Who is collecting and using your personal data?

Devon County Council will act as a ‘data controller’ for any personal data that you provide to us. As such, we will ensure that the data you give us is processed in line with our organisation’s data protection policies and in line with your rights under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the EU General Data Protection Regulations.

Should you wish to find out more about Devon County Council’s Data Protection Policies please contact our Data Protection Officer.

We may ask for your personal data and consent to process that data in relation to some or all the purposes below. A lack of personal data may make it more difficult for us to provide the necessary support to meet the needs of your child or your family.

Why are we collecting your personal data?

We are collecting your personal data for the following purposes:

To fulfil our duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within our area who are in need; and
So far as is consistent with that duty, to promote the upbringing of such children by their families by providing a range and level of services for children in need, their families and others.

We rely upon the following laws to process your personal data:

Children Act 1989 Section 17
Article 6(1)(e) – UK General Data Protection Regulation
Article 9(2)(h) – UK General Data Protection Regulation

Who will we share your personal data with?

Your child’s name, address and the unique identification numbers that are assigned to your child in our education, health and social care systems will be imported into a data matching tool that is used by the Children and Education Service to improve the efficiency of data matching.

This will help us to deliver integrated care and educational services to you and your child and will enable Devon County Council to continue to better discharge our safeguarding responsibilities to children at risk.

To deliver services to you or to prevent or detect crime it may also be necessary for us to share your personal data with the following:

Devon and Cornwall Police.
NHS organisations.
Education services.

How long will we hold your personal data?

We will retain your personal data for only as long as is necessary and in line with our organisation’s record retention schedules.

Automated decisions

No automated decisions are made using the personal data provided under Child In Need proceedings.

Exercising your rights

Under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the EU General Data Protection Regulations you have the following rights:

The right of access to your own personal data
The right to request rectification or deletion of your personal data
The right to object to the processing of your personal data
The right to request a copy of the information you provide us in machine-readable format
The right to withdraw your consent to any processing that is solely reliant upon your consent.

Should you wish to exercise any of your rights, you should contact the Data Protection Officer.

Your right to complain

If you wish to complain about the way that your personal data has been handled by Devon County Council, you should write to the Data Protection Officer and clearly outline your case. Your complaint will then be investigated in accordance with the Council’s Customer Feedback Procedure.

If you remain dissatisfied with the way your personal data has been handled, you may refer the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office whose contact details are below.

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Email: casework@ico.org.uk

Changes to how we may process your personal data during the COVID-19 crisis

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it may be necessary for Devon County Council to change the way that we process your personal data, to ensure we can protect public health and deliver essential services to you and the public during this crisis. For more information read our COVID-19 privacy notice.