Substance Misuse Service Privacy Notice

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 Substance Missue support.

This notice should be read in conjunction with;

• The Council’s corporate privacy notice
• The Harm Reduction Co-ordination within Cwm Taf Morgannwg Region privacy notice.

The Data Controller

The Council is the data controller for the personal data processed for the purposes of Substance Misuse support.

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 the Substance Misuse Team

By email : contact@substancemisuerct.co.uk

In writing : Cwm Taf Morgannwg Area Planning Board Lead Officer (Substance Misuse), RCTCBC, Tŷ Elái, Dinas Isaf East, Williamstown, Tonypandy, CF40 1NY                                                                  

Who we are what we do

Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC is the Lead Authority for the planning and commissioning of substance misuse services in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg area. These services are funded by a Welsh Government grant.  

As well as commissioning services from our Partners in Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board, other departments in RCT, Merthyr and Bridgend Councils and voluntary sector agencies, we;

• Provide funding for Residential Rehabilitation placements for individuals who have been assessed as needing this service. 
• Co-ordinate Service User Engagement activities
• Co-ordinate harm reduction across Cwm Taf Morgannwg including review of fatal incidents.

Whose personal data we process

We may process personal data relating to the following individuals to verify and monitor the outcomes of; 

• Individuals who are referred to Residential Rehabilitation
• Who access Residential Rehabilitation
• Who engage in our Services
• Attend our Service User Groups
• We also receive information relating to individuals who have had an accidental drug poisoning incident. 

The categories of personal data we process

We may process the following categories of personal data of people who access our rehabilitiation services, engage with us via our services/support groups;

• Name, address, date of birth
• Contact information such as telephone number and email address
• Special category information, which may include ethnic origin, gender, health information, conviction information.
• Other information such as the date/location of incident and details of progress you make during/after rehabilitation and from the support you receive from us.

Why we process the personal data

We process the personal data to verify and monitor the outcomes of individuals we support. This may include but is not limited to the following activities;

• Residential Rehabilitation information is used for monitoring of placements, i.e.to monitor whether you, the individual, has made progress as a result of attending rehabilitation.
• Service user details are used to communicate with individuals who attend our participation groups. We use the information from these groups to help us with the planning and evaluation of services to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the individuals accessing our services.
• Harm Reduction:
  • Information relating to fatal incidents is used to review and identify causes of incidents to identify lessons learnt and inform future service provision.

Our lawful basis for processing the personal data

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), our lawful basis for processing the personal data to support individuals who have issues with substance misuse is;

• Legal Obligation (c) – processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject. 
• Public Task - Article 6 (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.

The primary legislation, regulations and guidance that supports this includes, but is not limited to;

• Section 6 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to have a strategy for combating substance misuse.

Who or where we get the personal data from

We may receive the personal data from the following categories of individuals or organisations;

• Directly from you, from a registration form accessing our Service User Participation programme.
• By members of the public if they raise a complaint or concern about someone
• Referral Information received by other departments in RCTCBC, Merthyr Tydfil CBC, Bridgend CBC, Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB, voluntary sector partners, including but not limited to Barod and Dyfodol who provide services on our behalf. 
• For drug poisoning incidents, we could receive information from a number of third parties, including:
  •   South Wales Police,
  •   Cwm Taf Morgannwg  UHB,
  •   Voluntary sector partners including but not limited to Barod, Dyfodol

Who we share personal data with

We may share the personal data with the following key organisations to work together effectively for your benefit and care and to reduce the harm associated with substance misuse.

When sharing the personal data, we only share the minimum amount necessary in relation to the purpose.

We also share non identifiable information relating to residential rehab placements to Welsh Government.

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 categories of data processors we use for the purpose of Substance misuse are;

-       IT system suppliers etc.

How long we retain the personal data

We retain the personal data contained within Substance Misuse records for:

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 the Substance Misuse Team directly via one of the following communication methods. Most concerns can be resolved relatively quickly through a simple phone call or email;

• Email : contact@substancemisuerct.co.uk
• In writing : Cwm Taf Morgannwg Area Planning Board Lead Officer (Substance Misuse), RCTCBC, Tŷ Elái, Dinas Isaf East, Williamstown, Tonypandy, CF40 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