Adult and Community Services is responsible for assessing and potentially providing services for people over the age of 18, including young adults transition from children and young people services, older people and people who have disabilities or mental health needs. On occasions we need to collect and use personal data in order to fulfil these duties.
The processing of personal data is governed by the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018), collectively referred to as data protection law.
This privacy notice explains how Adult Social Care uses information about you when you contact us or use our services, and how we protect your privacy.
Suffolk County Council is the controller for the personal information that is being processed. If you have any queries about how Adult and Community Services is collecting or using your personal data, you can contact the service on: ACSFOIS@suffolk.gov.uk
Contact details for the council’s Data Protection Officer and Compliance Manager can be found in the council’s corporate privacy notice, which is available on the council’s website.
The types of personal data that we process and where it comes from
We may collect the following personal data from you when you work with us:
- Personal information - such as your name and where you live
- Care and support needs including health conditions - so you receive the care and accommodation that’s right for you
- Financial information - information about money, capital and payments if you pay for any of your care
- Immigration status - one of the factors that determines your eligibility for services.
- Your health records – from your GP or hospital
We may collect the following information from other sources:
- Referrals from law enforcement agencies
- Referrals from other government or charitable organisations.
- Others involved in your life
Why do we process your personal data?
Our reasons for using personal information include:
- assessing your needs if you approach us for help
- Safeguarding adults at risk of abuse
- delivery of services and support to you
- managing our services
- Keeping track of spending on services
- training workers (some of your calls may be recorded for training purposes)
- investigating complaints about our services
- complying with laws that require us to provide personal information to other organisations, such as health organisations and courts.
Our legal basis for processing your information
Personal data
Under data protection law, Adult Social Care can only process your personal data if it is lawful to do so. Please see the details below of the lawful bases that we rely on for processing different types of personal data.
For processing personal data, we rely on the following lawful basis:
- UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e) – where processing is necessary for us to perform a task which is in the public interest (public task)
- Care Act 2014 – particularly in the context of safeguarding adults
Special category data
When we process special category data, we rely on the following additional lawful basis:
- UK GDPR Article 9(2)(b) – where processing is necessary for Adult Social Care to carry out specific obligations or exercise rights relating to employment, social security, and social protection (Schedule 1, Part 1, section 1, DPA 2018)
- UK GDPR Article 9(2)(g) – where processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, specifically:
- for statutory and government purposes (Schedule 1, Part 2, section 6, DPA 2018)
- for the safeguarding of children and of individuals at risk (Schedule 1, Part 2, section 18, DPA 2018)
- UK GDPR Article 9(2)(h) – where processing is necessary for the provision of health and/or social care purposes (Schedule 1, Part 1, section 2, DPA 2018)
Criminal offence data – general processing
Adult and Community Services also processes criminal offence data which may include:
- Information about any criminal record or criminal history
- Allegations of criminal behaviour, including unproven allegations
- Absences of convictions, for example the results of DBS checks, or Police National Computer checks
- Personal data of victims and/or witnesses
- Personal data about criminal penalties that may have been awarded.
In addition to the lawful bases that we have identified under “Personal data” above, we process criminal offence data under the following conditions of Schedule 1 of the DPA 2018:
- where processing is necessary to carry out specific obligations or exercise rights relating to employment, social security, and social protection (Schedule 1, Part 1, section 1, DPA 2018)
- where processing is necessary for the provision of health and/or social care purposes (Schedule 1, Part 1, section 2, DPA 2018)
- where processing is necessary for the safeguarding of children and of individuals at risk (Schedule 1, Part 2, section 18, DPA 2018).
Sharing your information
Adult Social Care may share information when required to provide you with the best possible services and care. We may share information with the following recipients:
- Providers of care and support services
- Health services
- Housing providers
- Trusted provider organisations
- District and borough councils
- Governing bodies for social work services
- Police
- Office of the Public Guardian
- Voluntary sector organisations
- Healthwatch Suffolk
- Court of Protection
- Courts and criminal justice service
- Suffolk Legal
- Disclosure and Barring Service
- Advocacy services
- Community Safety Partnerships
- Public Health
- Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust
- Integrated Care Boards
- NHS England
- Care Quality Commission
- Organisation seeking to prevent the abuse, exploitation, or radicalisation of adults at risk (such as Channel, Prevent, Trafficking)
- Accommodation providers
- With relevant companies to improve services / support to you
Transferring your information
We do not transfer any personal data to any countries or international organisations outside of the EU or the EEA (European Economic Area), or any other country that does not have an equivalent level of data protection to the UK.
How long we keep your information
We keep personal data for as long as we need it to fulfil the purpose that it was collected for, and in line with any statutory or locally determined retention periods.
At the end of its retention period all personal data will be securely destroyed.
Automated decision-making and profiling
Adult Social Care does not use automated decision-making processes or profiling in respect of your information.
Your rights under data protection law
Under data protection law, you have the right to request access to the information that we hold about you. If you would like to make a request to access your personal information, please contact data.protection@suffolk.gov.uk
You also have other rights regarding your personal data. You can find out more information about these rights by looking at the council’s corporate privacy notice.
Your right to independent advice
If you would like independent advice on this privacy notice or other matters about how Suffolk County Council processes your personal data, including how to make a complaint, you can contact the Information Commissioner's Office at:
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Email: casework@ico.org.uk
ASC Privacy notice updated: December 2024
