South East Fostering Hub Privacy Notice

Our Contact Details

Name: Data Protection Officer

Address: Time Square, Market Street, Bracknell, RG12 1JD

Phone Number: 01344 352000

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.

About the South East Fostering Hub

Local Authority Fostering South East is a new virtual hub, bringing together 20 councils across the region with a shared common goal – to recruit and support more amazing foster carers to provide safe, loving and local homes for children in our communities.

The type of personal information we collect

We currently collect and process the following information:

Full name of persons enquiring about fostering
Address
Date of Birth
Phone number
Email address
Language
Current Local Authority approval
Gender
Safeguarding data
Employment history
Financial circumstances
Reasons for fostering enquiry
Information relating to personal circumstances of enquirers

We also collect the following special category information:

Race or ethnicity information
Religious or philosophical beliefs
Sexual orientation
Physical and mental health information
Criminal Convictions

How we get the personal information and why we have it

Most of the personal information we process is provided to us for one or more of the following reasons:

To process applications to become a foster carer
To process fostering enquiries
To provide continued support to applicants

We receive information directly from you via our online form, phone calls or email correspondence.

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 personal data is Article 6 UK GDPR:

(e) 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 special category data is Article 9 UK GDPR:

(g) Processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest

Our substantial public interest condition for processing under Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018 is:

Health or social care purposes, Paragraph 2(1),(2),(3)
Statutory and government purposes, Paragraph 6(1),(2)
Safeguarding children and individuals at risk, Paragraph 18(1),(2),(3),(4)

You can read the guide to lawful basis for processing special category data on the Information Commissioner’s Office website.

Legal obligation and Public Task

Our ‘legal obligations and public tasks we carry out as a local authority for the provision of a Fostering Hub are found in:

Sections 10, 11 of the Children Act 2004
Sections 17, 22G of the Children’s Act 1989
National minimum standards, under section 23 of the Care Standards Act 2000
Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011
The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review and Fostering Services (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2013
Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 4: Fostering Services
Care Standards Act 2000
The Local Authority Social Services Act 1970
The Equality Act 2010

Criminal Offence Data

Processing of personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences, or related security measures based on Article 6(1) shall be carried out only under the control of official authority or when the processing is authorised by Union or Member State law providing for appropriate safeguards for the rights and freedoms of data subjects.

The processing will be authorised by UK law if it meets a condition in DPA 2018 Schedule 1: Parts 1, 2 or 3.

Who we share your information with

Your information may be shared with the authority that you are looking to foster in as necessary to progress your enquiry:

Achieving for Children (London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Kingston Council, The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead)
Brighton and Hove City Council
Brighter Futures for Children (Reading Borough Council)
Children First (Slough Borough Council)
East Sussex County Council
Hampshire County Council
Isle of Wight Council
Kent County Council
Medway County Council
Milton Keynes City Council
Oxfordshire County Council
Portsmouth City Council
Southampton City Council
Surrey County Council
West Berkshire Council
West Sussex Council
Wokingham Borough Council
Data to Insight

How we store your personal information

Your information is securely stored on our systems.

Data will not be kept for longer than is necessary and is kept in line with the council’s retention and disposal schedule. We will dispose your information by securely destroying any data we hold.

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 us by: Info@LAFosteringSE.Org.uk

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 Info@LAfosteringSE.Org.uk 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