Who is collecting and using your personal data?

Devon County Council (DCC) is collecting and or processing your personal data as a Data Controller under Data Protection Legislation. This Privacy Notice concerns the processing of personal data that takes place by The REACH Team – Devon Children’s Services specialist missing and exploitation team.

This notice explains what information we collect, why we collect it and how we keep it secure. It also explains your rights and our legal obligation. Should you wish to find out more about Devon County Council’s data protection policies please contact our Data Protection Officer.

Why are we collecting your personal data?

We are collecting your personal data for the following purposes:

To enable prompt action to be taken when a child is reported missing.
To carry out return home conversations.

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

Statutory Guidance on Children Who Go Missing or Who Run Away From Care 2014.
The Children Act 1989 requires local authorities to ensure their functions are discharged with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, this includes planning to prevent children from going missing
Working Together to Safeguard Children- A Guide to Interagency Working to Safeguard and Promote The Welfare of Children July 2018

What information are we processing?

We may collect, store or otherwise process information about you which may include:

Your name and any alias that you may use
Your address and postcode
Your telephone number
Name of family members
Details and circumstances about the missing episode

Who will we share your personal data with?

To deliver services to you and to ensure we safeguard you effectively, it may be necessary for us to share your personal data with the following organisations/partners:

Devon and Cornwall Police.
Devon Children’s Services
Any professional services who are already supporting you, these may include, but are not limited to, Education, Youth Justice Services, Health Services, Youth Services and Young Peoples Drug and Alcohol Services.

Missing And Child Exploitation Meetings (MACE)

The names of all children and young people who are subject of a missing episode will be shared within a monthly MACE meeting. If there are specific safeguarding concerns associated with the missing episode, then we may discuss the missing episode within the MACE meeting.

How long will we hold your personal data?

We will retain your personal data for only as long as is necessary, normally as long as the retention period for the main case file record, and in line with our organisation’s record retention schedules.

Automated decisions

No automated decisions are taken using the personal data provided as part of Missing Children procedures.

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