Child Protection Conferences Privacy Notice

Your right to privacy is very important to us and we recognise that, when we collect, use, or store your personal data, you should be able to trust us to act in a responsible manner. This privacy notice tells you what you can expect when we process your data, and what your rights are.

Type of personal data we collect and why

We use personal information about children, young people and families, to enable us to provide services to them, and to carry out specific functions for which we are responsible.

We also use statistical information to inform decisions and plan the provision of services appropriate to the needs of the people of Staffordshire. The data also helps us to monitor and improve our performance in providing services and carrying out our statutory duties.

We record information about the needs of children and young people and the care and support they have received to help plan their care in the future. It helps them and us to have information about the contact we have with them, and it helps us to build up a picture of what services are needed.

As part of your engagement with the child protection conference we will discuss aspects of your child’s and your family’s needs so we can help identify the most appropriate support that can be given to you and your family.

Personal data that will be processed will include:

• Name
• Address
• Date of birth
• Details regarding physical/mental health
• Details regarding care and support provided to you and your family

How we collect and process personal data

We collect your personal data in different ways, which includes collecting personal data directly from yourself or from other departments or agencies who we work with in order to deliver services to you. This could include:

• Schools
• Health Services
• Housing Services
• Voluntary agencies
• Commissioned Providers

In conducting Child Protection Conferences virtually, we make use of video conferencing software Microsoft Teams. We also use this technology to record the Summary, Decisions and Recommendations of the conference. The recording will be used to document the summary of the conference which will be kept for the appropriate amount of time in accordance with our retention schedules, the recording will be held for 30 days after which it will be permanently deleted. The recording will only be available to the appropriate Staffordshire County Council members of staff who are responsible for documenting a record of the conference.

You will be asked prior to the conference taking place to confirm you are happy with a recording being taken and you have a right to object to this. If you don’t wish for a recording to be taken a minute taker will be used to document the summary and decisions from the conference instead. Before any recordings are taken you will also be provided with written advice letting you know how to hide video / audio feeds should you not wish for your image or voice to be captured as part of the recording. Please note, we only record the summary section of the conference which is delivered by the meeting Chair at the end of the conference and is only captured to assist staff in creating a formal, accurate record of the conference.

How we store your personal data

Under the general data protection regulations (GDPR) we have a legal duty to protect any information that we hold about you. We take measures to safeguard your data and implement security standards and controls to prevent any unauthorised access to it. Information which you have provided us will be stored securely. It will only be used for the purpose(s) stated when the information was collected.

Recordings of conferences will be kept on Staffordshire County Councils secure network for 30 days during which time a formal record of them will be taken and stored in accordance with our record retention schedules. The recording will be deleted 30 days after it was taken. The amount of time data is kept before being disposed of will vary depending on why it was collected, how it is used, and in line with any applicable UK laws. Our retention and disposal schedule provides details about how long we keep data.

For more information about your data protection rights and how to make a complaint please see our corporate privacy notice.