Information about you and privacy

What information do you hold about me?

Suffolk County Council’s Children and Young People’s Services provide support, information, advice and guidance to help families and young people make good choices now and in the future. To do this we have to record and keep information about the children, young people and families that we work with.

The type of information we keep will include things like:

• name
• address
• date of birth
• ethnicity
• religion
• health
• care
• education

As part of our work with you, there will be times when we need to share some of this information with other people in Suffolk County Council, and with other organisations to make sure that you have access to the right care, training, support and protection.

Please view Suffolk County Council’s Privacy Policy for how we use and manage your data.

Message for Year 11 students

When you are in Year 11 you may receive a letter from us through your school.

If you leave Year 11 and don’t continue in learning, or are at risk of dropping out of your post 16 choice, we may share basic information about you with organisations near you that can help you with your future (e.g. a college or training provider with courses that might interest you).

• We are careful about what we share and only authorised people will access the information when they need it to do their jobs.

• The only time we will share your information without your permission is if the law requires us to do so.

If you have any queries about the information we collect in Year 11 and how we use it, please contact the Participation Tracking Team: CYPPTTFollowUpSupport@suffolk.gov.uk

“Can I see the information you have about me?”

You have the right under the Data Protection Act 2018 to see the information we keep about you.

If you’re a young person you will need to show us that you understand what you are asking to see. 

• The following pages on the suffolk.gov.uk website explains how Suffolk County Council keeps your information secure and the rights you have about how we store, use and share your information when we are providing you with support and help. 
  Visit: www.suffolk.gov.uk/about/privacy-and-data-protection or www.suffolk.gov.uk/about/privacy-notice
• For a complete explanation about all the information that the Directorate of Health, Wellbeing and Children’s Services holds on service users please read the Children and Young People Services (CYP) privacy notice on the Suffolk County Council website.

If you want to know more about the information that we hold about you, you can start by talking to the person who is already providing you with support (your PA or social worker for example).

“Through our experience of working with care leavers we recognise that accessing your records is often a really difficult process to go through – make sure you have support around you” .

Suffolk Leaving Care Service

“I want to access the information that Suffolk County Council has about me.”

If no one is currently working with you, and you have decided that you want to access your information please contact the Suffolk County Council Data Protection Team.

You can make a request either verbally or in writing:

• Email Data.protection@suffolk.gov.uk
• Write to Data Protection Team, Constantine House, 5 Constantine Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 2DH.
• Telephone 01473 265323

Please note: If you have been in care you do not have to pay £10 for the ‘access request’.

If you are worried about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, please talk to the person who is supporting you. Or you can raise your concern with us by emailing childrensservicesprivacyenquiries@suffolk.gov.uk.

You can also get advice and support about your rights regarding personal data, from the independent Information Commissioner’s office (ICO), who is there to protect the data protection rights of citizens. 
Contact the ICO helpline on 0303 123 1113 or visit the website at ico.org.uk.