Confidentiality Policy and Data Protection
Counselling practice takes place within a confidentiality framework where clients can expect their disclosures to be kept private. This respectful holding of private information is what enables clients to feel safe enough to bring aspects of themselves that they may not usually share.
Trainees at WCP can equally expect that their personal disclosures will be held with the same respect for their privacy. WCP wants Trainees to feel safe on the course of study knowing that their trainees and peers on the course are holding personal information with care.
In order to manage and support Trainee progress seminar leaders and supervisors will need to discuss their work with colleagues within supervision and assessment processes. These discussions will also maintain the respect and privacy of the individual.
It is not possible for counsellors to offer complete confidentiality to clients or for seminar leaders / supervisors to offer this to Trainees as we are bound by agency policies, BACP and BPC codes of ethics and the law of the land.
Trainees are asked to create a confidentiality framework at the start of the course each year. Trainees and staff need to be aware that WCP are bound by law to pass information in certain circumstances, typically where there is a serious risk of harm.
Use of personal data and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
As part of your application, you are asked for consent to WCP to keeping personal information as outlined below in order to process and evaluate your application and your training record with WCP.
Your application, confidential notes and training record will be stored on a personal file for each trainee in a locked cabinet. Only the Head of Training and Training Co-ordinator have access to personal files. If you continue to train with WCP, your personal file will be where a copy of all assessments and submitted work will be filed and all data is routinely destroyed at the end of a 7 year period. Information on personal files will be destroyed confidentially by the Training Co-ordinator by shredding 7 years following completion of your course and it will be recorded as destroyed. If you decide not to take up a place offered or we do not think that you meet our selection criteria at the point of application than a record of the decision only will be stored for 7 years.
The Equalities monitoring form you completed is anonymous and stored centrally for analysis.
The WCP Office keeps an electronic record of trainee names, addresses and contact information along with details of your personal tutor in encoded format.
Only the Head of Training and the Therapy Advisor keep a confidential record of who your therapist is which is shared between them but not shared within WCP. This record will be deleted at the end of your training with WCP.
You have a right under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to request a copy of the information which is kept on you by WCP and to request that personal data held on you is deleted.
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