This notice explains what personal information we hold about you, how we collect it, how we use it and how we may share this information. We are required to give you this information under data protection law.
We can be contacted via -
- telephone - 01482 300 300
- email - Fostering@hullcc.gov.uk
- talking to your fostering social worker
We collect, use and are responsible for personal information about you. This includes special category data including details about health, ethnic origin, religion and sexual orientation.
The Fostering Service approves, supports and pays foster carers. It provides them with ongoing support, guidance and training to ensure they are effective foster cares. The service also works with foster carers and a range of fostering agencies. This is to ensure that children are placed with the most appropriate family.
In the case of approving and supervising foster carers we collect the following personal information -
- personal information, such as -
- name
- address
- contact details
- date of birth
- gender
- language
- special category characteristics, such as -
- ethnicity
- disability
- religion
- medical information
- family network and relationship information
- education, employment and financial information
- information relating to assessments and approvals for suitability to foster children
We collect and use your personal information to comply with our legal obligations under the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011.
If we need to collect special category sensitive personal information, we rely upon reasons of substantial public interest classed as equality of opportunity or treatment. This is for the provision of -
- social care
- social security
- social protection law
and for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims whenever courts are acting in their judicial capacity.
We also get personal information from various sources. The following are main sources. This is not an exhaustive list -
- the local authority in whose area you live
- the Hull city Council social care data systems and other council departments
- SAFFA
- Disclosure and Barring Service
- past and present employers
- personal referees
- previous partners
- health
- schools
We may share your personal information with -
- Hull City Council services. These include Finance and children's services
- Ofsted. This is in the event of a local authority inspection of children's services
- other local authorities
- other fostering agencies. Regulation 26(1A) gives the fostering service undertaking the current assessment the power to request access to records. The records are about the applicant held by the fostering service or adoption agency which granted the approval. This is providing that the applicant consents
We will share personal information with law enforcement or other authorities where permitted by law.
In line with our statutory obligations, we will keep any work we do with you for between 5 and 100 years. This depends on the type of involvement we have with you or your family.
- foster parents approved by HCC. We keep information from the date of last contact with foster carers for 75 years or more. This includes any person with whom a child is placed under regulation 34 or 38 of the Fostering Services Regulations 2002. It also records foster carer applicants who are not approved
- records of foster carer applicants who withdraw following initial enquiry. We keep this information for 12 months
- finance and procurement, financial services, payments. All records relating to the payment of foster carers or our providers. We keep this information for 6 years
If you would like to enquire about how your personal information is processed by us or wish to complain, contact -
Hull City Council
Data Protection Officer
Room 11
The Guildhall
Hull
HU1 2AA
You also have the right to complain to the regulator -
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone - 0303 123 1113 for the local rate or 01625 545 745 if you prefer to use a national rate number