Who we are
Gateway 4 Women is a not-for-profit organisation providing support to women aged 18 and over in Cumbria through our Carlisle and Workington centres.
For questions about this privacy notice or the personal information we hold about you, contact admin@cumbriagateway.co.uk.
What information we may collect
Depending on how you use our service, we may collect information such as your name, date of birth, contact details, whether it is safe to contact you, your preferred centre, information about the support you are looking for, and other information you choose to share with us.
Because of the nature of our work, information you choose to share may sometimes be sensitive. This can include information about your health or wellbeing, domestic abuse, housing, finances or other circumstances relevant to the support you are seeking.
Where a professional makes a referral, we may also receive information from the referring professional or agency that is relevant to understanding the reason for the referral and the support you may need.
Where we get your information
We may receive information directly from you when you contact us, complete our self-referral form or use our services. We may also receive information from a professional or agency making a referral on your behalf.
Our online self-referral and professional referral forms are provided through Microsoft Forms within Cumbria Gateway's organisational Microsoft 365 environment rather than a personal Microsoft account.
Why we use your information
We use personal information to receive and process referrals, understand what support may be appropriate, contact you where it is safe to do so, provide and coordinate support, keep appropriate records, and respond to safeguarding or legal requirements where necessary.
Referral information is initially processed by our administration staff and then assigned to the support worker considered most appropriate to respond to your needs.
Data-protection law requires Gateway 4 Women to identify and document the lawful basis for each way we use personal information and, where special-category information is used, an additional condition for processing it. Gateway 4 Women is confirming the precise legal wording that applies to our different processing activities. This does not change our commitment to use information only where we have an appropriate lawful reason to do so.
Who we share information with
We do not routinely share your personal information with other organisations without an appropriate reason.
When you register with Gateway 4 Women, we will discuss consent to share information with you. If you ask us to signpost or refer you to another agency and information needs to be shared to help with that request, we will do so in line with the consent you have given.
There may be circumstances where we need to share relevant information without your consent, including where we believe you or another person is at risk of harm, or where there is another legal basis or requirement for us to share it. Where possible and appropriate, we will be open with you about this.
How long we keep information
We keep personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purpose for which it was collected, taking account of the support we provide and any relevant legal, safeguarding and organisational requirements. We review the information we hold and securely delete or anonymise information when it is no longer required.
How we protect your information
We take the privacy of women using our service seriously. Access to referral and support information is limited to staff who need it for their role. We use organisational and technical measures intended to protect personal information from unauthorised access, loss or misuse.
Your data-protection rights
Data-protection law gives you rights over your personal information. Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis being used, these may include asking for a copy of the information we hold about you, asking us to correct inaccurate information, and in some circumstances asking us to delete or restrict the use of your information or object to how it is being used.
If you would like to exercise a data-protection right or ask a question about your information, contact admin@cumbriagateway.co.uk.
Complaints
If you have concerns about how we use your personal information, please contact us first so that we can try to help. You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data-protection regulator.
Make a data-protection complaint to the ICO.
Changes to this privacy notice
We will review this privacy notice and update it when necessary.
Last reviewed: 31 August 2026.
Gateway 4 Women is reviewing the precise UK GDPR lawful basis and, where applicable, special-category processing condition used for its different activities. Once confirmed, this notice will be updated to state those details more specifically.