What type of information do I have about clients?
I currently collect and process the following information:
· Personal identifiers, contacts (for example, name, address and contact details)
· Emergency contact details for safeguarding practice
· Client notes excluding personal data
How we get the information and why we have it
Most of the personal information I process is provided directly by you for one of the following reasons:
· To understand what has brought you to counselling and how we can best support you.
· To fulfil our requirements under our safeguarding policy.
I may also receive personal information indirectly, from the following sources in the following scenarios:
· Agencies who may refer clients for help and support. Your information is provided to ensure I understand what has brought you to counselling and how I can best support you,.
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the lawful bases we rely on for processing this information are:
(a) Your consent. You are able to remove your consent at any time. You can do this by contacting Aisha Centala at aisha.centala@outlook.com
(b) I have a contractual obligation.
(c) I keep records for a minimum of 2years post the completion of our work with you in case of complaint or claims.
(d) I have a legitimate interest.
What I do with the information I have
I use the information that you have given in order to understand your needs and how best to support you. I will breach confidentiality if you make me aware of an imminent risk to your life or another, or a crime in progress. I may share information with your emergency contact, other agency bodies, or the police if a serious risk has been reported/ in progress as per our safeguarding policy.
How I store your information
Your information is securely stored on my work laptop. It is locked away and encrypted. I keep
· Personal identifiers, contacts and characteristics (for example, name and contact details)
· Emergency contact details for safeguarding practice
For a period of 3 years. After this point, we will dispose of your information by shredding and confidentially wasting any paper copies. Any electronic information will be securely deleted.
Your data protection rights
Under data protection law, you have rights including:
Your right of access - You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.
Your right to rectification - You have the right to ask us to rectify information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
Your right to erasure - You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to restriction of processing - You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your information in certain circumstances.
Your right to object to processing - You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
Your right to data portability - You have the right to ask that we transfer the information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.
You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.
Please contact Aisha Centala at aisha.centala@outlook.com if you wish to make a request. Once this is received, we will fulfil your request within 1 month.
How to complain
You have the right to complain if you feel unhappy with how I have processed or kept your information. I take any complaint seriously and will investigate the matter thoroughly.
Secondary option - How to complain
You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data.
The ICO’s address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Helpline number: 0303 123 1113