Privacy Policy

About US

The Bereavement Support Network (BSN) is a non-profit making organisation which exists to promote the well-being of English speaking residents in France who are bereaved, to enable them to understand their grief and cope with their loss. We also help the terminally ill and their carers.  

The Bereavement Support Network is a registered association in France for the Support of the Bereaved No. W831001805, under the Law of 1901. We are completely independent of any other group.

Data Protection

The purpose of this policy is to describe to you the information we may hold about you, explain what we use it for, explain your rights in relation to it and who you can contact if you need any further information. The policy complies with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Our Data Protection Officer is the President of the Association who can be contacted here.

Confidentiality

At the BSN, we take your privacy very seriously. We will ensure that any information you provide to us is treated with the utmost care and is protected using secure systems and processes.

When you use our website, social media pages or provide personal information to us by other means, you consent to us collecting and using the information in the ways set out in this policy.

What personal information do we collect?

There are several ways in which we may collect your personal information for example:

• If you make an enquiry about our services
• If you access our services
• If you make an enquiry about information relating to dealing with a death in France
• If you apply or become a volunteer
• If you make a donation

The type of information that is routinely collected may include your name, address, email address, telephone number and details of your enquiry so that we are able to provide the service that you require.

How do we use your personal data?

We use your personal information, where relevant, in the following ways:

• For administrative purposes
• To provide you with services and information that you request from us
• To improve the content of our website and other social media platforms
• To improve the services and information that we provide
• To comply with our legal obligations

How do we protect your personal information?

The BSN has secure systems and processes in place and takes all reasonable steps to ensure that personal information provided is kept safe. We have strict protocols in place for confidentiality and the retention and secure disposal of data.

We have appropriate agreements in place with our service providers including for example services related to the website.

Information is never shared with any third party organisation for example for the purposes of marketing. However, there are some exceptional circumstances when it may be necessary to disclose information to a third party which are listed below.

1. There is a legal requirement in France which requires us to act if it is deemed that you are at significant risk of harm, self-harm or abuse.  This is required by the French Code Pénal 223/6 – « La non-assistance à personne en danger ».
2. Similarly, if it is considered that a third party or other members of the public are at risk of significant harm.
3. If it is required by law or court order.

In these circumstances we would do our utmost to discuss the concerns with you and explain the action that we are required by law to take.

Special Categories of Data

The GDPR categorises certain data as “special” and requiring particular care. The list of such data is listed here.  There may be instances where you reveal information relating to one or more of these categories for example health information. In such cases, access to this information will be restricted to only those who need access to it.

What are Cookies?

Cookies are created when a user’s browser (Windows Explorer, Chrome, Firefox etc.) loads a particular website. The website sends information to the browser which then creates a text file. They are used by web developers to help users navigate their websites efficiently and perform certain functions.

There are different kinds of cookies including for advertising, but the BSN only uses cookies to improve the functionality of the website and to improve your experience on our website.

Your browser will have an option to disable cookies, but some of our website features may not function as a result.

Your Rights

You have a number of rights concerning your personal data that we hold.

• Right to be informed: This privacy notice highlights information about how and why we will process your data.
• Right to access: You have the right to request access to your personal data from us in a ‘Subject Access request’ and we will provide this unless legal exceptions apply.
• Right to rectification: You have the right to request that any errors in the data we hold for you are corrected. 
• Right to erasure: You have the right to request that we delete some or all of your personal data and if we don’t have a legal obligation or other legal basis to process your data then we will delete it.
• Right to object: You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, this includes where we are processing under a legal basis of legitimate interest.
• Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling: You have the right to know if we are using any automated decision making or profiling using your personal data and we will inform you if that is the case.

If you would like any further information or you would like to exercise any of the above rights, then please contact the Data Protection Officer – here. We may need to ask for further information and/or evidence of identity but we will endeavour to respond fully to all requests within one month of receipt of your request.

In France, you also have the right of referral to the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL).

Privacy Policies of Other Websites

The BSN website contains links to other websites. Our privacy policy applies only to our website. If you click on a link to another website, you should read their privacy policy.

Changes to Our Privacy Policy

From time to time, we may update this policy as required including to comply with new regulations. Please review the policy periodically to ensure that you are updated with the current version.