Our Policies
Data Protection Policy
Who are we?
We are DoulaCare Ireland Ltd (DCI) (also referred to as “we”, “us”, or “our”) and are a registered company in Ireland (Company no.626345). Our registered address is 21 SeaCliff Drive, Balydoyle, Dublin 13. We provide birth doula and postpartum doula support as well as childbirth and breastfeeding education and classes and other services relating to the pregnancy, birth and postpartum period to families. We also provide a service for doulas who join our company as Independent Contractors. We also provide training to anyone wishing to become a doulas - online and in person. And we offer established doulas the option to enhance their learning with additional training.
INTRODUCTION:
We at DoulaCare Ireland Ltd. are committed to protecting your personal data.
This Notice is designed to help you understand what kind of information we collect in connection with our products and services and how we will process and use this information, to meet our obligations under the Data Protection Acts 1988 to 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (the “Data Protection Law”). In the course of providing you with products and services we will collect and process information that is commonly known as personal data.
This Notice describes how we collect, use, share, retain and safeguard personal data.
This Notice sets out your individual rights; we explain these later in the Notice but in summary these rights include your right to know what data is held about you, why we collect it, how this data is processed and how you can place restrictions on the use of your data.
WHAT IS PERSONAL DATA?
Personal data is information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. Examples include an individual’s name, age, address, date of birth, gender and contact details.
Personal data may contain information which is known as special categories of personal data. This may be information relating to and not limited to, an individual’s health, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetic and biometric data, or data relating to sexual orientation.
Personal data may also contain data relating to criminal convictions and offences.
For the purposes of safeguarding and processing criminal conviction and offence data responsibly, this data is treated in the same manner as special categories of personal data, where we are legally required to comply with specific data processing requirements.
PERSONAL DATA WE COLLECT:
Clients:
For the purposes of Data Protection Law, we are the data controller of your Personal Data (see Notes for definitions).
Where we collect data directly from you, we are considered to be the controller of that data i.e. we are the data controller. Where we use third parties to process your data, these parties are known as processors of your personal data.
As we work with Independent Contractors (doulas), they may also be Data Controllers of your personal data and need to have their own Guidelines for Data Collection in place. In order for us to provide a doula support service to you and your family we will collect and process personal data about you. We will also collect your personal data where you request information about our services, customer events, promotions and campaigns.
In most circumstances, you will provide us with this information. Where you disclose the personal data of others (your partner’s details for example), you must ensure you are entitled to do so.
You may give us personal data by:
Corresponding with us by phone, email or otherwise. We ask that you disclose only as much information as is necessary to provide you with our service or to submit a question in relation to our service.
Submitting an expression of interest to DoulaCare Ireland to offer your doula service/ antenatal or postpartum educator to clients as an independent contractor.
Enquiring about our trainings or courses (antenatal education, VBAC Classes, Breastfeeding Classes, Birth/Postpartum doula training etc).
Booking in for one of our trainings (as a parent or parent-to-be or as a doula) mentioned above.
Meeting with us in-person or online to discuss our businesses working together - with you offering services to clients we find as an Independent Contractor (ICs)
Meeting/Speaking over the phone with one of our Independent Contractors (for a client).
Visiting our website or social media channels. If you wish to contact us using social media, please consult the privacy policy of the social media service provider for details on their privacy policy.
You may also provide us with personal data when completing online forms (for example when you sign up to our Newsletter), or contact forms, when you contact us via the telephone or email, when writing to us directly or where we provide you with paper based forms for completion or we complete a form in conjunction with you.
If you choose to contact DoulaCare Ireland Ltd. for an initial contact in order to explore the idea of a doula service or booking on a training we run we will collect personal data which may include (but is not limited to), name(s), address, telephone no, email and personal information you choose to disclose to her/them/DoulaCare Ireland. This personal information will include data of a sensitive nature including health data information regarding your pregnancy labour and birth (or previous medical pregnancy and birth history), as well as information about your baby, child(ren), partner and other family members that may be relevant in order to help DoulaCare Ireland decide which doula would best be suitable for you.
DoulaCare Ireland Ltd. will only take information needed in order to provide you with the service you need from our company, and that is directly relevant to the service we provide. When collecting this data we will always obtain your consent. (When you contact us with your personal details we are assuming consent is given to have your data).
We will collect your personal data when you visit our website, where we will collect your unique online electronic identifier; this is commonly known as an IP address.
We will also collect electronic personal data when you first visit our website where we will place a small text file that is commonly known as a cookie on your computer. Cookies are used to identify visitors and to simplify accessibility, and to monitor visitor behaviour when viewing website content, navigating our website and when using features. For more information please see our Website and Cookie Policy here.
We also collect personal data through the use of telematics or similar locational tracking services, where you have agreed to the use of this particular service.
If you become a client of DoulaCare Ireland Ltd. we will process the following categories of data:
• Personal data such as an individual’s name, email address, home address, date of birth, gender, E.D.D, hospital attending, name of partner.
• Special categories of personal data such as health and details any details pertinent to us finding the right doula for the support you need (for example if you are a primp or multip, having just one baby or twins).
If you choose to sign up to DoulaCare Ireland Ltd. as a client we will collect personal data which will include (but is not limited to), name(s), address, telephone no, email and personal information you choose to disclose to her/them/DoulaCare Ireland Ltd. This personal information will include data of a sensitive nature including health data information regarding your pregnancy labour and birth (or previous medical pregnancy and birth history), as well as information about your baby, child(ren), partner and other family members that may be relevant in order to provide the support that you and your family need from your doula. There may also be a handover chat group set up supplied by a third party, in order to share relevant information in relation to the care the doula is providing to you and your family. This is to ensure each doula providing support to your family are up to date with the needs of your family and will ensure the day to day care provided by your doula (s) is seamless. It also enables the owners of DoulaCare Ireland to provide support to the doula (s) if so required. Only those involved in your care (as well as the owners and admin of DoulaCare Ireland), will have access to this group. On this group you will be identified by a number that DoulaCare Ireland will assign to you.
We will request that you sign a consent form when you are booking in outlining that you consent to us collecting and storing your data.
If you object to the collection, sharing and use of your personal data we may be unable to provide you with a doula to meet with your needs.
For the purposes of meeting the Data Protection Act 2018 territorial scope requirements, Ireland is identified as the named territory where the processing of personal data takes place.
If you require more information about our doula support or further details on how we collect personal data and with whom we share data with, please contact us at: info@doulacare.ie
PERSONAL DATA WE COLLECT: Independent Contractors
For the purposes of Data Protection Law, we are the data controller of your Personal Data.
In order for us to ensure that you have the training and requirements we feel a doula needs in order to offer services through DoulaCare Ireland Ltd. as an Independent Contract and to ensure we can provide doula support to clients by matching them with a doula suitable for their requirements we will collect and process personal data about you.
In most circumstances, you will provide us with this information. Where you disclose the personal data of others (your partner’s details for example), you must ensure you are entitled to do so.
You may provide us with personal data when completing online forms (for example when you sign up to our Newsletter), or contact forms, when you contact us via the telephone or email, when writing to us directly or where we provide you with paper based forms for completion or we complete a form in conjunction with you.
We will share your personal data within DoulaCare Ireland Ltd., our admin team and with our partners. This is necessary to administer our business. Data shared can include, name, email, telephone and any relevant information regarding your personal situation that may be relevant.
If you choose to contact DoulaCare Ireland Ltd. for an initial contact in order to explore the idea of working with a doula, we will collect personal data which may include (but is not limited to), name(s), address, telephone no, email and personal information you choose to disclose to her/them/DoulaCare Ireland Ltd.. This personal information may include data of a sensitive nature including health data information regarding birth history, as well as information about your birth and postpartum journey (if relevant to you).
If you choose to offer services to clients through DoulaCare Ireland Ltd. as an Independent Contractor, we will also collect personal data as listed above. This personal information will include data of a sensitive nature (as above). We will request that you sign a consent form when you join DoulaCare Ireland Ltd. enabling us to collect and store this information.
DoulaCare Ireland Ltd. will only take information needed in order to provide you with the service you need from our business, and that allows us to assess your suitability to offer services to clients, and see if our businesses are compatible. When collecting this data we will always obtain your consent.
WHO DO WE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH:
Clients:
We will share your personal data within DoulaCare Ireland Ltd., with our independent contractors, i.e. the birth and postpartum doulas who are contracted to provide services through DoulaCare Ireland, our admin team and with some third parties (outlined in Schedule 1). This is necessary to administer our business. We will only share your data with doulas that we are approaching to support you, or who we have booked to support you. We share this data in order that they may contact you (to arrange to meet or to arrange a booking appointment) and/or that they may organise to provide you with relevant doula support for the duration of your contract. Data shared can include, name, email, telephone and any relevant information regarding your personal situation that may be relevant to that doula being able to offer you support.
Contractors:
We will share your personal data within DoulaCare Ireland Ltd., with other independent contractors (if you are working with a back up IC or with another IC), our admin team and with some third parties (outlined in Schedule 1). This is necessary to administer our business.We share this data so that we can contact you and support you in your role as a doula. Data shared can include, name, email, telephone and any relevant information regarding your personal situation that may be relevant to the needs we may have to offer support to you or so that you can offer support to clients.
WHY DO WE NEED YOUR PERSONAL DATA?
Clients:
We will use your personal data to help us ensure we find the right doula for you and your family - whether that be because of geographical location or for any particular needs you and you family may have. We may also use your personal details to provide you with a doula service, to offer you the specific support you and your family may need, to provide you with the latest evidence based information on the care you are receiving or contemplating enacting in your own family. We also may take your personal data to process your payment and to invoice you.
We will also use your personal data to manage your account, perform statistical analysis on the data we collect, receive feedback from you and to develop new and market existing products and services.
In purchasing our products and services you should understand that you are forming a contract with us. If you contact us for a quote or request details on the services we provide, we consider ourselves as having a legitimate business interest to provide you with further information about our products and services. You may request to be withdrawn from all such marketing activities at any time.
Contractors:
For doulas we take your personal data to ensure we have suitable Independent Contractors to support clients through our business. We have a list of criteria that we consider important for any doula supporting clients in Ireland and we need to be able to ascertain that you meet this criteria.
We will also use your personal data to manage your account, perform statistical analysis on the data we collect, receive feedback from you and to develop new and market existing products and services.
DATA RETENTION
• If you are a client of DoulaCare Ireland Ltd. we will retain your data for a period of 7 years as per requested by our Insurers.
• Where you have requested a quote or contacted us for details of our products and services, and where this quote does not progress to a contract and we do not have any contracts with you, we will retain your personal data for a maximum period of one year.
• Where you make a complaint we will retain the data for 10 years.
• Where you or law enforcement agencies inform us about any active investigation or potential criminal prosecution, we will comply with legal requirements when retaining this data.
The retaining of data is necessary where required for contractual, legal or regulatory purposes or for our legitimate business interests for statistical analysis (profiling) and product development and marketing purposes.
Sometimes we may need to retain your data for longer, for example if we are representing you or defending ourselves in a legal dispute or as required by law or where evidence exists that a future claim may occur.
If you are a Independent Contractor currently offering services through DoulaCare Ireland we will retain your data for the period of time this contractual relationship is in effect.
If you are no longer offering services through DoulaCare Ireland Ltd., we will retain some of your information for a period of 7 years (but we will not hold current information such as copies of your doula insurance or car insurance. .
You can opt out of receiving marketing services by e-mailing: info@doulacare.ie
Following the completion of the required period personal data held by us will be securely destroyed.
HOW DO WE PROTECT DATA ABOUT YOU WHEN OR IF IT IS TRANSFERRED OUT OF EUROPE?
We do not currently transfer data outside of Europe currently. Any transfer of your personal date outside of the EEA would only be made through transfer mechanisms approved or allowed for under Data Protection Law and we shall take all necessary steps to ensure that there is adequate protection, as required by Data Protection Law.
YOUR RIGHTS
Individuals are provided with legal rights governing the use of their personal data. These grant individuals the right to understand what personal data relating to them is held, for what purpose, how it is collected and used, with whom it is shared, where it is located, to object to its processing, to have the data corrected if inaccurate, to take copies of the data and to place restrictions on its processing. Individuals can also request the deletion of their personal data.
These rights are known as Individual Rights under the Data Protection Act 2018. The following list details these rights:
- The right to be informed about the personal data being processed;
- The right of access to your personal data;
- The right to object to the processing of your personal data;
- The right to restrict the processing of your personal data;
- The right to rectification of your personal data;
- The right to erasure of your personal data;
- The right to data portability (to receive an electronic copy of your personal data);
- Rights relating to automated decision making including profiling.
The right to withdraw consent to the processing of Personal Data at any time.
The right to have your personal data transferred to another service provider
Information on the existence of automated decision making, if any, as well as meaningful information about the logic involved, it’s significance and it’s envisaged consequences.
Individuals can exercise their Individual Rights at any time. As mandated by law we will not charge a fee to process these requests, however if your request is considered to be repetitive, wholly unfounded and/or excessive, we are entitled to charge a reasonable administration fee.
In exercising your Individual Rights, you should understand that in some situations we may be unable to fully meet your request, for example if you make a request for us to delete all your personal data, we may be required to retain some data for taxation, prevention of crime and for regulatory and other statutory purposes.
You should understand that when exercising your rights, a substantial public or vital interest may take precedence over any request you make. In addition, where these interests apply, we are required by law to grant access to this data for law enforcement, legal and/or health related matters.
We will take all appropriate technical and organisational steps to protect the confidentiality, integrity, availability and authenticity of your data, including when sharing your data within our doula agency and authorised third parties.
We shall disclose your personal information to third parties (outside of those already mentioned above), only when it is necessary or when there is a legal or statutory obligation to do so.
If there is any change in the ownership of DoulaCare Ireland Ltd, or any of it’s assets, we may disclose personal information to the new (or prospective) owner. If we do so we will require the other party to keep all such information confidential.
EXCERCISING YOUR RIGHTS, MANAGING INFORMATION AND OPTING OUT:
You may update or change information related to your records by contacting us at info@doulacare.ie
You can update or correct your personal data, remove it from our system or exercise any of your rights by making a request to us at info@doulacare.ie
We will confirm your request within 21 days of receipt and process your request within 30 days of receipt.
HOW DO WE PROTECT DATA:
We employ reasonable appropriate administrative, technical, personnel procedure and physical measures to safeguard Personal Data against loss, theft and unauthorised access, uses or modifications.
COMPLAINTS:
If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the way in which we process your personal data please contact our admin team at office@doulacare.ie. You also have the right to complain to Ireland’s data protection supervisory authority, the Data Protection Commission The Data Protection Commission may be contacted via its website which is https://www.dataprotection.ie or by calling them on: Phone +353 (0761) 104 800 | LoCall 1890 25 22 31
HOW TO CONTACT US
If you have any questions regarding this Notice, the use of your data and your Individual Rights please contact our admin team at info@doulacare.ie
Definitions:
A data ‘controller’ means the individual or organisation which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data.
A data ‘processor’ means the individual or organisation which processes personal data on behalf of the controller.
Schedule One:
Clients:
DoulaCare Ireland Ireland Ltd. may share your personal information (including information of a sensitive nature), with the following:
DoulaCare Ireland admin
DoulaCare Ireland Independent Contractors
Relevant Third Parties: Irish Life Health
Doulas:
DoulaCare Ireland admin
DoulaCare Ireland Independent Contractors
National Garda Vetting Bureau
Relevant Third Parties
This policy was last updated Sept 2023
This policy will be reviewed Sept 2025