Social Services

1. The purpose for which we use your personal data

The information we collect about you will be used for the purpose(s) of:

•    Assessing, planning, arranging, delivering and reviewing care, support and protection services for children, young people, adults and families.
•    Supporting individuals to maintain their wellbeing, independence, safety and quality of life.
•    Safeguarding and protecting children, young people and adults at risk of abuse, neglect or harm.
•    Carrying out statutory assessments, enquiries, investigations and interventions.
•    Coordinating support and services with partner organisations.
•    Monitoring and reviewing services to ensure support remains appropriate, effective and safe.
•    Investigating complaints, incidents, concerns and legal claims.
•    Calculating charges for care and support services where applicable.
•    Processing Blue Badge applications.
•    Meeting statutory reporting, inspection, audit, quality assurance and service improvement requirements.

The legal basis for processing your information is that it is necessary for the Council to perform tasks carried out in the public interest and exercise its official authority in delivering statutory Social Services functions.

These functions arise under legislation including, but not limited to:

•    Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014
•    Children Act 1989
•    Children Act 2004
•    Mental Health Act 1983
•    Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010
•    Mental Capacity Act 2005
•    Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016
•    Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015
•    Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021
•    Other legislation, regulations and statutory guidance relevant to the delivery of Social Services functions

We may process special category personal data, including health and safeguarding information, where necessary for social care, safeguarding, protection, public interest and substantial public interest purposes, as permitted by data protection legislation.

If you do not provide the information requested, this may affect our ability to assess needs, safeguard individuals, provide support, coordinate services, calculate any charges correctly or fulfil our statutory responsibilities.

2. What type of information do we use?

We may collect and process the following types of personal data about you, depending on your circumstances and the services involved:

•    Name
•    Address
•    Date of birth
•    Gender
•    Unique reference numbers
•    National Insurance Number
•    Telephone number
•    Email address
•    Bank and payment details
•    Family and household information
•    Social circumstances
•    Financial circumstances
•    Employment and education information
•    Housing information
•    Images and photographs
•    Information relating to physical and mental health
•    Information relating to care, support and wellbeing needs
•    Information relating to assessments, reviews, safeguarding and protection activities
•    Information relating to risks and vulnerabilities
•    Information relating to family relationships and support networks
•    Racial or ethnic origin
•    Religious or philosophical beliefs
•    Information relating to sex life or sexual orientation
•    Criminal convictions, offences and safeguarding information

3. Do we use information received from other sources?

To provide Social Services functions, we collect information directly from you and may also receive information from organisations involved in providing services, support, care, protection or other statutory functions.

These may include:

•    NHS Wales organisations, including Health Boards, hospitals, community health services and GP Practices
•    Other Carmarthenshire County Council services
•    Other local authorities
•    Police forces and other law enforcement agencies
•    Probation services
•    Courts and tribunals
•    Schools, colleges, education providers and education authorities
•    Department for Work and Pensions
•    HM Revenue and Customs
•    Disclosure and Barring Service
•    Housing providers and landlords
•    Registered care and support providers
•    Welsh Government and other public bodies
•    Third sector and voluntary organisations involved in supporting children, families and adults

The categories of information obtained may include the types of personal data detailed in Section 2 of this notice.

4. Transferring your information abroad

We use Microsoft 365 and other approved information systems to process and store information under strict contractual, technical and organisational arrangements designed to protect personal information.

Where personal data is stored or processed outside the United Kingdom, appropriate safeguards will be in place in accordance with UK data protection legislation.

We do not otherwise routinely transfer your personal information outside of the United Kingdom.

5. Who has access to your information?

We may share your information with relevant organisations where it is lawful and necessary to do so in order to provide services, safeguard individuals, coordinate support, fulfil statutory duties, prevent or detect crime, or protect the wellbeing and safety of children, young people and adults.

Recipients may include:

•    NHS Wales organisations
•    Other Carmarthenshire County Council services
•    Other local authorities
•    Police forces and other law enforcement agencies
•    Probation services
•    Courts and tribunals
•    Schools, colleges, education providers and education authorities
•    Department for Work and Pensions
•    Welsh Government and other public bodies
•    Registered care and support providers
•    Housing providers
•    Regulatory, inspection and audit bodies
•    Software suppliers acting on behalf of the Council under appropriate contractual and data protection arrangements
•    Family members, carers, advocates or authorised representatives where appropriate and lawful

There may also be circumstances where we are required or permitted to disclose information:

•    Where required by law.
•    To prevent or detect crime, fraud or abuse.
•    To safeguard children, young people or adults at risk.
•    To protect someone's life, health, wellbeing or safety.
•    To support multi-agency working required by legislation or statutory guidance.

6. How long we will keep your information

Your information will be retained for as long as necessary to provide services, fulfil statutory responsibilities, meet legal and regulatory requirements, and protect the rights, safety and wellbeing of individuals.

Retention periods vary depending on the type of service provided, the nature of the information held and any legal or operational requirements that apply. Different retention periods may therefore apply across Social Services functions.

The Council maintains Retention Guidelines which set out how long records are retained and when they should be securely disposed of. Information will only be retained for as long as there is a lawful purpose to do so and will be securely deleted, destroyed or anonymised when no longer required.

The Retention Guidelines are subject to regular review and may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in legislation, statutory guidance and service requirements.  You can find these guidelines here:

How long we keep records - Carmarthenshire County Council

7. Your Data Protection rights

You have the right to:

• Obtain access to the personal data that Carmarthenshire Council is processing about you
• Have any inaccurate or incomplete information rectified (corrected)
• Withdraw your consent to processing, where this is the only basis for the processing
• Make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the independent body in the UK which protects information rights

In some circumstances, you may have the right to:

• Object to the processing of your personal information
• The erasure of your personal data
• Restrict the processing of your personal information
• Data portability

8. Contact details

For more information regarding this privacy notice and your rights, please contact:

Data Protection Officer
Carmarthenshire County Council
County Hall
Carmarthen
SA31 1JP

Email: dataprotection@carmarthenshire.gov.uk

Contact details for the Information Commissioner’s Office along with further guidance on Data Protection legislation can be found on the ICO website .