Privacy Policy
Citizens Advice Darlington, Redcar and Cleveland privacy policy
At Citizens Advice we collect and use your personal information to help solve your problems, improve our services and tackle wider issues in society that affect people’s lives.
We only ask for the information we need. We always let you decide what you’re comfortable telling us, explain why we need it and treat it as confidential.
When we record and use your personal information we:
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only access it when we have a good reason
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only share what is necessary and relevant
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don’t sell it to anyone
At times we might use or share your information without your permission. If we do, we’ll always make sure there’s a legal basis for it. This could include situations where we have to use or share your information:
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to comply with the law – for example, if a court orders us to share information. This is called ‘legal obligation’
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to protect someone’s life – for example, sharing information with a paramedic if a client was unwell at our office. This is called ‘vital interests’
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to carry out our legitimate aims and goals as a charity – for example, to create statistics for our national research. This is called ‘legitimate interests’
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for us to carry out a task where we’re meeting the aims of a public body in the public interest – for example, delivering a government or local authority service. This is called ‘public task’
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to carry out a contract we have with you – for example, if you’re an employee we might need to store your bank details so we can pay you. This is called ‘contract’
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to defend our legal rights – for example, sharing information with our legal advisors if there was a complaint that we gave the wrong advice
We handle and store your personal information in line with the law – including the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.
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You can check our main Citizens Advice policy for how we handle most of your personal information.
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This page covers how we, as your local charity, handle your information locally in our offices.
How Citizens Advice Darlington, Redcar and Cleveland collect your data
In addition to the methods set out in our main policy, we may be given personal information by our partners when they refer you to us for outreach appointments. In these circumstances, our partners will ask for your permission to make the referral and to give your personal information to us.
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Applying for a job or to be a volunteer
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When you apply for a job, or to volunteer with us, your personal data will be collated so that we can monitor progress with your application and monitor the effectiveness of our recruitment systems. Where we need to share your data, such as for obtaining references or obtaining a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) statement, you will be informed in advance, unless the disclosure is required by law. These checks are only carried out for the successful candidate(s) once a position(s) have been offered. On our application forms, you are asked to complete the referee details, including a tick box for permission to contact your referee. Is this has been ticked, and a role offered, we will automatically send out reference requests. If not, we will contact the successful candidate for their permission first.
Personal data given by unsuccessful applicants is held for 12 months after the recruitment exercise is complete for that particular vacancy. If, within this time, we feel that there is another suitable vacancy available for a particular applicant(s) we will contact them. However, all applicants can ask us to remove their data before this time if they do not want us to retain it.
Once you have taken up a post with us, we will compile a confidential personnel file for you. The information contained in this will be kept secure and will only be used for purposes directly relevant to your employment. Once your employment with us has ended, we will retain the file in accordance with the requirements of our retention schedule and then delete it from our files.
Once you have commenced volunteering with us, we will compile a confidential volunteer file for you. The information contained in this will be kept secure and will only be used for purposes directly relevant to your volunteering. Once your volunteering with us has ended, we will retain the file in accordance with the requirements of our retention schedule and then delete it from our records.
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Crisis support awards services
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When you contact our crisis support services for an assessment we will verbally get consent from you over the phone, and usually collect personal and sensitive information. We also collect proof of identity, address, income, energy/gas card.
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Community care support services
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We receive community care application from your support workers with approved partners on your behalf containing your written consent and permission. We also collect proof of identity and proof of income.
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Youth Employment Initiative
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We may be given personal information by our partners, which our partner will ask for your permission to make the referral and to give your personal information to us, so that we may contact you to make at appointment to meet you. At the meeting we will collect your written consent via a form.
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50+ Advocacy Service
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Self referral, or referral of a client via an online form submitting with a tick box consent, collecting your personal information.
How Citizens Advice Darlington, Redcar and Cleveland use your information
Applying for a job or to be a volunteer
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We’ll use the information you give us to decide whether or not you’ve got the right skills for the role. We’ll use the demographic information to make sure we’re employing a diverse workforce and volunteer community. Staff who access your information have had information protection training to make sure your information is handled sensitively and securely.
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Crisis support awards services
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The main reason information is collected is to help us make an accurate assessment to see if you qualify for support.
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We’ll only access your information for other reasons if we really need to – for example:
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for training and quality purposes
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to investigate complaints
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to help us improve our services
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compliance with funders financial and quality audits controls.
Staff who access your information have had information protection training to make sure your information is handled sensitively and securely.
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Community care support services
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The main reason information is collected is to help us make an accurate assessment to see if you qualify for support.
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We’ll only access your information for other reasons if we really need to – for example:
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for training and quality purposes
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to investigate complaints
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to help us improve our services
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compliance with funders financial and quality audits controls
Staff who access your information have had information protection training to make sure your information is handled sensitively and securely.
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50+ Advocacy Service
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The main reason using this information to contact you with regards assisting you with Health and Social Care rights and advice for people who have recently suffered a bereavement. The information we collect will be transferred to our case management system.
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for training and quality purposes
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to investigate complaints
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to get feedback from you about our services
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to help us improve our services
All advisers and staff accessing data have had data protection training to make sure your information is handled sensitively and securely.
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Youth Employment Initiative
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We collect this information to help you move into work, education or training and for statistical data to monitor performance and analyse issues in the community. We’ll also access your information regularly in order to review your on going case – we’ll contact you when we do this to check if your circumstances or details have changed.
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We’ll only access your information for other reasons if we really need to – for example:
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for training and quality purposes
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to investigate complaints
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to help us improve our services
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compliance with funders financial and quality audits controls.
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To find out how we use your information, see our national Citizens Advice privacy policy
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Working on your behalf
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When you give us authority to act on your behalf, for example to help you with a Universal Credit claim, we’ll need to share some information with Darlington Borough Council/Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council we may need to share information with the DWP and when helping you with home DWP home visit team.
How Citizens Advice Darlington, Redcar and Cleveland store your information
In addition Darlington Citizens Advice personal information we hold is stored securely in paper form or on our secure computer networks and personal information is only sent on by via secure email. Our networks are backed up on locally held hard drives, and some data is held securely using Google Workspace (Formerly G Suite) as its productivity suite. All of our staff and volunteers undergo regular information assurance training. For more information read G Suite & GDPR.
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Crisis support awards services
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Crisis support award application are processed securely on Darlington Gateway portal database provided by Darlington Borough Council, supplied by Capita plc and stored securely within the European Economic Area (EEA) in line with data protection law.
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Information is kept on our secure filing system on a secure database that is shared with these approved partners as joint data controllers: Darlington Borough Council, DISC, NECA, 700 Club, YMCA, Foundation. Retaining data and files in accordance with the requirements of our retention schedule and then delete it from our records.
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Community care support services
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Community care support application are processed securely on Darlington Gateway portal database provided by Darlington Borough Council, supplied by Capita plc and stored securely within the European Economic Area (EEA) in line with data protection law.
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Information is kept on our secure filing system on a secure database that is shared with these approved partners as joint data controllers: Darlington Borough Council, DISC, NECA, 700 Club, YMCA, Foundation. Retaining data and files in accordance with the requirements of our retention schedule and then delete it from our records.
How Citizens Advice Darlington, Redcar and Cleveland share your information
We may send your personal information to our partners, so that they can provide services to you – such as helping you with a debt relief order, helping you to access counselling, or helping you to find somewhere to live. This is called a referral and we will always ask your permission before we refer you to one of our partners and tell you who they are. We will always ask you to provide your written consent before we pass information on in this way, and will always tell you the name of the organisation we are giving your information to.
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Sometimes our funders ask us to share statistics and example case studies to demonstrate how we are meeting our aims and goals as a charity, or as a funding requirement. In these instances, all personal information will be anonymised.
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Crisis support awards services
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We collect verbal consent on community care support application personal data is shared via the Darlington Gateway portal database with these approved partners as joint data controllers: Darlington Borough Council, DISC, NECA, 700 Club, YMCA, Foundation.
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Community care support services
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With written consent on community care support application personal data is shared via the Darlington Gateway portal database with these approved partners as joint data controllers: Darlington Borough Council, DISC, NECA, 700 Club, YMCA, Foundation.
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Youth Employment Initiative
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We also securely share this information with Hartlepool Borough Council and store in our internal IT systems and paper filling system. Retaining data and files in accordance with the requirements of our retention schedule and then delete it from our records.
Contact Citizens Advice Darlington, Redcar and Cleveland about your information
If you have any questions about how your information is collected or used, you can contact our office.
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Helen Howson
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Email: admin.desk@citizensadvicedrc.org.uk
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You can contact us to:
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find out what personal information we hold about you
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correct your information if it’s wrong, out of date or incomplete
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request we delete your information
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ask us to limit what we do with your data – for example, ask us not to share it if you haven’t asked us already
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ask us to give you a copy of the data we hold in a format you can use to transfer it to another service
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ask us stop using your information
Who’s responsible for looking after your personal information
The national Citizens Advice charity and your local Citizens Advice operate a system called Casebook to keep your personal information safe. This means they’re a ‘joint data controller’ for your personal information that’s stored in our Casebook system.
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Each local Citizens Advice is an independent charity, and a member of the national Citizens Advice charity. The Citizens Advice membership agreement also requires that the use of your information complies with data protection law.
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You can find out more about your data rights on the Information Commissioner’s website.