Thames Valley Partnership
Privacy Notice
Protecting your personal information
Thames Valley Partnership is committed to respecting and keeping safe personal information shared with us or received from other agencies/organisations. This Privacy Notice sets out the basis on which we will process personal information however it is collected and in accordance with the Data Protection, Privacy and electronic Communications Regulation 2019 (UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) and any other applicable data protection laws.
The contact details for Thames Valley Partnership in relation to the processing of personal information and for any questions regarding this privacy notice are:-
Thames Valley Partnership
The Coach House
Manor Farm Courtyard
Aston Sandford
Aylesbury
Buckinghamshire HP17 8JB
Email: enquiries@hopeafterharm.org.uk
Why we hold personal information and what we do with it
We process personal information to enable us to provide support, practical assistance and advice to our clients across our range of programmes.
We also process personal information to allow us to: –
- Collaborate with our supporters and share helpful information with them.
- Promote best practice within the fields we operate.
- Fundraise in relation to the services we provide.
- Support and manage our employees, trustees, associates and volunteers.
The Legal Basis for processing of personal information
Thames Valley Partnership will always ensure that there is a legal basis for any processing of personal information it undertakes.
When delivering our services: –
Thames Valley Partnership has a number of service delivery contracts with the Police and Crime Commissioner Office and other agencies. These organisations will normally obtain the ‘Consent’ of the individual before passing on their personal information to us for processing.
Where individuals approach us directly or where individuals are approached directly by us, the legal basis for processing personal information is usually the ‘Consent’ of the individual concerned.
However, there may be times when we process personal information under ‘Legitimate Interest’, for example where the retention of data is necessary.
There may also be times where we process personal information when it is in the ‘Public
Interest’ to do so, for example to protect an individual from neglect or to protect their physical, mental or emotional well-being.
In relation to our Head Office support function: –
The legal basis for the processing of personal information by our Head Office Support function includes ‘Contract’ and ‘Consent’ to enable us to carry out our employment obligations and to manage the personal information of our staff, associates and volunteers.
The legal basis for the processing of data for the purpose of fundraising and keeping in touch with supporters is ‘Consent’.
The information we hold
When delivering our services: –
The types of personal information that Thames Valley Partnership holds and processes as a service provider to our service users include: –
- Personal details, such as name, postal address, email address, date of birth, and other personal information for identifying the individual.
- Brief details of any crime committed or alleged to have been committed (if applicable).
- Details of individuals’ needs and the support provided to them.
In relation to our Head Office support function: –
The types of personal information collected by our Head Office support team include such things as name, postal address, phone number, email address, date of birth and other personal information for identifying: –
- Our supporters, donors and sponsors, so that we can keep in touch with them.
- Employees, trustees, ambassadors, volunteers, and associates for administration and general management purposes.
Personal information relating to Supporters
Thames Valley Partnership processes personal information relating to donors, sponsors and supporters including contact details and details of any donations made.
This information is only used for administration purposes such as to confirm a donation has been received, to confirm that a donation is eligible for Gift Aid or to check details in the case of a failed or rejected donation.
Thames Valley Partnership periodically publishes a newsletter which it sends to supporters via email. We will only contact supporters where they have opted to receive updates from us. As we are under a legal obligation to provide the opportunity to object to processing at any time, we will always offer an unsubscribe request.
Why we might share your information
When delivering our services: –
In delivering our services we will normally only share personal information with another agency/organisation with the consent of the individual concerned.
There are exceptional circumstances where we may have to disclose personal information without the individual’s consent. and where it is in the best interest of the case and in our professional duty to you. These are:
- Where it is in the best interests of the case and in our professional duty to our clients.
- If we believe someone is at risk of significant harm; we have a duty to report any issues relating to child protection or adult safeguarding.
- Where there is another legal reason or requirement to disclose your personal information.
Agencies/organisations we may share your personal information with include:
- Criminal Justice agencies that can also help support such as the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
- Other statutory agencies such as Local Authority agencies and National Health Service agencies.
- Voluntary sector partner agencies such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, Women’s Aid and Refuge.
We may also share personal information with another organisation/agency that will process the information on our behalf in relation to services to individuals, for example arranging transport in certain circumstances.
In relation to our Head Office support function: –
Our service delivery is supported by a variety of other functions. Organisations/agencies we may share personal information with include:
- HMRC, where individuals who give to Thames Valley Partnership have declared an amount eligible for Gift Aid.
- HMRC for employee tax purposes.
- Pension Providers.
- Other third-party providers such as Childcare Voucher providers.
- Legal and regulatory authorities.
- Accountants, auditors, lawyers, other outside professional advisors and business contacts.
- Other parties which provide products or services such as IT systems suppliers, and pension administrators.
Where we store your information
Thames Valley Partnership has appropriate technical and organisational measures in place to protect the personal information of individuals. We use secure systems such as case management software, encrypted computers and secure email. Our systems are all based in the UK.
How long do we retain your personal information for?
At Thames Valley Partnership we ensure that personal information is not kept for longer than necessary. In addition, we ensure that we carry out secure destruction of all electronic and paper files at the point at which they are no longer required.
When delivering our services: –
- We recognise that we have a broad range of clients who will, over time, be at different stages of ongoing and follow-up support. As a result, we need to be flexible with regards to how long we keep personal information.
- Service user and potential service user personal information is normally retained for no longer than 6 years after the last contact.
Exceptions include:
- Where there is a reason that would be acceptable in law to retain the information for longer.
- Where our commissioners require, in their contract with Thames Valley Partnership, for such information to be retained for a shorter period.
In relation to our Head Office support function: –
- Employee and volunteer records are held for 6 years after the individual has left Thames Valley Partnership.
- Personal Information about people that enquire or apply for employment with, or to volunteer with, Thames Valley Partnership but are not successful is deleted within 6 months.
- Most accounting and finance related documentation is retained for 6 years or where applicable 6 years after the end of the contract to which it relates. Some accounting and finance related documentation however is retained for longer in line with legal and widely accepted best practice.
- Supporter information will not be retained for longer than 2 years without getting renewed consent from the individual concerned.
Where does the personal information we hold come from?
When delivering our services: –
In the majority of cases, individuals are referred to us by the police and other agencies as being someone who may benefit from, or has requested, using our services.
In some instances, we may approach individuals or families offering help and advice and this could result in us recording personal information to help us give further support.
We also receive self-referrals from individuals wanting to use our services and who share their personal information with us.
In relation to our Head Office support function: –
Personal information that Thames Valley Partnership processes, such as data allowing us to support and manage our employees, trustees, associates and volunteers, is usually received directly from the individual concerned.
To comply with the additional security requirements of working with Government agencies, data regarding proof of employment history, proof of right to work, DBS checks etc. is provided by the appropriate third parties.
Your rights in relation to your personal information
The right to be informed
You have the right to be informed of how your personal information will be used, for how long it will be kept, how you can opt out of further processing, who it will be shared with and that you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. This Privacy Notice forms part of our commitment to your right to be informed. The right of access
You have the right to ask us to provide you with any information we currently hold on you, subject to reasonable proof of your identity. The right of access allows you to be aware of and verify the lawfulness of the processing. Requests to access personal information should be made to the Data Protection Officer using the contact details provided towards the top of this page. We will respond within one month. Information will usually be provided free of charge unless the request is considered unfounded, excessive or repetitive in which case there will be a small charge for each request.
There are a few exemptions to this obligation. For example, where providing access to information about social services and related activities would be likely to prejudice the carrying out of social work by causing serious harm to the physical health, mental health or condition of the requester or any other person. The right to rectification
You have the right to request that we correct any personal information the charity holds on you if it is inaccurate or incomplete.
The right of erasure
Under the right of erasure (or right to be forgotten) you have the right to request deletion or removal of your personal information in specific circumstances:
- The personal information is no longer necessary in relation to the purpose for which it was originally collected.
- We are relying on consent to process your personal information and you withdraw this consent.
- You object to the processing and there is no overriding legitimate interest to continue the processing.
- The data was unlawfully processed; the data would have to be erased in order to comply with a legal obligation.
You may withdraw your consent for us to process your data in connection with the delivery of the service at any time. Wherever possible we will uphold your rights. If we are lawfully obliged to retain some information regarding the case, such information will be deleted as soon as possible.
The right to restrict processing
You have the right to request we block or suppress processing of your personal information in certain circumstances, limiting the way that we use your data. This may be because you have issues with the content of the information we hold or how we have processed your data. We are permitted to store enough personal information to ensure the block is kept in place in the future.
The right to data portability
You have the right to obtain and re-use the personal information we hold for your own purposes across different services. In these instances, we are obliged to provide you with the relevant personal information in a structured, commonly-used form. The right to object
You have the right to object to:
- The processing of your personal information for direct marketing purposes.
- The processing of your personal information for scientific/historical research and statistics.
We in turn may reserve the right to continue processing in specific circumstances. However, there is no circumstance under which the processing of personal information for direct marketing purposes can continue if an objection is received.
We are under a legal obligation to provide you with the opportunity to object to processing at any time. This is why if you choose to opt into further updates from Thames Valley Partnership, such communications will offer you an unsubscribe request.
The right of the individual to lodge a complaint
You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office in relation to the processing by Thames Valley Partnership of your personal information. The Information Commissioner’s Office can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF
Or you may complain via the ICO’s website www.ico.org.uk/concerns
How to exercise your rights
To access the personal information that we hold about you, to ask for your information to be corrected or deleted, to update your contact preferences, to object to our processing of your personal information or if you have any questions about this privacy notice, please contact us using the contact details provided towards the top of this page.
Data Transfers outside of the United Kingdom
Where data is transferred from the UK to an EEA Country or to a third country, [We] will ensure such transfers are protected by suitable and appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs). Where necessary and subject to an assessment of risk, the use of such SCCs will be on a case by case basis. We currently do not transfer any data outside of the UK.
Cookies and our Websites
Cookies are text files containing small amounts of information that are downloaded to your personal computer, mobile or other device when you visit a website. There are many different types of Cookie doing lots of different jobs, like letting you navigate between pages more efficiently, remembering your preferences and tracking information about your visit.
When someone visits one of our websites i.e. www.thamesvalleypartnership.org.uk, or www.tvrjs.org.uk, or www.newleafproject.co.uk we collect standard internet log information about their visit, using performance cookies and Google Analytics. This is collected purely to allow us to compile reports to help improve the site, to track visitor numbers, to see which pages are visited most often and to improve your experience of using the site.
We do not collect information that allows us to identify a visitor.
Changes to this policy
In line with internal procedures, changing providers, best practice, or changing legal requirements, Thames Valley Partnership reserves the right to make changes to this Privacy Notice at any time. Please check this page regularly for any changes.
This policy was last updated February 11th 2021.