Reviewed: February 2024
Our contact details
Name: Data Protection Officer
Address: Time Square, Market Street, Bracknell, RG12 1JD
Phone number: 01344 352000
Email: dpo@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
Bracknell Forest Council is registered as a controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
You can find us on the ICO website - our registration number is Z4971654.
The type of personal information we collect
We currently collect and process the following information:
- name
- address
- date of birth
- gender
- family members details
- school attended
- NHS number
- National Insurance number
- unique pupil number
- financial information and benefits
We also collect the following special category information:
- ethnicity
- religion
- health information (including medical and Special Educational Needs)
- reasons for referral
- social care assessments
- risk assessments (including behavioural risk assessments, which may include criminal behaviour, offences and/or cautions)
- attendance and exclusion data
Criminal offence data will be processed under the 28 conditions of Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018 which are available for the processing of criminal offence data. These are set out in paragraphs 1 to 37. You will be told where this is used.
How we get the personal information and why we have it
The information will be used for the following purposes:
- provide appropriate services for families and achieve better outcomes for children, families, and adults
- sharing information regarding engagement with Early Help services
- sharing information and data with children’s social care regarding engagement with Early Help services
- targeted family support
- contacting families regarding Early Help services
- Supporting Families Programme
Where personal information is used for statistical purposes, we will make sure it is anonymised or pseudonymised.
Anonymised data will be used for the following purposes:
- contract and performance monitoring
- monitoring against Early Help outcomes
- informing changes in policies and procedures
- analysing changes in general population
The pseudonymised data will be used for:
- data collection as required by Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Department of Education
In certain cases, such as safeguarding inquiries and criminal investigations we are legally obliged to share information. However, we have procedures in place that allows this to be carried out in a secure and confidential manner.
BFC Supporting Families provide a wide range of preventative and advisory services, and each will rely on a legal basis for us to collect, share and retain your information. It is very important that we can plan, monitor and realign our delivery of services to meet the needs of Bracknell Forest Council children, young people and families. To do this, we carefully and responsibly use the information we collect.
We receive information directly, or indirectly, from the following sources:
- from you or a family member, either verbally or on our registration form
- from a professional involved with your family, through a multi-agency referral form
- health colleagues
- schools
- police
- government departments
- other local authorities
How the law allows us to use your personal information
Lawful basis for processing
Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the lawful basis we rely on for processing the information is Article 6 UK GDPR:
- (a) your consent
- (c) we need it to perform a public task
Special category data
Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the lawful basis we rely on for processing the information is Article 9 UK GDPR:
- (a) your consent
- (g) processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest
Your consent
Where we use consent to process your personal data, we will explain to you what we are asking you to agree to and why.
If we have consent to use your personal data, you have the right to remove it at any time.
If you want to remove your consent, please contact your dedicated case worker and they will deal with your request.
Legal obligation and Public Task
Our ‘legal obligation' and tasks that we are required to carry out as a local authority, can be found in:
- Digital Economy Act 2017
- Children’s Act 1984 & 2004
- NHS Act 2006
- Children’s and Families Act 2014
- Crime and Disorder Act 1998
- Offender Management Act 2007
- Education Act 2002
- Localism Act 2011
- Local Government Act 2000
- Criminal Justice Act 2002
- Sexual Offences Act 2003
- Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984
- The Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000
- Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations Act 2014
- Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Education and Skills Act 2008
- School Discipline (Pupil Exclusions and Reviews) (England) Regulations 2012
- Education (Information about Individual Pupils) (England) Regulation 2013.
- Protection of Children Act 1998 statutory gateways
- Welfare Reform Act 2012
- Social Security Regulations 2012
Who we share your information with
BFC Supporting Families work with a number of approved partner agencies and may be required to share your information with them in order to provide you with the services you require. In all cases we will make sure this is done in a secure manner, and the information only accessed by those staff authorised. These partners will also include organisations that we commission to provide children’s care and support. As they are delivering a service on our behalf these organisations must keep your details safe and secure, and as the data controller we will make sure that they comply with our required information sharing standards and protocols.
We may share personal information about you with the following types of organisations:
- health
- social services
- housing services and providers
- police and fire services
- domestic abuse Services
- substance misuse services
- young peoples services
- Probation and HM Prison Services
- Youth Justice Service
- health visiting and school nursing services
- education services
- Department for Education
- Department for Work & Pensions
- Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
- Public Health and the Families Health & Wellbeing Consortium
We share information to make sure:
- the effective identification of families for the national Supporting Families Programme and Payment by Results scheme (PbR)
- appropriate and proportionate sharing of information as part of a shared approach to assessment and identification of need and delivery
- the effective provision of support and challenge interventions, provided by Early Help Professionals and other Early Help staff, and members of designated Teams around the Family
- improved outcomes for the families
- reduction over time of demand on the partners from these families
- the effective measurement of progress made by families while being supported
- the effective measurement of outcomes to support payment by results claims and nationally and locally agreed indicators
- the effective evaluation of the Early Help Programme
How we store your personal information
Your information will be stored securely on our electronic databases. Access to these databases will be restricted to those who are entitled to view and process your data.
We will only keep your information for as long as it is required to deliver the services that we provide. To comply with the national Supporting Families Programme, we are required to retain information from the commencement of the supporting programme.
Retention periods are laid out in the council’s retention and disposal schedule.
Your data protection rights
Under data protection law, you have rights we need to make you aware of. The rights available to you depend on our reason for processing your information.
Your right of access
You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. This right always applies. There are some exemptions, which means you may not always receive all the information we process.
Find out more about your right of access from the ICO.
Your right to get your data corrected
You have the right to ask us to correct information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete. This right always applies.
Find out more about your right to get your data corrected from the ICO.
Your right to get your data deleted
You have the right to ask us to delete your personal information in certain circumstances.
Find out more about your right to get your data deleted from the ICO.
Your right to limit how organisations use your data
You have the right to ask us to limit the processing of your information in certain circumstances.
Find out more about your right to limit how organisations use your data from the ICO.
Your right to object to the use of your data
You have the right to object to processing if we are able to process your information because the process forms part of our public tasks.
Find out more about your right to object to the use of your data from the ICO.
Your right to data portability
This only applies to information you have given us. You have the right to ask that we transfer the information you gave us from one organisation to another, or give it to you.
The right only applies if we are processing information based on your consent or for the performance of a contract, and the processing is automated.
Find out more about your right to data portability from the ICO.
Making a request
You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have 28 days to respond to you.
To make a request, contact your dedicated case worker.
Service adjustments
As a public authority and a provider of services to the public, we have a legal duty to comply with the Equality Act 2010.
This means we need to make service adjustments for anyone with a disability who contacts us in any capacity, to eliminate any barriers to accessing our services.
Our lawful basis for processing this information is article 6(1)(c) of the GDPR as we have a legal obligation to provide this. Our processing of special category data, such as health information you give us, will be based on article 9(2)(a), which means we need your consent.
We will create a record of your adjustment requirements. These will give your name, contact details and type of adjustment required, along with a brief description of why it is required. Relevant staff can access this to make sure they are communicating with you in the required way.
Please contact your dedicated case worker should you require service adjustments.
How to complain
If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to us at dpo@bracknell.forest.gov.uk.
You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data by:
- visiting the ICO website
- phoning the ICO helpline on 0303 123 1113
- writing to:
- Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
- Information Commissioner’s Office