Your data

This page provides information for parents and children about data on them held and processed by Staffordshire County Council, (the local authority - LA) and about your rights.

Why do you record my information?

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 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.

We also have to give the Government information about how we provide our services.

All information we record and hold is handled securely, and in accordance with the Data Protection Legislation 2018.

How long do you keep the data?

The length of time we keep information varies. This may be because of government regulations. For example we may keep records of someone who has been looked after by the local authority during their childhood, until their 75th birthday.

If there are no specific regulations, we may keep information for shorter periods. Most records relating to children and young people are kept until the year of their 25th birthday.

You can see how long we keep certain types of records in our children's retention schedule. When records reach the end of their retention period, they are destroyed securely.

Who do you share data with?

We must send information to government departments such as:

• The Department for Education
• The Qualification and Curriculum Development Agency
• The Youth Justice Board
• Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
• Ofsted
• Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

When required, we also have a legal obligation to share data with the police or agencies such as benefit agencies to assist the prevention of crime or fraud. 

We may also share data with our partner agencies in order to provide better co-ordinated services

Sometimes we have a statutory reason for sharing information, but where appropriate, we will discuss the benefits of sharing information with you and ask for your consent before sharing your data.

In certain circumstances, when we feel that you or others are at risk, we may share your information without your consent. Any data that is shared is done so in line with the Data Protection Legislation 2018, and is governed by information sharing protocols.

Our partner agencies include:

• Schools and other educational establishments
• Health and well-being agencies 
• Other local authorities
• Police and criminal justice agencies
• Fire and rescue services
• Learning support providers
• Agencies working with young people

On an annual basis, Stability Index data is collected by the Children’s Commissioner from Staffordshire County Council. The Stability Index is an ongoing project led by the Children’s Commissioner’s which measures levels of stability for children in care and every year the Children’s Commissioner collects data from local authorities nationally to conduct an annual measure of the stability experienced by children in care. The Department for Education carry out the Stability Index Statistics on behalf of the Children’s Commissioner.

The Children’s Commissioner shares data provided by Staffordshire County Council with the Department for Education. The Department for Education uses this data to support driving improvement in efficiency and effectiveness of local public services for children and young people by supporting and strengthening local authority effectiveness. 

Early Help and Supporting Families data is collected by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department for Education twice a year. The aim is to collect data on all families worked with by early help services to better understand issues faced by families and the long-lasting positive change they have achieved. Insights from this research will enable central government and local authorities to resource and commission support more effectively and target specialist support at specific problems (thereby increasing the impact and value for money of existing programmes) and provide essential inputs to future policy discussions on the shape of early help and children’s social care. Data will be retained by Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities / Department for Education until March 2025.

What are my legal rights?

The Data Protection Legislation 2018 gives you rights about how organisations handle information about you. More detail about your rights is on the your information rights page.

How do I request my information?

Requesting your personal information is known as making a subject access request. If you want to find out how to access files held by Children and Family services, see the subject access request page.

Additional information

Elective home education

See the guidance notes for parents on the elective home education service pages of the Staffordshire Learning Net.

Children's centres

Information collected by children's centres will be shared with the agencies providing services through the centres.