Privacy notice relating to the processing of personal data by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council for the purpose of Foster Wales RCT Recruitment
Introduction
This privacy notice is intended to provide information about how Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (referred to as ‘RCTCBC’, ‘Council’, ‘Local Authority’, ‘we’) will use (or ‘process’) personal data about individuals for the purpose of Foster Wales RCT Recruitment.
This notice should be read in conjunction with;
The Data Controller
The Council is the data controller for the personal data processed for the purposes of Foster Wales RCT Recruitment.
The Council is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a controller under reference Z4870100.
Queries relating to this privacy notice
If you have any questions or queries relating to this privacy notice please contact Foster Wales RCT
By email : enquiries@fosterwalesctm.co.uk
By telephone : 01443 425007
In writing : Ty Catrin, Unit 1, Maritime Industrial Estate, Pontypridd, CF37 1NY
Who we are what we do
Foster Wales RCT is the fostering service responsible for handling all fostering related enquiries, assessing applicants, and supporting approved foster carers on behalf of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council.
Our dedicated regional recruitment team manages all fostering enquiries received by Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil and Bridgend, County Borough Councils. We also complete initial home visits to assess suitability for becoming a foster carer.
You can read more about the stages to become a foster carer at https://rct.fosterwales.gov.wales/the-process/
Whose personal data we process
If you make an enquiry or want to become a foster carer we will process information on you, your partner and children, and anyone else who lives in your household.
The categories of personal data we process
We may process the following categories of personal data for Foster Care RCT Recruitment:
- Contact details such as name, address, post code, telephone number and email address.
- Personal identifiers such as date of birth
- Health information
- Your ethnicity
- Any criminal convictions you may have
- Any involvement with Social Services
- Your religion
You may see our recruitment ads popping up on your Facebook and Instagram social media accounts, to run these ads your IP Address and activity data may be processed by Meta AI. Further information can be found on their privacy notice here.
Why we process the personal data
We process the personal data to recruit foster carers. This may include but is not limited to the following activities;
- To respond to your enquiry and provide information around be
- If you decide to continue with your fostering application we will carry out a home visit and gather more information to determine you and your households suitability to become a foster carer.
- Chase up your enquiry if we havnt heard back from you.
- Run advertising campaigns on social media.
- Complete reports to help us understand how our recruitment services are being used, monitor performance and identify trends.
- Contact you to request feedback about the services we provide, to help improve the quality and effectiveness of our service.
- If you have agreed to be on our mailing list we will send you foster care news such as success stories and upcoming fostering events.
Our lawful basis for processing the personal data
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), our lawful basis for processing the personal data to recruit foster carers is
- Legal Obligation – Article 6(1)(c) – processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject.
- Public Task - 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 vested in the controller.
- Substantial public interest - Article 9 (2)(g) - processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, on the basis of Union or Member State law which shall be proportionate to the aim pursued, respect the essence of the right to data protection and provide for suitable and specific measures to safeguard the fundamental rights and the interests of the data subject.
- Statutory etc and government purposes - Schedule 1, Part 2(6)
The primary legislation, regulations and guidance that supports this includes, but is not limited to;
- Childrens Act 1989
- Children Act 2004
- Local Authority Fostering Services (Wales) Regulation 2018
- Social Services & Well being (Wales) Act 2014
- National Minimum Standard for Fostering Services
- Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016
- All Wales Child Protection Procedures
Who or where we get the personal data from
We receive the information from you at the point of your enquiry or initial home visit assessment.
Who we share personal data with
We don’t share your information with any external organisations at the enquiry and initial visit stage. If successful and you are invited to proceed with your application we will share you information with our internal Fostering Assessment team. (more information on who the Fostering Assessment team share information with can be found here)
Data Processors
A data processor is a company or organisation that processes personal data on our behalf. Our data processors act only upon our instruction. They cannot do anything with the personal data unless we instruct them to do so. They will not share the personal data with any organisation apart from us or use it for their own purposes. They will hold it securely and retain it for the period we instruct.
The category of data processors we use for the purpose of foster care recruitment is;
- IT systems
How long we retain the personal data
We retain the personal data contained within foster care recruitment records as follows:
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Length of time
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Reason
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All enquiries, via email, social media ads etc – is kept for 3x years.
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Business Purposes
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Initial Assessments – Data is kept for the duration of your initial assessment and then provided to the fostering assessment team to proceed with your application.
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A full fostering application will be undertaken by the Fostering Assessmment Team
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In keeping with the General Data Protection Regulation storage limitation principle, records are periodically reviewed. Not all personal data is retained. Only personal data that is relevant to the record is retained for the entire retention period. Information that has no long term or evidential value is routinely destroyed in the normal course of business.
Your data protection rights
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) gives individuals important rights, including the right of access to the personal data that the Council holds about you.
Click here for further information on your information rights and how to exercise them.
Your right to make a data protection complaint to the Council
You have the right to complain to the Council if you believe we have not handled your personal data responsibly and in line with good practice.
You can do this by contacting Foster Care RCT Recruitment directly via one of the following communication methods. Most concerns can be resolved relatively quickly through a simple phone call or email;
By email : enquiries@fosterwalesctm.co.uk
By telephone : 01443 425007
In writing : Ty Catrin, Unit 1, Maritime Industrial Estate, Pontypridd, CF37 1NY
Alternatively, you can raise a formal complaint via the Council’s Customer Feedback Scheme using the following link (Make a comment, compliment or complaint online) or you can contact the Council’s Data Protection Officer at Information.management@rctcbc.gov.uk.
Your right to make a data protection complaint to the ICO
You also have the right to complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data. However, we encourage you to contact us first and provide us with an opportunity to look into your concern and put things right.
The ICO can be contacted:
- Address: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
- Helpline number: 0303 123 1113
- Website: https://www.ico.org.uk