Privacy notices - Welfare support
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Purpose
Welfare support -
Description
We collect your personal information in order to provide you with accurate advice and to carry out case work. We need to keep records in order to manage case work effectively and for quality assurance purposes.
The information we require from you in order to offer welfare benefits assistance includes:
• your full name (and proof of your identity/photo ID);
• your date of birth;
• your contact details (phone, email or correspondence address);
• details of anyone authorised to act on your behalf if applicable;
• basic details (name and DOB) of all household residents including any children;
• employment details;
• financial information, including income, savings and benefit entitlement;
• health information; and
• your National Insurance number.
We collect your personal information from you via a variety of sources. You might give us your personal data yourself when you become a tenant or when you ask us for welfare benefits advice. We might also receive your data from other agencies or local authorities.
We process your personal information with your consent in order provide you with welfare benefits services, which may include:
• welfare benefits advice;
• appeals/tribunal representation;
• signposting to other services; and
• income maximisation.
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If you don't give us your information
If you do not provide your consent, we will not be able to provide you with welfare advice and support.
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Conditions for processing personal information
Consent - Article 6(1)(a). We will ask for your consent to process your data by requesting you to sign a mandate which gives your authority for your welfare benefits officer to act on your behalf.
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Who we share your information with
Sharing information with other organisations will help us to represent you more effectively. These organisations might include the following:• Department for Work & Pensions;• Local authority – Housing Benefit and council tax;• NHS health professionals;• Court/tribunal services;• Social Security Scotland.In the event that we do share personal information with external third parties, we will only share information strictly required for the specific purposes and take reasonable steps to ensure that recipients process the disclosed personal information in accordance with those purposes.We also share limited personal data with our contractors who are carrying out services on our behalf including but not restricted to:• provide a language translation service if it is necessary to translate any information into or from a foreign language for you;• carry out research, survey and segmentation on our behalf to help us to improve the services we offer to you;• professional and legal advisors for the purposes of taking advice.Our contractors are required to comply with the law and our own Data Processing Agreement or Data Processing Clauses within our contracts to ensure data is managed appropriately and for specified purposes.We may need to share personal information with our auditors in order to monitor the outcomes of our welfare benefits service. -
How long we hold your information
We have a data retention schedule that sets out the periods for retaining and reviewing all information that we hold in relation to welfare support.
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How to withdraw your consent
You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us on 0800 090 1004. You should be aware that should you choose to do so we will no longer be able to act on your behalf in relation to welfare benefit matters.
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Automated processing
Your data is not subject to automated processing.
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Data controller
The data controller is The Highland Council
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Data Protection Officer
Data Protection Officer
Highland Council Headquarters
Glenurquhart Road
Inverness
IV3 5NX
01463 702029 -
Supervisory authority
If you are unhappy with the way we have processed your personal information you can contact the Information Commissioner:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113
https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/