Privacy Notice

Trafford Children and Young People's Service

Trafford Children and Young People's Service (CYPS) works with our partners in Health and the voluntary, faith and community sectors across Trafford to ensure all those aged 0-19+:

Are Healthy
Stay Safe
Enjoy and Achieve
Make a Positive Contribution and Achieve Economic Well Being

Collecting and sharing information is a key element of the work our staff do to enable services to be delivered efficiently and appropriately.

This information is to help service users, parents and carers in Trafford become more aware of what information is collected, stored and shared about them and their family.

Trafford CYPS believes that you need to know what information we collect about you and your family; this leaflet aims to do that clearly and openly.

What kind of information does Trafford CYPS have about me?

There is a variety of information which we collect about people who live in Trafford, and it usually falls into one of the following categories:

Basic personal Information - e.g. name, address, DoB, telephone number, email address
More sensitive information - e.g. racial or ethnic origin, physical or mental health, religious or political beliefs, membership of a trade union, sexual life and criminal offences
Third party - information which doesn't come directly from the person it is about
Statistical - numbers of things e.g. the total population of Trafford, number of pupils achieving 5 GCSEs; such information doesn't identify individuals

Staff will also usually fill out forms, take notes about the meetings they have with or about you/your children, and they may also write letters to e.g. refer you for another service.

What do you do with information about me?

We collect and keep information about you to help us understand better who lives in Trafford, so we can plan and organise services which support our residents in the best way.

We also need to share information about you.

This may be done with other authorities, local government agencies and central government. The main reason for sharing information is to enable you/your family to receive better integrated services from us.

How do I know the information about me is kept safely?

All the information we collect is stored securely on our IT systems and manual filing systems. We have strict procedures for the way this is done. Any and all information about you is treated as confidential and with respect. There are also clear rules and guidance about storing, recording and sharing information which staff receive training on.

We take information sharing very seriously. Appropriate CYPS and health staff are CRB checked. Any member of staff who is found to be breaking the rules will be dealt with through appropriate disciplinary procedures.

Are the records confidential?

All Trafford Council employees including CYPS staff have a duty of care in accordance with our Data Protection policy. This includes respecting that right to confidentiality.

For how long are records held?

There are different rules for different aspects of Trafford Children and Young People's Service. We are required by law to keep records for varying lengths of time depending on individual circumstances.

Don't you need my permission to keep and share information about me?

We need your written agreement (consent) to share information about you. When we need to share information, we will ask for this from you directly or on behalf of a child for whom you have responsibility.

Although your information is confidential, it doesn't mean it is secret and sometimes we have to share information about you/your family without your permission. These reasons are:

To protect you from harm, neglect, abuse or significant threat
When you may need urgent medical treatment
To prevent or detect a crime

We will always do our best to tell you if we have to share information about you/your family under these circumstances, unless doing so puts you/your family in danger.

Are there any laws which protect me and the information about me?

There are lots of laws which do this, such as:

The Common Law Duty of Confidence
The Data Protection Act 1998
The Human Rights Act 1998
NHS Guidelines - Caldicott Principles, which govern the sharing of patient identifiable information

Can I see the information you have collected about me/my family?

Yes, in most circumstances you can. Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you can request to see this information. For help and advice as to how to do this, please contact the Corporate Information Officer on 0161 912 1324 or email: data.protection@trafford.gov.uk

There is strict guidance on how Councils should do this - you won't be able to see your information immediately and in some cases there may be a small administration fee.

You have the right...

To ask Trafford CYPS if it holds personal information about you
To ask what it uses the information for
To be provided with a copy of the information
To be given details of the purposes for which we use the information and other persons/organisations to whom it is disclosed
To ask for incorrect data to be corrected