CPD Privacy Policy

CPD Validation Services Ltd (“CPD Validation Services”, “we”, “us” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and share personal information when you visit our website, apply for Provider Membership, submit courses or learning activities for validation, purchase our services, use our provider services, contact us or otherwise interact with CPD Validation Services.

1. About Our CPD Privacy Policy
CPD Validation Services Ltd provides independent assessment and validation of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities.
For the purposes of applicable UK data protection law, CPD Validation Services Ltd is the data controller for personal information for which we determine the purposes and means of processing.
You can contact us regarding privacy or data protection matters at:
CPD Validation Services Ltd
Email: info@cpdvalidationservices.co.uk
Telephone: +44 20 8050 5704
United Kingdom

2. Information We May Collect
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect and process information including:
your name;
business or organisation name;
job title or professional role;
postal or business address;
email address;
telephone number;
provider membership information;
account and provider portal information;
course and learning activity information;
qualifications, experience or professional competence information supplied as part of an application;
course materials and supporting evidence submitted for assessment;
correspondence and communications with us;
validation applications, assessment information and validation decisions;
payment and transaction information;
technical information relating to use of our website and online services; and
other information you voluntarily provide to us.
We aim to collect only information reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it is being processed.

3. How We Collect Information
We may collect personal information:
directly from you when you complete an application or online form;
when you create or use a provider account;
when you submit a course or activity for validation;
when you purchase a validation service or package;
when you contact us by email, telephone, website or other means;
through our website and associated technologies;
through service providers acting on our behalf; and
where appropriate, from publicly available sources or information supplied by an organisation with which you are associated.

4. How We Use Your Information
We may use personal information to:
process Provider Membership applications;
administer Provider Membership;
assess courses and learning activities submitted for CPD validation;
communicate assessment results and validation decisions;
request amendments, clarification or additional evidence;
generate membership or validation records;
operate our provider services and portal;
maintain our public verification service;
process purchases and payments;
respond to enquiries and provide customer support;
maintain appropriate assessment and quality-assurance records;
prevent misuse, fraud or misrepresentation of our services;
administer and improve our website and systems;
comply with legal, regulatory, accounting and record-keeping obligations; and
protect the legitimate interests, security and integrity of CPD Validation Services and its services.
We will not use personal information for purposes incompatible with those for which it was collected unless permitted or required by law.

5. Our Lawful Bases for Processing
Depending on the circumstances, we may process personal information on one or more of the following lawful bases:
Contract – where processing is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract or to provide services under a contract with you.
Legitimate interests – where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, including administering our services, maintaining validation standards, preventing misuse, maintaining records, improving our services and communicating with customers, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.
Legal obligation – where processing is necessary to comply with an obligation imposed on us by law.
Consent – where we have asked for and obtained your consent for a particular type of processing.
Where we rely upon consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

6. Course Materials and Assessment Information
Course materials and supporting evidence submitted for validation may contain information relating to course authors, trainers, instructors or other individuals.
Providers submitting such information are responsible for ensuring that they have an appropriate basis for supplying it to us.
Submitted materials may be accessed and processed for assessment, validation, quality assurance, record keeping and responding to queries concerning a validation decision.
We do not acquire ownership of course materials merely because they have been submitted for assessment.

7. Technology and AI-Assisted Processing
CPD Validation Services uses digital systems and may use automated and artificial intelligence-assisted tools to support parts of our administration, document analysis, assessment and quality-assurance processes.
Technology may assist us in reviewing submitted information against our validation criteria, identifying relevant evidence or areas requiring further consideration, and preparing information for review.
We do not rely on AI alone to make final validation decisions. Appropriate human review and oversight form part of our validation process.
Where an applicant believes information considered during an assessment was inaccurate or incomplete, they may contact us to request clarification or appropriate human review.
CPD Validation Services remains responsible for decisions made through its validation process.

8. Public Verification Information
To protect the integrity of our validation system and enable third parties to verify claims of membership or validation, we may publish limited information through our public verification service.
This may include:
provider or organisation name;
membership or validation reference;
membership or validation status;
course or learning activity title where applicable;
validation and expiry dates; and
other limited information reasonably necessary to verify a claimed status.
We do not intend the public verification service to disclose unnecessary personal information.
Where a provider operates under an individual's name, that name may necessarily form part of the public verification information.

9. Payments
Payments may be processed through third-party payment service providers.
Those providers may collect and process payment-card, banking or transaction information in accordance with their own privacy policies and legal obligations.
CPD Validation Services does not need to receive or retain full payment-card details where these are processed securely by our payment provider.

10. Service Providers and Sharing of Information
We use third-party technology and service providers to operate our business and deliver our services.
These may include providers of:
website hosting and website services;
online forms;
workflow and automation systems;
provider portal and database services;
cloud storage;
email and communications;
document processing;
artificial intelligence and assessment-support technologies;
payment processing;
analytics;
security; and
professional or technical support.
These organisations may process personal information on our behalf or, in some circumstances, as independent data controllers.
We only disclose information where reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose or where required by law.
We may also disclose information to professional advisers, regulators, law-enforcement bodies, courts or other authorities where reasonably necessary or legally required.
We do not sell personal information.

11. International Data Transfers
Some technology and service providers we use may process or store information outside the United Kingdom.
Where personal information is transferred internationally, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the transfer is made in accordance with applicable UK data protection requirements.
This may include reliance upon applicable adequacy regulations or appropriate contractual and organisational safeguards.

12. How Long We Keep Information
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including providing our services, maintaining validation and verification records, resolving disputes and satisfying legal, accounting and regulatory requirements.
Different categories of information may therefore be retained for different periods.
Validation and membership records may need to be retained after membership or validation has expired so that we can maintain an appropriate historical record, investigate queries and verify previous validation claims.
Information that is no longer required will be deleted, anonymised or securely disposed of where appropriate.

13. Marketing Communications
Where permitted by law, we may send relevant information about our services to existing customers or other appropriate business contacts.
Where consent is required for electronic marketing, we will obtain it.
You may ask us to stop sending marketing communications at any time by using an unsubscribe facility provided in the communication or by contacting us.
Stopping marketing communications will not prevent us from sending necessary service, membership, transaction or validation-related communications.

14. Cookies and Website Technologies
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to operate correctly, remember preferences, understand website usage, improve our services and, where applicable, support analytics or marketing.
Where required, we will request appropriate consent before placing non-essential cookies or similar technologies on your device.
Further information about cookies may be available through our website's cookie settings or cookie notice.

15. Keeping Information Secure
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.
However, no internet-based service or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
We review our systems and working practices as appropriate to the nature of the information being processed.

16. Your Data Protection Rights
Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis on which information is processed, you may have rights including:
the right to be informed about how your personal information is used;
the right to request access to your personal information;
the right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;
the right to request erasure in certain circumstances;
the right to request restriction of processing in certain circumstances;
the right to object to certain processing;
the right to data portability in certain circumstances;
the right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and
rights relating to certain forms of automated decision-making.
These rights are not absolute and may be subject to exemptions or other legal requirements.
To exercise a data protection right, contact:
info@cpdvalidationservices.co.uk
We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

17. Complaints
If you have concerns about how we process your personal information, please contact us first so that we have an opportunity to investigate and respond.
You also have the right to raise a concern with the UK's data protection regulator:
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Website: www.ico.org.uk

18. Third-Party Websites
Our website may contain links to websites or services operated by third parties.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices of independent third-party websites. You should review their privacy information before providing personal information to them.

19. Children's Information
Our services are principally intended for businesses, organisations, training providers and adult professionals.
We do not intentionally use our services to collect personal information directly from children for marketing purposes.
Where course materials submitted for validation contain information relating to children or other individuals, providers should avoid including identifiable personal information unless it

is necessary and there is an appropriate lawful basis for doing so.

20. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our services, technology, legal obligations or data-processing activities.

The latest version will be published on our website and identified by the “Last updated” date.

Where a change materially affects how we use personal information, we will take reasonable steps to provide additional notice where required.

21. Contact Us

For questions about this Privacy Policy or the way we process personal information, please contact:

CPD Validation Services Ltd
Email: info@cpdvalidationservices.co.uk

Telephone: +44 20 8050 5704

England