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Family Help Privacy Policy

 

  1. Introduction

This notice provides additional privacy information regarding accessing Family Hub activities and/or services.

We will keep our privacy notice under regular review and will advise you of any updates on our website.

This Notice was last reviewed in December 2023.

  1. Who we are

For the purposes of Data Protection legislation, South Tyneside Council is the Data Processor.

  1. What type of personal information do we collect?

We may collect the following types of personal information:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Telephone number
  • Email address
  • Date of Birth
  • Sex
  • Ethnicity
  1. How do we collect personal information?

We may collect your personal information in a number of ways, for example:

  • In person
  • In writing – for example letter or email
  • Telephone calls
  • Online forms
  • Referrals from another department
  1. Why do we collect your personal information?

We use information about children and families aged 0-19 years to enable us to carry out specific functions for which we are responsible and to provide you with a service.

We keep records about children and families. These may be written down (manual records) or kept on a computer (electronic records).

These records may include:

  • basic details about you, for example, name, address, date of birth
  • contact we have had with you, for example, appointments & letters of correspondence
  • notes and reports about your relevant circumstances
  • details and records about the service you have received
  • relevant information from other people that we have been in contact with, in relation to the service that you have received.
  1. Who might we share your personal information with?

Your records are used to help ensure that we provide you with the service that you need. We share information to help us to improve future services. We use your information to find out how support can help families.

We may share your personal information for research purposes. These are used by the government to evaluate the effectiveness of the support.

It is important that your records are accurate and up to date as they will help make sure that our staff are able to provide you with the help, advice or support you need.

If you do not provide us with this information, then we will not be able to contact you to inform you of services.

We will not share your personal information with any other third parties unless you have specifically asked us to, or if we have a legal obligation to do so.

  1. How long will we keep your personal information?

Your details will be kept for 6 years in general and 75 years for children who have been looked after or subject to child protection plans. Processing is kept to a minimum and will only be processed in accordance with the law.

  1. What is our legal basis for using your personal information?

To use your personal information there must be a lawful basis to do this, such as, through a contract, performing a public task or where there is a legal obligation.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the lawful bases we rely on for processing this information are:

In order to provide you with this service, we rely on the legal basis of legitimate interest or public task. When other agencies are involved in supporting your family, such as health or education, we may need to share details about you to enable us to work together for your benefit. Information will only be shared with third parties if they have genuine and lawful need for it.

Occasions when your information needs to be disclosed (shared) include:

  • where the health and safety of others is at risk
  • safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults
  • when the law requires us to pass on information under special circumstances
  • crime prevention or the detection of fraud as part of the National Fraud Initiative.

Anyone who receives information from us has a legal duty to keep it confidential.  We are required by law to report certain information to appropriate authorities – for example:

  • where we encounter infectious diseases which may be a public health concern
  • where a formal court order has been issued.
  1. How do we keep your personal information secure?

Information provided to Information Governance is held securely on our network.  Only officers working within Information Governance and system administrators have access to these records.

  1. Is your personal information used overseas?

We will not process your personal information outside of the European Economic Area (EEA).

  1. What are your rights?

Your individual rights are set out in law.  Subject to some legal exemptions, you have the following rights:

  • Right to be informed
  • Right of access
  • Right to rectification
  • Right to erasure
  • Right to restrict processing
  • Right to data portability
  • Right to object
  • Rights in relating to automated decision making and profiling
  1. Contact us

If you would like to exercise your rights in relation to your personal information, or you feel that something has gone wrong with your personal information, you can contact us in either of the following ways:

By email:                  data.protection@southtyneside.gov.uk

By telephone:          0191 424 6539

In writing:                 South Tyneside Council

Information Governance

Town Hall and Civic Offices

South Shields

NE33 2RL

If you feel that the Council has not handled your information correctly you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).  The ICO is the Government’s Independent Body responsible for overseeing data protection.  In most cases the ICO will only review cases that have exhausted the Council’s internal procedures.

The ICO’s contact details are as follows: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF. More information can be found on the ICO’s website at www.ico.org.uk.