How we use your personal information for Multi Agency Safeguarding purposes.
The Council provides services for local communities and the people who live in them. Undertaking this work means that we must collect and use information about the people we provide services to and keep a record of those services. Because we collect and use personal information about individuals we must make sure that they know what we intend to do with their information and who it may be shared with.
We have summarised in this privacy notice some of the key ways in which we may use your personal information for Multi Agency Safeguarding purposes. This information should be read in conjunction with the Council’s corporate privacy notice
1. Who we are, what we do.
The Cwm Taf Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (often referred to as MASH) is the single point of contact for professionals (such as social workers, care and support staff, teachers or doctors), and members of the public to report safeguarding concerns about adults and children across Cwm Taf.
The MASH is a partnership between the following organisations and agencies:
- Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council – Community & Children’s Services
- Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council
- South Wales Police
- Cwm Taf University Health Board
- National Probation Service
- Wales Community Rehabilitation Company
The Cwm Taf MASH is one of only a handful of MASH's nationally that handles concerns about adults or children at risk and high risk domestic abuse, taking on a holistic family approach. Nearly 50 staff from the Police, Health, National Probation Service, Community Rehabilitation Company, Education, Children's Social Care and Adult Safeguarding are working together in the MASH office
The MASH directly receives safeguarding concerns from professionals such as social workers, care workers, teachers and doctors; as well as members of the public and family members via Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC and Merthyr Tydfil CBC contact centres.
Where RCT's specialist staff have assessed that there is a risk of harm to an adult or child as a result of suspected abuse or neglect, representatives from the different agencies in the MASH and outside will collate information from their respective sources to build up a holistic picture of the circumstances of the case. As a result, more informed decisions can be made about what action to take and support is targeted on the most urgent cases. Better co-ordination between agencies leads to an improved service for adults, children and families.
2. What and whose personal information do we hold?
The MASH holds information relating to past and present referrals that have been made to the hub. These referrals may include personal information relating to:
- Any person at risk (adult or child)
- Any suspected perpetrator(s)
- Parents / next of kin / family members / carers
- Any other person or persons at risk who may be living at the property
- Witnesses
- Person who raised the concern (professional or member of the public)
The type of information the MASH holds will vary depending on the nature of the concern, but is likely to include some or all of the following information:
Person who is at risk:
- Name, date of birth and other personal identifiers such as national insurance number, local authority reference number, health reference number.
- Details of any previous involvement with the organisations listed above.
- Disability information (if applicable)
- GP / Social Worker details
- Domestic violence history
- Previous convictions
- Risks to other
- Victim concerns
Professional reporting the concern (please note professionals are unable to remain anonyms when reporting a concern):
- Name, contact information
- Job title
- Organisation
- Relationship to adult or child at risk
Details of person causing concern:
- Name
- Age, date of birth
- Gender
- Ethnicity
- Contact details
- Relationship to adult or child at risk
Parent / carer / others in the household:
- Name, address, date of birth, contact information (email, telephone etc)
- Relationship to adult or child at risk
- Parental responsibility
- Gender
- Ethnicity
Details of other professionals involved:
Details of previous involvement from:
- Children’s or Adult Services
3. Where does the service get my information from?
The MASH receives information from:
- The person or organisation making the referral. This could be:
- The person who is at risk
- A family member or friend of the person who is at risk,
- A concerned member of the public
- A professional such as a social worker, a care worker, a teacher or health worker etc.
- Its retrospective partners.
- The MASH also generates its own information, for example when working together to decide on the best course of action for a person.
4. What we will do with your personal information?
The MASH will use this information to:
- Hold a ‘Multi Agency Strategy Discussion’. At the meeting all relevant information gathered from partner agencies will be reviewed to determine the most appropriate course of action and to support the most urgent cases.
- Feedback to the person who has reported the concern.
5. What is the legal basis for the use of this information?
Data Protection law says that we are allowed to use and share personal information only where we have proper and lawful reasons for doing so.
Our lawful basis for processing personal information within the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub for safeguarding purposes is:
- To comply with our statutory obligations to protect children and adults at risk
For more sensitive information (i.e. special category information about a person’s race, ethnic origin, politics, religion, trade union membership, genetics, biometrics, health, sex life or orientation) our lawful basis is:
- To comply with our legal obligations under Social Services & Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014.
- To support the provision of preventative or occupational medicine, medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care treatment or the management of health and social care systems and services.
6. Does the service share my personal information with any other organisation?
Where concerns that do not meet the serious harm criteria the person raising the concern will be offered advice on what action they should take in response to the issues they have raised.
For concerns that meet the serious harm criteria will be shared between the partner organisations within the MASH as listed above.
Once a Multi-Agency Strategy Discussion has taken place and the most appropriate course of action determined, referrals may be made to a number of internal and external support services such as:
- Children’s Services Intake and Assessment Teams.
- Adult Services Short or Long Term Assessment and Care management Teams.
- Care and Support Providers.
7. How long will you keep my information for?
Safeguarding concerns involving children will be retained for 75years from the child’s date of birth.
Safeguarding concerns involving adults at risk will be retained for a minimum of 7years from the date any social care service ended.
8. Your information, your rights
TheGeneral Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) gives you important rights, including the right to access the personal information the services hold about you.
View further details on your information rights and how to exercise them
9. Contact us:
If you have any concerns or would like to know more about how the service uses your personal information please contact us in one of the following ways:
By email: welisten.complaints@rctcbc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01443 425003
In writing: Service Improvement and Complaints Team
Ty Elai,
Dinas Isaf East,
Williamstown,
Tonypandy.
CF40 1NY