Privacy Notice

Introduction

Skylark Fostering ("we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. This Privacy Notice describes how we collect and use personal information about you in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, during and after your relationship with us, whether as an applicant for fostering or as a prospective employee.

Service Provision

Collection of Information for Service Provision

Names, contact details, addresses, and date of birth.
Health and safety information relevant to home assessments.
Identification documents.
Information related to compliments, complaints, or interactions during fostering services.

Use of Information for Service Provision

We use the personal information collected to:

Conduct assessments of your suitability to foster, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for children.
Communicate with you about your application and any subsequent updates in your fostering status.
Comply with legal or regulatory requirements relevant to fostering services.

Legal Basis for Service Provision

Consent: Obtained explicitly for specific non-contractual processes.
Contract: Necessary for carrying out contractual obligations in our fostering agreements.
Legitimate Interests: Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children in our care by conducting thorough assessments.

Staff Recruitment

Collection of Information for Staff Recruitment

Personal contact details such as name, address, telephone numbers, and personal email addresses.
Date of birth, gender, National Insurance number.
Copies of identification documents.
Employment and educational history.
Right to work and criminal conviction data, if applicable.

Use of Information for Staff Recruitment

To assess qualifications, skills, and suitability for employment.
To conduct background checks, including criminal record checks where applicable.
To manage the recruitment process and communicate with you regarding job applications.

Legal Basis for Staff Recruitment

Consent: Specifically obtained where required.
Contract: Processing necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you.
Legitimate Interest: Ensuring that candidates are qualified and suitable for roles, particularly those involving care of children.

General Provisions

Retention of Information

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. For recruitment, personal information of unsuccessful candidates is retained for six months after notification. For service provision, data is kept in accordance with fostering regulations and our internal policies.

Sharing of Information

Information may be shared internally and with external agencies as necessary for the purposes of safeguarding children, compliance with regulatory requirements, or as part of the recruitment process. We do not sell or rent personal data to third parties.

Your Rights

You have rights under data protection law, including:

Access to and rectification or erasure of personal data.
Restriction of processing and the right to object to processing.
The right to data portability.

How to Exercise Your Rights

Complaints

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to us at the same contact details. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with our response.

Contact and Complaints Details of the ICO:

Address: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
Helpline: 0303 123 1113.
Website: https://www.ico.org.uk

Changes to This Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice at any time and will notify you of changes applicable to you.

Last Updated: 13 July 2024