Privacy notices

Who are we?

Adult Social Care (ASC) is a department within Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council. 

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is the ‘Data Controller’ as defined by Article 4(7) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). Under the Care Act 2014, Adult Social Care has a statutory duty to meet eligible needs and promote the wellbeing of adults in our community. 

To fulfil these duties, we must understand the needs, experiences, and outcomes of local people. We therefore carry out research and engagement activities to gather feedback and opinions, which help us monitor performance, support effective planning, and drive continuous improvements in the services we provide.

What personal information do we collect?

Alongside your personal views and opinions, we may also collect the following personal information:

• Age range
• First part of postcode
• Gender
• Ethnic origin
• Disability or health condition
• Religion
• Sexual orientation
• Carer status
• Contact details (email and/or telephone number)

Providing this information is entirely optional, and you only need to share it if you choose to do so. You can take part in the research without providing demographic data.

Why do we collect your personal information?

We collect your personal information so that we can understand people’s experiences of Adult Social Care, identify what is working well, and highlight areas where improvements may be needed. This helps us to monitor the quality and effectiveness of our services, plan future support, and ensure that our services continue to meet the needs of our community.

We also collect this information to help ensure that our research reaches a diverse and representative range of people. If you choose to provide your contact details and give consent, we may use this information to contact you for follow‑up purposes. Collecting this information also helps us to understand and highlight the different needs of people within our community.

Who do we obtain your information from?

We obtain your information directly from you when you choose to take part in the research activity. We do not collect personal information about you from any other source for the purposes of this research.

Who do we share this information with?

The feedback you provide may be shared with service areas within Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council to identify priorities and shape services. Findings will only be shared with relevant Adult Social Care teams and corporate services responsible for service improvement.

If you choose to provide personal information, this information will only be used within the Council to help us target improvements.

We do not share your personal data with external organisations for research purposes unless this is clearly explained to you in advance and you have consented, or we are legally required to do so.

Your responses are initially treated as personal data where they can be linked back to you (for example, where you provide contact details or where free text responses contain identifying details). Once analysis is complete, any identifying information will be removed and findings will be reported in an anonymised form so that individuals cannot be identified from the results.

How long do we keep your information for?

We will keep your information only for as long as it is needed to carry out the research project and analyse the findings. After this, your personal information will be securely deleted in line with the retention schedule and data protection policies. Any reports or results produced will not identify you.

What is our lawful basis for processing your information?

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council relies on the following lawful basis to process your personal data.

For research and engagement activities that support service planning and improvement linked to the Council’s Adult Social Care functions, the Council primarily relies on:
•    UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e) – Processing is necessary for the Council to perform a task in the public interest under the Care Act 2014.

Where we process data for optional elements, such as contacting you for follow up, this is voluntary and we will rely on:

•    UK GDPR Article 6(1)(a) – You have given your clear consent for us to process your personal data for the purposes of follow up contact.

When processing special category data, the Council will rely on the following lawful basis:

•    UK GDPR Article 9(2)(g) – Substantial public interest, linked to statutory duties under the Care Act, or
•    UK GDPR Article 9(2)(j) – processing is necessary for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes.

Where special category data is processed for research purposes, we apply appropriate safeguards, including data minimisation, restricted access, secure storage and anonymisation.

Participation in this research is entirely voluntary. You may skip a question or stop at any time.

All responses are confidential. If you choose to provide personal information this will be stored securely by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council and contact information will only be used for follow-up purposes. You can withdraw consent to be contacted at any time.

Responses will be stored securely, and access will be limited to authorised personnel. Data will be anonymised and aggregated for reporting and analysis.

Use of Recording and Transcription Tools

For some research or engagement activities, we may record interviews, focus groups or discussions using video or audio recording. We may also use approved transcription tools such as Microsoft Teams transcription or Magic Notes to create an accurate written record of what was discussed.

Where recording or transcription is used, this will always be explained to you in advance, and your consent will be sought before any recording takes place. Recordings and transcripts are stored securely, with access restricted to authorised staff only. 

Recordings are deleted as soon as they are no longer required, typically after the transcription or analysis is complete. Transcripts used for research are anonymised wherever possible. Participation in recorded sessions is always voluntary.

Use of External Research and Consultation Platforms

To collect feedback, survey responses or engagement data, we may use approved third-party platforms. These currently include the Council’s consultation system known as Your Voice Matters.

These platforms process data on behalf of the Council and act as Data Processors under UK GDPR. Depending on the system, data may be stored on servers located outside the UK. 

Where this is the case, the provider is required to implement appropriate safeguards such as UK GDPR-compliant contracts, adequacy arrangements or standard contractual clauses, to ensure your information remains protected to UK standards. 

Any third-party system we use is subject to the Council’s security, privacy and procurement checks, and data is only used for the purpose of enabling the research activity.

Your Rights

You have a number of rights that you may exercise in relation to your personal data. Some of the rights do not apply automatically and may not be available in certain circumstances where a lawful exception applies.

• You have a right to access your personal data. You can request a copy of personal data that we hold about you and ask us to explain how we use your data.
• You have a right to object to processing of your personal data. You have an absolute right to stop your data being used for direct marketing. In other cases where the right to object applies, we may be able to continue using your data if we have a compelling reason for doing so.
• If we are relying on consent as the lawful basis to process your data you can withdraw your consent at any time, and we will stop further processing.
• You have a right to request the restriction or suppression of your personal data.
• You have a right to have your personal data erased, if we no longer have a legitimate use for it. This right is sometimes called the ‘right to be forgotten’.
• You have a right to rectification of your personal data if the information we hold in relation to you is inaccurate or incomplete.
• You have a right not to be subject to any decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal or similarly significant effects. You can request human intervention or challenge any solely automated decision-making that significantly affects you.

The Council has appointed a Data Protection Officer. Their contact details are: 

Data Protection Officer
Redcar and Cleveland House Kirkleatham Street
Redcar TS10 1RT

Contact the team by emailing InformationGovernance@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk or by calling 01642 774774

If you would like to request access to your personal data or exercise any of your other data protection rights, please contact the Information Governance Team:

Information Governance
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council Redcar and Cleveland House Kirkleatham Street
Redcar TS10 1RT
Email: InformationGovernance@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk or Telephone: 01642 774 774

You can seek advice and have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO is an independent body set up to uphold information rights in the UK. You can contact them through the ICO website www.ico.org.uk, their helpline on 0303 123 1113, or in writing to:

Information Commissioner’s Office Wycliffe House
Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF

For more information about how the Council uses your data, including your privacy rights and the complaints process, please see our Corporate Privacy Notice.