner to locate a corresponding record
receiving a provider-issued or internal reference identifier
checking your eligibility or verification status using that identifier
periodically checking whether the relevant status has changed

A hash is a technical representation of information used to assist with matching. Although it reduces the amount of directly readable information transmitted, it will still be treated as personal data where it can be associated with an identifiable individual.

6.3 Information Shared for Verification

Depending on the verification partner and technical method used, information used for the initial match may include your:

first and last name
email address
normalised or hashed matching value
provider or member reference identifier

We aim to share only the minimum information necessary to perform the verification.

Once an initial match has been established, ongoing checks will normally use a reference identifier rather than repeatedly sharing your name and email address.

6.4 Verification Partners

Verification partners may include recognised:

training providers
professional membership bodies
certification organisations
other organisations responsible for maintaining relevant professional or training records

The identity of the relevant verification partner should be made clear when you request verification or when a particular verified status is offered.

Verification partners may act as independent data controllers for the personal data they process through their own systems. Their handling of personal data is also governed by their own privacy information and legal obligations.

6.5 Verification Outcomes

We may retain:

whether verification succeeded or failed
the category of status verified
a verification reference or master identifier
the date and time of the verification
the date and time of subsequent checks
technical records necessary to troubleshoot or audit the process

We will not ordinarily retain unnecessary underlying course records or assessment details.

6.6 Withdrawing Verification Consent

You may withdraw your consent to optional professional verification by contacting [email protected].

Where consent is withdrawn:

we will stop making further consent-based verification requests
your verified status or badge may be removed
membership benefits or discounts that depend on verified status may cease to apply in accordance with the applicable membership terms
we may retain limited records where necessary to demonstrate previous compliance, resolve disputes, prevent misuse or meet legal obligations

Withdrawal of consent does not invalidate processing that lawfully took place before withdrawal.

6.7 Optional Nature of Verification

Professional verification is optional unless a particular membership category or feature is expressly described as being available only to verified applicants.

Choosing not to request verification will not prevent you from using general visitor features of the website. However, you may not be eligible for verification-specific badges, discounts, membership categories or other associated features.

7. Sharing Personal Data

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this policy.

These recipients may include:

payment processors, including Stripe
website hosting and infrastructure providers
email and communications providers
website security, backup and technical-support providers
analytics providers, where you have given the required consent
Google Maps and related location-service providers when you use location functionality and the relevant service is enabled
training providers, professional bodies and other verification partners where you request professional verification
professional advisers, including legal and accounting advisers
regulators, public authorities, courts or law-enforcement bodies where disclosure is legally required or otherwise lawful
a purchaser, successor or professional adviser in connection with a proposed sale, restructuring or transfer of the platform or its assets

We require service providers acting on our behalf to process personal data only for authorised purposes and to apply appropriate safeguards.

We do not sell or rent your personal data.

8. Marketing Communications

We may send communications concerning:

your account, profile, membership or subscription
payments, renewals and service changes
security or administrative matters
important platform updates
relevant professional opportunities or developments
information connected with the wider end of life support community

Essential account, contractual and service messages are not marketing communications and may be sent where necessary to administer your account or provide the service.

Where permitted by law, we may send limited business-to-business communications to professional or organisational contacts where we have a legitimate interest in doing so.

We will obtain consent where consent is required for electronic direct marketing.

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link in the message or by contacting [email protected].

Opting out of marketing will not prevent us from sending essential messages about your account, payments, membership or security.

9. Cookies, Analytics and Location Services

We use cookies and related technologies for different purposes.

9.1 Essential Cookies

Essential cookies are used to:

operate the website
maintain login sessions
provide shopping-cart, checkout and subscription functionality
protect accounts and website security
remember your cookie preferences

These cookies are required for the website to function and do not require consent where they are strictly necessary.

9.2 Analytics

With your consent, we may use Google Analytics or similar services to understand how visitors use the website and to improve its performance.

Analytics technologies will not be activated until the required consent has been provided.

9.3 Google Maps and Location Services

We use Google Maps services to provide location entry, address search, mapping and geographic-search functionality.

When Google Maps is enabled or used, technical information such as your IP address, device information, search input and interaction data may be transmitted to Google.

Where required, Google Maps will be blocked until you enable the relevant cookie or service category.

9.4 Managing Consent

You can accept, reject or manage non-essential cookies through the cookie controls displayed on the website.

You can change or withdraw your cookie preferences at any time using the website’s cookie-preference control.

Further details about individual cookies and services are available in our Cookie Policy or cookie settings panel.

10. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, security and dispute-resolution requirements.

Typical retention periods include:

active account and profile data: for the duration of the account or membership
closed account data: for a limited period after closure where required for administration, dispute resolution, fraud prevention or legal claims
billing, transaction and tax records: generally for up to six years after the relevant financial period
verification records: while verification remains active and for a limited period afterwards where necessary to document the verification history, prevent misuse or meet legal obligations
support communications: for as long as reasonably necessary to resolve the matter and maintain appropriate business records
security and server logs: for a limited period appropriate to security, diagnostic and fraud-prevention purposes
marketing records: until you withdraw consent or object, together with a limited suppression record where necessary to honour your preference
cookie-consent records: for the period necessary to demonstrate and manage your consent choices

We may retain information for longer where required by law or where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

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

11. Your Data-Protection Rights

Depending on the circumstances, UK data-protection law may give you the right to:

request access to your personal data
request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data
request deletion of your personal data
request restriction of processing
object to processing based on legitimate interests
object to direct marketing at any time
request data portability where the legal requirements apply
withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent
complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal limitations or exemptions.

To exercise a right, contact:

[email protected]

We may need to request information to confirm your identity before responding. We will normally respond within one month, subject to any lawful extension.

12. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal data against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, loss or destruction.

These measures may include:

encrypted HTTPS connections
secure hosting and server configuration
access controls and administrator restrictions
software and security monitoring
controlled code-deployment and file-permission procedures
backups and recovery arrangements
data-minimisation measures within the verification system
restricted access to payment, account and verification information

Although we take reasonable precautions, no online system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

13. International Data Transfers

Some service providers may process personal data outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal data is transferred internationally, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the transfer is lawful and that suitable safeguards are in place.

These safeguards may include:

a UK adequacy regulation
the UK International Data Transfer Agreement
the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses
another legally recognised transfer mechanism

Additional information about relevant safeguards may be requested by contacting us.

14. Third-Party Websites and Member Services

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, member websites, social-media profiles and external services.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of independent third parties.

When you contact or engage a member listed on Find a Doula, that member may become an independent data controller for information you provide directly to them. You should review the member’s own privacy information where appropriate.

15. Special Category and Sensitive Information

Visitors should avoid sending unnecessary medical, health, religious or other highly sensitive personal information through general website enquiry or contact facilities.

If information about health, beliefs or another special category of personal data is voluntarily included in a message, we will handle it only where a lawful basis and an appropriate additional condition apply.

Member profiles should not disclose sensitive personal information about clients, patients, families or other identifiable individuals.

16. Children’s Data

Membership services and professional profiles are intended only for people aged 18 or over.

We do not knowingly allow children to create professional member accounts.

Our public directory may be viewed by people of different ages, but children should not submit personal information without the involvement of a parent, guardian or appropriate responsible adult.

If you believe that a child has provided personal data to us inappropriately, please contact us.

17. Automated Decision-Making

We do not currently use personal data to make solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects on individuals.

Technical systems may assist with matching or checking professional-verification records. However, where a verification result is disputed or appears inaccurate, the member may contact us and request a manual review.

18. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our services, verification partners, legal obligations or data-processing practices.

The latest version will be published on this page with an updated effective date.

Where a change materially affects how we use member data, we may also notify affected members through the website, their account or email.

19. Questions and Complaints

If you have a question or concern about how we process personal data, please contact us first:

Email: [email protected]

You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.

Information Commissioner’s Office
Website: https://ico.org.uk/
Telephone: 0303 123 1113