Privacy notice

Who we are

Smart Bowen International Training Academy ("we", "us") provides accredited Bowen therapy training for human, equine and canine practitioners, and Bowen treatments through our clinics. We are the data controller for the information described in this notice.

You can reach us at info@bowen-training.com or on 07703 010 044. We are based in Great Malvern, Worcestershire.

What we collect

When you enquire or request a prospectus

Your name, email address, phone number if you give it, which stream you are interested in, and anything you tell us in your message.

When you enrol on a course

Your contact and billing details, payment records, your Anatomy, Physiology & Pathology qualification where relevant, any accessibility or health information you choose to share so we can support you properly, your coursework and assessment records, and your certification details.

When you book a treatment

Bookings are handled through our practice management system, Zanda. As part of treatment we keep clinical records — your health history, consent, and notes on each session. Health information is treated as special category data and handled with extra care.

When you join our mailing list

Your email address, and whether you have opened or clicked our emails so we can tell what's useful.

When you visit the website

Standard technical information such as your approximate location, browser and the pages you viewed. This is used in aggregate to understand what people find helpful.

Why we use it, and our lawful basis

• To answer your enquiry and send your prospectus — because you asked us to, and it is in our legitimate interest to respond to people interested in training.
• To deliver your course and issue certification — to perform our contract with you, and to meet the record-keeping our accrediting bodies require.
• To provide treatment safely — with your explicit consent for health information, and because keeping clinical records is a professional obligation.
• To take payment and keep accounts — to perform our contract and comply with tax law.
• To send you course news — with your consent, which you can withdraw at any time.
• To keep insurance and safeguarding records — to meet our legal obligations.

Who we share it with

We do not sell your information, and we do not share it for anyone else's marketing. We do use trusted services to run the academy, and they only process what they need to:

• Our practice management and booking system, for treatment records and appointments
• Our email and mailing list providers
• Our payment processor and accountant
• Our accrediting bodies, where certification needs to be registered
• Our website host, for the running of this site and enquiry forms

Our instructors see only what they need to teach and assess their own students. If a service we use stores data outside the UK, we make sure appropriate safeguards are in place.

How long we keep it

• Enquiries that don't lead anywhere — up to two years, in case you come back to us
• Student and certification records — for as long as your qualification needs to be verifiable, and as our accrediting bodies require
• Clinical treatment records — for the period required by professional and insurance standards, normally eight years after your last appointment, or until a young person's twenty-fifth birthday
• Financial records — six years, as tax law requires
• Mailing list — until you unsubscribe

Keeping it safe

Access is limited to those who need it. Devices and accounts are password protected, records are held in secure systems rather than loose paperwork, and paper notes are locked away. If something did go wrong and your rights were at risk, we would tell you and the Information Commissioner's Office promptly.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you can ask us to:

• Give you a copy of the information we hold about you
• Correct anything that is wrong or incomplete
• Delete information where we no longer have a good reason to keep it
• Restrict or object to how we use it
• Transfer it to another provider
• Withdraw your consent to marketing at any time

Email info@bowen-training.com and we will respond within one month. There is no charge. Note that some records, particularly clinical and certification records, we are obliged to keep even if you ask us to delete them — we will always explain why.

Cookies

This site uses only what it needs to work, plus simple analytics to tell us which pages people find useful. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings at any time; the site will still work.

Children

Our training is for adults. Where we treat a child, we take consent from a parent or guardian and keep those records in line with safeguarding good practice.

Changes to this notice

If we change how we handle your information we will update this page and change the date at the top. Material changes affecting students will be emailed.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please tell us first — we would much rather put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.