Supporting Families Privacy Notice
Nature of the work
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council and Sandwell Children’s Trust are the Data Controllers responsible for processing personal data for the Government’s Supporting Families Programme.
Supporting Families is a cross‑agency programme designed to identify and support families who have multiple and complex needs.
Why we need your information
We use personal information to decide whether a family is eligible to receive support through the Supporting Families Programme.
The National Supporting Families Outcomes Framework sets out ten headline objectives.
To be eligible, a family must have three or more identified needs from the list below:
- Getting a good education
- Good early years development
- Improved mental and physical health
- Promoting recovery and reducing harm from substance use
- Improved family relationships
- Children safe from abuse and exploitation
- Crime prevention and reducing offending
- Being safe from domestic abuse
- Secure housing
- Financial stability
Types of information we process
In most cases, we receive personal information from other organisations where you have already provided that information.
This may include information about a child, young person, or family relating to:
- Children’s and adults’ social care
- Police, court, and probation involvement
- Employment and benefits
- Anti‑social behaviour
- Domestic abuse or violence in the home
- Substance misuse
- Education attendance, attainment, and behaviour
We also use information from Council departments to identify families who may benefit from coordinated help and support.
Organisations we may receive information from include, but are not limited to:
- Schools
- Private and voluntary sector partners
- West Midlands Police
- Department for Work and Pensions
- Registered housing providers
Legal basis for processing
Information sharing for the Supporting Families Programme is permitted under section 35 of the Digital Economy Act 2017. This allows information to be shared where it supports the improvement or targeting of public services or the provision of benefits to individuals or households.
Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), processing is carried out under the following conditions:
- Article 9(2)(g): Processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, based on UK law, and includes appropriate safeguards for the rights and freedoms of individuals.
- Article 10 and Article 6(1)(e): Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority. This includes delivering support services to families and sharing information with the Department for Education to improve national services.
Who we share information with
The Government evaluates whether the Supporting Families Programme improves outcomes for families and represents good value for public money.
Information may be shared with Government departments and local authorities for this purpose. Data is shared in a depersonalised or pseudonymised form wherever possible to protect families’ privacy.
How long we keep your information
We will retain information until 2025 to enable ongoing monitoring and required data returns for the Supporting Families Programme.
Transfers overseas
Personal information is not transferred outside the United Kingdom.
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.
