Privacy notice for Childrens Services
This privacy notice is to be read in conjunction with the full privacy notice.
This privacy notice sets out how Childrens services at the London Borough of Sutton will use and process your information.
What type of information is collected about you?
- personal identifiers and contacts (such as name, unique pupil number, contact details and address, details of family and close relations)
- characteristics (such as ethnicity, language, and free school meal eligibility, any relevant medical information)
- safeguarding information (such as court orders and professional involvement, child in care status including looked after or previously looked after early help, social care and health)
- special educational needs (including the needs and ranking, for example pastoral support plan (PSP), education, health and care plan (EHCP), SEND support plan, personal education plan (PEP), employment and education)
- attendance (such as sessions attended, number of absences, absence reasons and any previous schools attended)
- details and records of your childs care, support, wellbeing and any concerns or investigations
- details of each contact that we have with you and your child, including visits, correspondence, communications and documents
- relevant information from individuals involved in your childs care, including health and other care providers, carers and relatives
- behaviour and social information (such as exclusions and any relevant alternative provision placements put in place)
We need your information for the following services and functions:
- collate information from a variety of providers to inform an assessment and analysis of the needs of children and families (Children Act 1989, s 17)
- Safeguarding vulnerable children and young people (Children Act 1989, ss 17, 32 and 47; Children and Adoption Act 2002; Fostering Regulations 2011 and 2015; Care Act 2014; Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000)
- providing a proportionate intervention to vulnerable adults, children and familie
- participate in the national fraud initiative and other data matching exercises
- working with families at Tier 2, i.e. below statutory threshold (Children Act 1989, s 17)
- the provision of mental health support and children with disabilities services
- participate in the national Supporting Families Programme
Who your information may be shared with:
- the Department of Health and Social Care
- the Department for Education
- the Department for Work and Pensions
- the Department for Housing, Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
- the Home Office
- The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
- HM Courts and Tribunals Service
- Schools
- the Citizens Advice Bureau
- Probation
- Housing
- Jobcentre Plus
- Adult social services
- Fraud department
- Youth offending team
- Charities
- Ofsted
- Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board
- Cognus ( Education services provider)
- Health partners
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
Cognus
Cognus has authorised access to the following information within our Mosaic case management system to support their work with children and families:
- All About Me Reviews (child's care plan)
- Pathway Plan Forms
- Personal Education Plans
- Person Summary (front page of Mosaic)
- Placement Change Forms
This data sharing is necessary for Cognus to effectively provide services and support children's educational needs.
The Child Protection Information System (CP-IS)
Sutton Council shares information with health and social care organisations for child protection purposes. The information is shared using the CP-IS.
The CP-IS focuses on improving the protection of children who have previously been identified as vulnerable by social services when they visit the following NHS unscheduled care settings:
- Emergency departments
- Walk-in centres
- Out of hours GPs
- Minor injuries units
- Paediatric wards
- Maternity units
- Ambulance services
The system provides health professionals with prompt and easy access to key social care information that can help them to assess whether a child is at risk.
The ability to correctly diagnose abuse or neglect depends on having the whole picture. Giving staff in unscheduled care settings access to relevant social care information is essential to successfully identifying children who may be at risk.
The legal basis for processing your information
- Compliance with a legal obligation (e.g. safeguarding and promoting the welfare of Sutton children including those children placed out of authority, or if necessary to protect someone in an emergency, or if disclosure is required by the Police or other statutory bodies).
- Vital interests when collating information from a variety of providers to inform an assessment and analysis of the needs of children and families
- Tasks carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority
- Contract for the supply of services
- Consent
Caldicott Guardians
A Caldicott Guardian is a senior person responsible for protecting the confidentiality of people’s Social Care information and making sure it is used properly.
The Caldicott Guardian is responsible for ensuring the lawful and ethical processing of personal information, both within the Council and when it is shared with other organisations.
All local authorities which provide social services must have a Caldicott Guardian, and their details must be published on the National Register of Caldicott Guardians.
Within Social Care the Assistant Director for Adult Social Care and the Assistant Director for Children's Social Care and Safeguarding are the registered Caldicott Guardians for their respective areas of responsibility.
The Caldicott Guardians can be contacted using the email addresses below:
CaldicottGuardianAdults@Sutton.gov.uk
CaldicottGuardianChildrens@Sutton.gov.uk