Supporting Communities Privacy Policy
This policy explains what types of personal information will be gathered when you visit the Supporting Communities Websites, and how this information will be used. Please note that this policy applies to the Supporting Communities Websites. If you follow a link to any other website from our website, please check their policies before you submit any personal information to those websites.
By using, or registering on our websites you consent to the collection, use, and transfer of your information under the terms of this Privacy Policy.
Supporting Communities takes your privacy seriously. This policy outlines the use of personal data under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). For the purposes of DPA and GDPR, Supporting Communities is the data controller. Any enquiry regarding the collection or processing of your data should be addressed to the Data Protection Officer at Supporting Communities.
What Information We Collect
When you contact us, you may give us some personal details. This information is stored securely on our servers and is anonymous and encrypted. We use this data to measure how to provide a needs-led service. This includes working with researchers from universities who get ethical approval for their work.
How We Use Your Data
For Supporting Communities to be able to improve its services, we need to work with universities and partner organisations to help us analyse our data. We may also share your data with the company/companies that provided you with access to the service. Any data shared will be anonymous and securely transferred and will help inform the company/companies about the usage of the service. We store and share this data safely and completely anonymously, and follow all legal requirements for this. No identifiable information will ever be shared outside of our organisation for research purposes.
How Long We Store Your Data
All the data we collect is stored in the UK on servers owned by Supporting Communities & we will keep our data safe and encrypted to protect it from cyber-attack or hacking. Supporting Communities is GDPR compliant. This means that we meet all the required standards of the new data privacy rules.
Your Rights with Regard to Your Data
You have the right to:
Withdraw your consent for us to hold personal information on you. You can withdraw your consent to share information at any time. A request to withdraw consent should be sent to info@supportingcommunitiescio.co.uk
See what data is kept about you. If you want to view your records, you can do so by sending a request to admin@supportingcommunities.org. We can only show you your data if we know who you are and can provide proof of your ID.
Case Studies
To demonstrate the effectiveness of Supporting Communities in assisting children, young people, and families, we are required by our funders to provide anonymous case studies of our work. These case studies help illustrate the impact of our services and the progress made by those we support.
Our practitioners also engage in ongoing training and professional development to ensure they are well equipped to provide the best possible support. As part of their training, practitioners may need to write case studies. Rest assured, any information used in these case studies will be completely anonymised, and it will never be possible to identify you from these documents.
Occasionally, with your consent, we may write more detailed case studies to highlight our work. These detailed case studies are designed to show the positive outcomes for children and young people who have overcome challenges and moved on to successful adult lives.
In some cases, additional support from other services can be highly beneficial. Depending on your location, you may have the option to be referred to another service operated by a partner organisation. If you choose to be referred, we will collect and securely store your personal details, including your name, address, phone number, and date of birth. This information, known as Personally Identifiable Information (PII), will be stored on the Supporting Communities system and will only be accessible to our team and the organisation to which you are being referred. Your practitioner will always seek your consent before sharing your details with the partner organisation.
Safeguarding
At Supporting Communities, your safety is our top priority. Occasionally, we may need to share information without your consent to protect you, but this is only done when absolutely necessary, such as if your life is in danger or if you are unable to give consent. If we are seriously concerned about your safety and believe you are at risk, we will discuss with you the need to inform someone outside the Supporting Communities team about your situation. This would only occur if your life is at risk because of something you are doing, you are at risk from somebody else, or you pose a risk to somebody else. In these cases, we will use your contact details to refer you to the appropriate services or get the help you need. Your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) will be stored securely on the Supporting Communities system and will only be accessible to our team and the organisation you are being referred to. We will always seek your consent to share your details unless it is necessary to act without consent to protect you or others, and we will inform you about who we are passing your details to and why, keep you updated on any actions we plan to take, and whenever possible, work with you to agree on every step taken.
Referrals to Supporting Communities from External Services or a Third Party
Children and young people are often referred to our service by third parties such as teachers, social workers, or other services you may have been involved with. If you have been referred to Supporting Communities by someone, and they have shared your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) with us, we will securely store your personal details as part of your record. When you communicate with a caseworker online and share information that raises concerns about your safety or the safety of others, they may need to take action to ensure everyone’s well-being. While they will always attempt to discuss any necessary actions with you beforehand, in very serious situations, they may need to act without prior discussion to ensure immediate safety.
Complaints
At Supporting Communities, we are committed to safeguarding your personal data and ensuring your privacy. If you have any concerns or complaints about how your data is being used, we encourage you to reach out to us so we can address your concerns promptly and effectively.
If you believe that your data has been mishandled or if you have any questions about our data practices, please contact us at info@supportingcommunitiescio.co.uk. When you contact us, please provide as much detail as possible about your concern, including any relevant dates, correspondence, and specifics of the issue.
We take all complaints seriously and will investigate your concern thoroughly. Our goal is to resolve any issues as quickly and efficiently as possible. You can expect an acknowledgement of your complaint within 3 working days and a detailed response within 3 days. If your complaint requires more time to investigate, we will keep you informed of our progress and provide you with a revised timeline.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to escalate your complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO is the UK’s independent authority set up to uphold information rights and protect personal data. You can contact the ICO via their website at www.ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.
Your feedback is important to us, and we are committed to using it to improve our services and data protection practices.
Cookies
Cookies are small text files consisting of letters and numbers that are placed on your computer, mobile device, or other handheld devices when you visit certain websites. They enable a website to recognise your device and help improve your browsing experience by remembering your preferences, login details, and other settings from previous visits.
Cookies are used for various purposes, such as keeping you logged in, tracking your site usage to enhance functionality, and personalising your experience. Rest assured, cookies are harmless and do not pose any risk to your device or data.
For more information about cookies and how they work, please visit the following link www.ico.org.uk.
The Use of Cookies on Our Website
Cookies play a vital role in enhancing your experience on the Supporting Communities website. They enable us to offer you a more personalised browsing experience and ensure you can make the most of the site’s features.
We use cookies primarily to gather statistical information about how you interact with Supporting Communities. This includes data such as browser usage, user location, and operating system. By analysing this information, we can understand how the site is used and identify areas for improvement. Our goal is to enhance site functionality and deliver a better overall experience for you.
Cookies help us to optimise our website’s performance and ensure that we are meeting your needs effectively. If you have any questions about our use of cookies or wish to learn more, please refer to our www.ico.org.uk