PRIVACY POLICY

Last updated: 23 September 2026

  1. Who we are

Duty to Pause provides online menopause-awareness education, professional resources and organisational recognition services.

For data-protection purposes, the data controller is Gemma Keeley, trading as Duty to Pause.

Contact: [email protected]

For organisational and Award of Excellence enquiries: [email protected]

  1. Information we collect

Depending on how you use our website and services, we may collect:

• Your name, email address and contact details.
• Your organisation, role and professional information.
• Account and course-enrolment information.
• Course progress, responses, assessment results and completion records.
• Enquiries, correspondence and feedback.
• Order, transaction and billing information. Full payment-card details are processed by the payment provider and are not stored by Duty to Pause.
• Information supplied as part of an Award of Excellence enquiry or application.
• Technical information such as your IP address, browser, device and website usage information.
• Your marketing preferences, where applicable.

Please do not include identifiable personal or sensitive information about colleagues, children, families, service users or other third parties in course activities, enquiries or award evidence unless it is necessary, lawful and appropriately protected. Evidence should be anonymised wherever possible.

  1. How we collect information

We collect information:

• Directly from you when you contact us, create an account, enrol, purchase a product, complete training or submit information.
• From an organisation purchasing or arranging training on your behalf.
• Automatically through our website platform and necessary cookies.
• From service providers involved in delivering our website, communications, payments and courses.

  1. How we use your information

We may use your personal information to:

• Create and manage your account.
• Provide courses, resources and related services.
• Process purchases and maintain financial records.
• Record course participation, progress and completion.
• Respond to enquiries and provide support.
• Communicate important information about your account or services.
• Assess organisational recognition or Award of Excellence applications.
• Improve our website, training and services.
• Protect the security and integrity of our services.
• Meet legal, regulatory, tax and accounting obligations.
• Send marketing communications where you have consented or where otherwise permitted by law.

  1. Our lawful bases

Under UK data-protection law, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

• Contract: where processing is necessary to provide a course, product or service you have requested.
• Legitimate interests: where necessary to operate, secure and improve Duty to Pause, respond to enquiries and manage professional relationships, provided those interests do not override your rights.
• Legal obligation: where we must retain or disclose information to comply with the law.
• Consent: where you have actively agreed to a particular use, such as optional marketing. You may withdraw consent at any time.

If we need to process special-category information, such as health information, we will only do so where an additional lawful condition applies. Please avoid providing unnecessary sensitive personal information.

  1. Who we share information with

We only share personal information where it is necessary and appropriate. This may include:

• Thinkific, which hosts our website and online courses.
• Email and communications providers, including Proton Mail.
• Payment-processing providers used at checkout.
• Professional advisers, accountants, insurers or IT-support providers.
• Contractors or assessors involved in delivering a service or assessing an Award of Excellence application, where appropriate safeguards are in place.
• Regulators, courts, law-enforcement bodies or other authorities where required by law.
• A purchaser or successor if Duty to Pause is reorganised, incorporated, sold or transferred, subject to appropriate confidentiality and data-protection requirements.

We do not sell your personal information.

  1. International transfers

Some service providers may process information outside the United Kingdom. Where this happens, we take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards recognised under UK data-protection law are used.

Further information about Thinkific’s privacy practices is available through Thinkific’s privacy policy and data-processing terms.

  1. How long we retain information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including:

• Account, enrolment and course-completion records for as long as needed to provide and verify the service.
• Financial and transaction records for up to six years where required for tax, accounting or legal purposes.
• General enquiries and correspondence normally for up to two years after the matter is concluded.
• Award applications, assessment records and recognition records for the duration of the recognition relationship and for a reasonable period afterward.
• Marketing information until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent.

Information may be retained for longer where required to establish, exercise or defend legal claims or comply with a legal obligation.

  1. Security

We use reasonable administrative and technical measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure. However, no internet-based service can guarantee complete security.

You are responsible for keeping your account password confidential and should contact us if you believe your account has been accessed without authorisation.

  1. Cookies

Our website and Thinkific may use cookies and similar technologies to operate the website, maintain security, remember preferences and understand how the service is used.

Some cookies are necessary for the website to function. Where consent is legally required for optional cookies, you will be given an appropriate choice.

  1. Marketing

We will only send marketing communications where we have an appropriate lawful basis. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in the message or by emailing [email protected].

Service messages relating to an account, purchase, course or enquiry are not marketing and may still be sent where necessary.

  1. Your rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

• Request access to your personal information.
• Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Ask us to erase your information.
• Ask us to restrict how your information is used.
• Object to certain processing.
• Request transfer of information you provided in a portable format.
• Withdraw consent where processing relies on consent.
• Complain about how your information is handled.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exemptions.

To exercise your rights, contact [email protected]. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

  1. Children

Duty to Pause services are intended for adults and professional or organisational use. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children through account registration or course purchasing.

Organisations and learners must not submit identifiable information about children or families within course activities, enquiries or award evidence unless they have a lawful basis and appropriate safeguards.

  1. External links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. Duty to Pause is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those external websites. You should review their privacy information separately.

  1. Complaints

Please contact us first at [email protected] if you have concerns about how we use your personal information.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK regulator for data protection:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

  1. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when our services, suppliers or legal obligations change. The latest version will be published on this page with an updated revision date.