Data Protection Complaints

Complaints about data protection handling should be distinguished from:

• Service complaints (including complaints about legal services, which should be handled under the Law Centre’s Complaints Policy – please see our General Complaints page)
• Regulatory complaints to the SRA about professional conduct

Procedure for data protection complaints:

1. The complainant should submit their complaint in writing (or verbally, which must then be recorded in writing) to the Data Protection Lead (Operations Manager) at info@selc.org.uk
2. The Data Protection Lead must acknowledge the complaint within five working days and provide a substantive response within one calendar month of receipt. Where the complaint is complex, the response period may be extended by up to a further two months, with notification to the complainant.
3. If the complainant is not satisfied with the response, they may escalate the matter to the Managing Director/Senior Solicitor.
4. If still not satisfied, the complainant may refer the matter to the Board of Trustees.
5. At any stage, the complainant has the right to make a complaint directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): https://ico.org.uk/concerns | Telephone: 0303 123 1113.

All data protection complaints will be recorded on the data breach/complaints register.

A record will be kept of the complaint, the investigation, the outcome and any remedial steps taken.