Sandwell Children’s Trust Front Door Privacy Notice
Data Controller: Sandwell Children’s Trust
When and why we may need to share information
We will only ever share yours or your family’s personal information if it is a legal requirement, where there is a risk to any respected individual’s welfare, or if we have your consent.
What personal data we collect
Personal data
- Name and contact details
- Date of birth
- Family details
- Case file information
- Lifestyle and social circumstances
Special category personal data
- Physical or mental health details
- Racial or ethnic origin
- Religious or other beliefs of a similar nature
Who we may share your personal information with
This privacy notice explains how Sandwell Children’s Trust handles your and your child’s personal information and who it may be shared with, where this is lawful and necessary.
Single Point of Contact (SPOC)
If you or your family have been referred to the SPOC, we may need to share your personal information with relevant agencies working within SPOC or with your family to make an informed decision regarding individual cases. Contacting SPOC does not automatically mean that your family will be referred to children’s social services unless there is a clear need to do so in line with relevant legislation.
Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
If you or your family have been referred to the MASH, we will need to share your personal information with the relevant agencies working within MASH to make an informed decision regarding individual cases, either by legal obligation or with your consent.
Agencies that form part of the MASH include:
- Children’s Social Care
- Education and Early Help
- Child Sexual Exploitation Team
- West Midlands Police
- Probation Services
- Point of Access Children and Young People Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Referral Team
- Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group
- Black Country Women’s Aid
- Sandwell and West Birmingham Acute Trust
- Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council Housing Services
- Black Country Partnership Foundation Trust
It is vital that information is kept up to date to promote the safeguarding of families.
Targeted Services and Early Help
Sandwell’s Targeted Services and Early Help, working on behalf of Sandwell Children’s Trust, work with families across Sandwell to offer early help and support, with your consent.
How we use your information
- To provide and operate our statutory responsibilities regarding the safeguarding of children.
- To provide you and your family with information, products or services that support and help your family.
- To share information with other relevant agencies so that you can receive appropriate services that support and help your family.
Agencies and organisations we may share information with
- Health organisations
- Education providers – schools and nurseries
- Police
- Commissioned delivery partners
- Sandwell Children’s Trust children’s social care teams
- Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
- Voluntary service providers
- Probation
- Youth Offending Service
- Other Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council services
- Substance services
- Housing associations
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (Troubled Families programme)
- Government departments, other publicly funded organisations and appropriate voluntary sector organisations where this supports the aims of the national ‘Troubled Families’ initiative.
Legal basis for using your personal data
The legal basis for using your personal data is:
- Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c) UK GDPR)
- Public task in the public interest (Article 6(1)(e) UK GDPR)
- Consent (Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR), where applicable
The legal basis for using your special category personal data is substantial public interest (Article 9(2)(g) UK GDPR).
Where we use your data to refer you to another service or to meet our safeguarding obligations, we may rely on public task or legal obligation depending on the service you require.
Key legislation and guidance
- Children and Families Act 2014
- Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018
- Children and Social Work Act 2017
- Adoption and Children Act 2002
- Children and Adoption Act 2006
- Foster Services Regulations 2011
- Care Standards Act 2000
- Crime and Disorder Act 1998
- Equality Act 2010
- Data Protection Act 2018
Use of your NHS number
If you are receiving support from Sandwell Children’s Trust, the NHS may share your NHS number with us. This is so that the NHS and Children’s Services are using the same number to identify you whilst providing your care.
How we protect and retain your personal information
Your personal information will be handled securely and shared strictly on a need-to-know basis by those specifically authorised to do so. It will not be kept longer than is necessary and will be retained in line with the Children’s Service Retention Policy.
Anonymised data may be shared after this date to support applications for funding to provide services for other families in the future.
All employees working in or with Targeted Families Support are under a legal obligation to secure your details when using and disposing of them. Staff authorised to access Sandwell Children’s Trust and Sandwell MBC secure databases are trained in data security and information sharing.
Your data protection rights
All data will be processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. You have the following rights in relation to your personal data (subject to certain exemptions in law):
- Your right to be informed
- Your right of access to your personal data
- Your right to rectification of inaccurate personal data
- Your right to restrict processing
- Your right to object to processing
If you wish to access your data, or as a parent your child’s data, please put your request in writing and send it via email to contact@sandwell.gov.uk or via post to the address below.
Department for Education and national initiatives
Department for Education (DfE)
Sandwell Children’s Trust is required by law to supply the Department for Education (DfE) with information on individual children who come into contact with Children’s Services. The information is used to help undertake research, produce statistics, plan services and inform budget setting.
The data submitted includes personal characteristics and details of services provided; the individual name of the child is not included. Where the child has a Unique Pupil Number (UPN), this will be collected to enable DfE to extract education information from the national pupil database.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)
Sandwell Children’s Trust supports the Government’s ‘Troubled Families’ initiative for families with additional needs. We may need to share certain information between Trust departments and with other organisations (such as Sandwell MBC, housing, health, education, employment and criminal justice partners) to identify families who meet the initiative’s criteria and most need this support.
All data will be transferred, handled and stored in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and legally binding agreements between Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, MHCLG and the research organisation (ONS), and between Government Departments.
Fraud prevention and legal requirements
Your information may also be shared with third parties and other Trust and Sandwell MBC departments to prevent fraud, or where required or allowed by law.
Who will be using your personal data?
Data Controller: Sandwell Children’s Trust
Data Processor: Liquidlogic (supporting this purpose through their systems LCS and EHM)
Contact details and complaints
Contacting Sandwell Children’s Trust
Data Protection Officer
Wellman Building
Dudley Road
Oldbury
B69 3DL
Email: gdpr_queries@sandwellchildrenstrust.org
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
If you are not satisfied with the way your data has been processed, you can raise your concerns with the Information Commissioner’s Office:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Online form: Report a concern on the ICO website
Phone: 0303 123 1113
Changes to this privacy notice
Sandwell Children’s Trust may revise this privacy notice to ensure that it is kept up to date. If any amendments affecting the way we use your personal information occur, we will endeavour to inform you by updating this notice.
Further Reading
The information on this page has been optimised and condensed into a quick read format. You can download the in-depth privacy notice below.
