Unauthorised Encampments privacy notice (the Norfolk and Suffolk Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Service)

What this document is for

This privacy notice provides details on how we, Norfolk County Council, use your personal information for the purposes of managing unauthorised encampments and providing support and welfare to adults, children and families on unauthorised encampments.

For the avoidance of doubt, by ‘unauthorised encampment’ we mean encampments of caravans and/or other vehicles on land without the landowner or occupier's consent.

By ‘use’ we mean the various ways your personal information may be processed including storing and sharing the information.

Further details

We also provide the following details in our general privacy notice on our website:

Who we are
How long we use your information for
Your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (the GDPR) and
How to exercise them

You can also ask us for a copy of this information.

What we use your information for

We may use the information about you to:

Assess welfare and safeguarding issues on unauthorised encampments
Refer occupants of an unauthorised encampments (children, adults or families) to appropriate public services or financial benefits to which they may be eligible, including education, social care and healthcare
Refer or signpost to support for accommodation

In exceptional circumstances we may use information we hold to guide the decision-making process with regards to complaint and/or eviction. For the sake of clarity, we provide information and support regardless of any other interventions being carried out.

We also use this information to assess the quality of our services and evaluate and improve our policies and procedures.

We may also use information in other ways compatible with the above.

What personal data we collect and use about you

We will collect and use:

Name, address where you are currently residing, and contact details
Date of birth
Gender
Family history and social relationships including children in the family
Engagement with the County Council including being a child in need, or a looked after child – including fostering and residential care, adopted and leaving care

We may also collect and use information about:

Racial or ethnic origin
Health data including disabilities

This information is classed as “special category data” under the GDPR. We may only collect these data when it is relevant and for the purposes described above.

We also collect information concerning criminal convictions and offences.

The GDPR includes safeguards to protect the use of your special category data and criminal conviction data. Further details can be found on our website in the document named ‘Special category data and criminal offences data policy’ which sets out our procedures for compliance with the principles of the GDPR and the retention and erasure of this information.

Who provides this information

We receive most of this information from you, but we may also obtain some of this data from:

Other Norfolk County Council departments or services including Children’s Services and Adult Social Services
District councils including housing and planning services
Law enforcement agencies such as the Police
NHS and other health agencies
Government departments or agencies eg Department for Work and Pensions
Other businesses such as housing associations
Courts and other judicial agencies
Probation

Who we share your information with

We may need to share your information with:

Other Norfolk County Council departments of services including Children’s Services and Adult Social Services
Other local authorities including City, District and Borough councils’ housing and planning services
Law enforcement agencies such as the Police
NHS and other health agencies
Government departments or agencies eg Department for Work and Pensions
Other businesses such as Housing Associations
Courts and other judicial agencies
Probation

Any information which is shared will only be shared on a need to know basis, with appropriate individuals. Only the minimum information for the purpose will be shared.

Your personal information may also be given to third parties contracted by the County Council to provide a service to the County Council. These service providers are known as data processors and have a legal obligation under GDPR and to the County Council to look after your personal information and only use it for providing that service.

How the law protects you and the legal basis for processing your information

We have legal grounds under the GDPR to process this information because it is necessary:

For the performance of a task carried out in the public interest and the task or function has a clear basis in law.

These statutory powers and duties are:

Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960
Equality Act 2010
Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011
Fair Access Protocol: DoE advice 2012
Children and Families Act 2014

We have legal grounds to process (including share) special category data and criminal convictions data because it is necessary:

For reasons in the substantial public interest and in the exercise of a statutory function

(The statutory functions are the same as the statutory powers and duties referred to above)

How long will we keep your personal information for

When the information is no longer needed for the above purposes, it will be securely deleted.

If we need to use your information for research or reports, your information will be anonymised and any information taken from notes (handwritten or typed) during any consultation sessions will be securely destroyed. The information will continue to be used in a summarised and anonymised form in any research reports or papers that are published. The anonymised information in the papers may be of historic interest and may be held in public archives indefinitely.

How we keep your information

The information is stored electronically, on the County Council’s network including records management systems and in paper files. We do not process your information outside of the UK and European Economic Area.

Automated decision making

We do not make automated decisions about you and your family.

Changes to this notice

We may amend this privacy notice at any time so please review it frequently. The date below will be amended each time this notice is updated.

This notice was created on 25 October 2022.