Privacy Policy

Bath and North East Somerset Carers’ Centre (The Carers’ Centre) is committed to protecting your privacy and security and ensuring you remain informed and in control of your information. Please also refer to The Carers' Centre Cookie Policy for information regarding this.

This policy is intended for adult carers, young carers, parents of young carers, donors and volunteers. It explains when we collect your personal information, how we use it, how we keep it secure and in what circumstances we may share it with other organisations.

About Us

The Carers’ Centre (Charity Number: 1050080) is an independent charity providing information, advice and support services to carers of all ages.

A number of our services are funded under agreement with Bath and North East Somerset Council and their lead provider, HCRG Care Group.

The Carers’ Centre is based at The Woodlands, Lower Bristol Road, Bath, BA2 9ES. For the purposes of data protection law, The Carers’ Centre will be the controller and processor of personal information. The Carers' Centre is registered with the ICO as a data controller, reference Z5332463.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we use your information, contact: 

Data Protection Lead,
The Carers’ Centre,
The Woodlands,
Lower Bristol Road,
Bath,
BA2 9ES

Or email: data@banescarerscentre.org.uk
Or call: 01761 431388 (available 9am – 5pm, weekdays)

Keeping you in control

We want to ensure you remain in control of your personal information. Part of this is making sure you understand your legal rights, which are as follows:

  • the right to confirmation as to whether or not we have your personal data and, if we do, to obtain a copy of the personal information we hold (this is known as a subject access request);
  • the right to have your data erased (though this will not apply where it is necessary for us to continue to use the data for a lawful reason);
  • the right to have inaccurate data rectified;
  • the right to object to your data being used for marketing or profiling; and
  • where technically feasible, you have the right to personal data you have provided to us which we process automatically on the basis of your consent or the performance of a contract. This information will be provided in a common electronic format.

These rights are conditional and do not apply in all circumstances. If you have a request relating to your rights please contact us using the information below.

Please note, you also have the right to complain to the ICO about the collection and use of your personal information by The Carers’ Centre. If you have a complaint, we would like to help you with your concerns before you contact the ICO, so please contact us using the information found in the ‘Questions and complaints' section below.

If you would like further information on your rights or wish to exercise them, please contact: 

Data Protection Lead,
The Carers’ Centre,
The Woodlands,
Lower Bristol Road,
Bath,
BA2 9ES

Or email: data@banescarerscentre.org.uk
Or call: 01761 431388 (available 9am – 5pm, weekdays)

How do we store your information?

The Carers’ Centre is based in the UK and we store our data within the European Union. Some organisations which provide services to us may transfer personal data outside of the EEA, but we’ll only allow them to do if your data is adequately protected.

For example, some of our systems use Microsoft products. As a US company, it may be that using their products result in personal data being transferred to or accessible from the US. However, we will allow this as we are certain personal data will still be adequately protected (as Microsoft is certified under the USA’s Privacy Shield scheme).

If you use our services while you are outside the EU, your information may not be governed by legislation to the same standard and we are not able to guarantee the security of your information.

How do we protect your information?

We employ a variety of physical and technical measures to keep your data safe and to prevent unauthorised access to, use of, or disclosure of, your personal information.

Electronic data and databases are stored on secure computer systems and we control who has access to information (using both physical and electronic means).

Our staff receive data protection training and we have a set of detailed data protection procedures which they are required to follow when handling personal data.

Security

All electronic forms that request data will use the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol to encrypt the data between your browser and our servers.

We cannot guarantee the security of your home computer or the internet, and any online communications (e.g. information provided by email or our website) are at the user’s own risk.

Marketing

The Carers’ Centre does not undertake unsolicited marketing and will not sell, rent or otherwise share your information with third parties for marketing purposes.

We send out information about our services and updates relating to carers, legislation changes, initiatives, activities and requests for support typically via Caretime, e-bulletins or other targeted communication. Should you no longer wish to receive this information at any point, simply let us know and we will ensure you are removed from our mailing list. You can contact: 

Data Protection Lead,
The Carers’ Centre,
The Woodlands,
Lower Bristol Road,
Bath,
BA2 9ES

Or email: data@banescarerscentre.org.uk
Or call: 01761 431388 (available 9am – 5pm, weekdays)

If you have opted-in to communications from us, we may contact you with information about our partners, or third-party products and services, but these communications will always come from The Carers’ Centre.

If you have opted-in to communications from us, we may contact you with campaigning, fundraising or volunteering material. We rely on donations and support from others to continue our work. We will only contact you if you’ve opted-in to receive marketing from us (and you can, of course, unsubscribe at any time).

When you receive a communication, we may collect information about how you respond or interact with that communication, and this may affect how we communicate with you in future.

Profiling

The Carers’ Centre does not analyse your personal information for profiling purposes.

Building Security

CCTV is used to aid the security of our building. The cameras used are motion censored and are in use when the building is unoccupied. All captured footage is held in cloud-based storage and erased after 30 days unless an incident has taken place and the relevant images have been forwarded to the investigating authorities or our insurers.

Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Record

Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Record (BSW ICR) is a digital care record system for sharing information in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire. It allows instant, secure access to your health and social care records for the professionals involved in your care.

Relevant information from your digital records is shared with people who look after you. This gives them up-to-date information making your care safer and more efficient.

The Carers' Centre uses the system in the following way:

  • We can access your data stored within the system

If you would like to learn more about BSW ICR and how your information is being used please click here.

Specific to you

Select the relevant section to see information in this Privacy Policy that is specific to you.

How do we collect information about you?

We collect information about you directly from you when you ask to join The Carers’ Centre or when you are referred to us by another organisation. We may also collect further information from you through phone calls, letters, emails or in person, or through our carer portal, in the course of supporting you.

What information do we collect about you?

The personal information we collect will include your name, address, age, contact details, and details of your caring role.

For monitoring purposes, we will ask you for your religious beliefs and ethnic background. This information will only be held with your explicit consent. It will not restrict your access to a service if you choose not to provide this detail.

For some of our services, we will collect or store information relating to your health. This information will be held with your explicit consent and we will take extra care to ensure your privacy rights are protected.

If you provide information about another person (the person you care for or an emergency contact) we will need to confirm that they are aware of this. We will ask you for their contact details so that we can write to them and inform them of the information we hold and their rights under data protection law.

We may collect information from social media where you have given us permission to do so, or if you post on one of our social media pages.

How will we use the information about you?

We collect information about you and your caring role, in order to:

  • carry out our obligations arising from any agreement entered into by you and us, for the provision of information, advice and support to you in relation to your caring role;
  • seek your views or comments on the services we provide;
  • notify you of changes to our services;
  • send you communications which you have requested;
  • inform our future service development to ensure that these are fully accessible.

We occasionally carry out analysis of data we hold about carers, donors and volunteers, to better understand the value of our work and identify patterns and trends. This helps inform how we work and make the Carers’ Centre a stronger and more effective organisation and provide better services.

How long will we keep information about you?

We will hold your personal information on our systems for as long as you are registered for our services.

We may aggregate and anonymise personal data so that it can no longer be linked to any particular person. This information can be used for a variety of purposes, such as reporting to funders and identifying trends to help inform our actions and improve our services.

What lawful basis is used to process your information?

The lawful basis we use to process your information is public task. The processing is necessary for us to perform a task in the public interest, and the task has a clear basis in law. In the case of processing special category data, we use a further appropriate lawful basis referred to as article 9 b - Employment, social security and social protection law.

When will we share your information

We will never sell your personal data, and will only ever share it with organisations we work with where necessary and if its privacy and security are guaranteed.

If you request that we refer you to a third-party organisation we will only undertake this with your permission.

Under our agreement with the HCRG Care Group, acting on behalf Bath and North East Somerset Council, we are required to share personal information (name, address, age, address, ethnic background, religious beliefs) for carers accessing information, advice and support services.

Details of how HCRG Care Group protect your information is available on their website.

Details of how Bath and North East Somerset Council protect your information is available on their website.

We may share personal data with subcontractors or suppliers who provide us with services. However, these activities will be carried out under a contract which imposes strict requirements on our supplier to keep your information confidential and secure.

Occasionally, where we partner with other organisations, we may also share information with them (for example, if you register to attend an event being jointly organised by us and another charity). We’ll only share information when necessary and we’ll make sure to notify you first.

The Carers’ Centre has a legal duty to disclose safeguarding concerns to Adult Social Care. The Carers’ Centre will always inform you of any disclosure.

How do we collect information about you?

We collect information about you from your parent or guardian, or other adults in your life such as teachers, when they ask for you to join The Carers’ Centre. We may also collect further information about you through phone calls, letters, emails, in person or through our carer portal. This might be information directly from you, or information an adult gives us about you.

What information do we collect about you?

We will keep information such as your name, where you live, how old you are, how we can speak to you, and what your caring role is like.

We might also ask your parents about your religious beliefs and ethnic background. This is to help us make sure we are helping people from all backgrounds. We will only hold this if you and your parents are happy for us to do so. It doesn’t matter if you or your parents don’t want to tell us this – you will still be able to get support from us.         

Sometimes we might collect or store information about to your health. We will only hold this if your parents are happy for us to do so. We will take extra care to protect this information.

We may collect information from social media where you have told us it’s ok, or if you post on one of our social media pages.

How will we use the information about you?

We collect information about you in order to:

  • Help you with you caring role;
  • Hear what you think about what we do;
  • Tell you when something changes;

We occasionally use your information to find out how well we our doing and see where we need to do better. This helps us support young carers now, and in the future.

How long will we keep information about you?

We will keep information about you on our systems for as long as you are registered for our services. If we have completed a statutory needs assessment with you, we are required to keep this on our systems until you turn 25, after which point we will delete it.

We may keep data which is anonymised, so that it can no longer be linked to you. We use this to tell funders how we are doing and to help us improve how we help young carers in the future.

If you turn 18 and would like to access our adult services, some of the personal data we hold about you will be carried over into your adult record.

What lawful basis is used to process your information?

The lawful basis we use to process your information is called ‘public task’. This means we need to process your information to perform a task in the public interest, and that this task has a clear basis in law. In the case of processing information such as your health or information about the health of who you care for, we use another lawful basis called article 9 b - Employment, social security and social protection law.

When will we share your information?

We will never sell your information and will only ever share it with other people where this is necessary and if we know it will be kept private and secure.

We will only refer you to another organisation with your permission.

Under our agreement with Bath and North East Somerset Council (the Council), we share personal information (name, date of birth, postcode) of all children accessing our young carers services. Young Carers Assessments are provided under an agreement with the council and information is shared with them.

Details of how Bath and North East Somerset Council protect your information is available on their website. 

We may share information with people who provide us with services. However, we will make sure these people keep your information private and safe.

Occasionally, where we join up with other organisations, we may share information with them. We’ll only share information when we need to, and we’ll make sure to notify your parents first.

The Carers’ Centre has a legal duty to disclose concerns about your safety to Children’s Services. The Carers’ Centre will always inform you of any disclosure.

Parental permission: If your child is under 18 then we’ll need permission from you as their parent or guardian for them to access some of our activities. If your child is over 14 or if we are carrying out a statutory duty to support your child, there may be times where we talk to them directly about their caring role and the support they may need.

We take great care to protect and respect the rights of individuals in relation to their personal data, especially in the case of children. If your child is under 18 years old, we will only use their personal data with your consent.

How do we collect information about you?

We collect information about you directly from you when you request that your child joins The Carers’ Centre or when your child is referred to us by another organisation. We may also collect further information from you through phone calls, letters, emails in person, or through our carer portal, in the course of supporting your child.

What information do we collect about you?

The personal information we collect about you will include your name, address, and contact details. We will also collect additional information on your child (see young carer section above).

For monitoring purposes, we may ask you for your religious beliefs and ethnic background. This information will only be held with your explicit consent. It will not restrict your child’s access to a service if you choose not to provide this detail.

How will we use the information about you?

We collect information about you and your child, in order to:

  • carry out our obligations arising from any agreement entered into by you and us, for the provision of information, advice and support to your child in relation to their caring role;
  • seek your views or comments on the services we provide;
  • notify you of changes to our services;
  • send you communications which you have requested;
  • inform our future service development to ensure that these are fully accessible.

We occasionally carry out analysis of data we hold to better understand the value of our work and identify patterns and trends. This helps inform how we work and makes The Carers’ Centre a stronger and more effective organisation that can provide better services.

How long will we keep information about you?

We will hold your personal information on our systems for as long as your child is registered for our services.

We may aggregate and anonymise personal data so that it can no longer be linked to a particular person. This information can be used for a variety of purposes, such as reporting to funders and identifying trends to help inform our actions and improve our services.

What lawful basis is used to process your information?

The lawful basis we use to process you and your child’s information is public task. The processing is necessary for us to perform a task in the public interest, and the task has a clear basis in law. In the case of processing special category data, we use a further appropriate lawful basis referred to as article 9 b - Employment, social security and social protection law.

When will we share your information?

We will never sell you or your child’s personal data and will only ever share it with organisations we work with where necessary and if its privacy and security are guaranteed.

If you request that we refer your child to a third-party organisation we will only undertake this with your permission.

Under our agreement with Bath and North East Somerset Council, we will share personal information (name, date of birth, postcode) of children accessing our young carers services.

Details of how Bath and North East Somerset Council protect your information is available on their website.

We may share personal data with subcontractors or suppliers who provide us with services. However, these activities will be carried out under a contract which imposes strict requirements on our supplier to keep you and your child’s information confidential and secure.

Occasionally, where we partner with other organisations, we may also share information with them (for example, if you register to attend an event being jointly organised by us and another charity). We’ll only share information when necessary and we’ll make sure to notify you first.

The Carers’ Centre has a legal duty to disclose safeguarding concerns to Children’s Services. The Carers’ Centre will always inform you of any disclosure.

How do we collect information about you?

We collect information about you directly from you when the person you care for completes a My Caring Role document.

What information do we collect about you?

The personal information we collect will include your name, address, and details of your health condition(s). This information will be held with your explicit consent and we will take extra care to ensure your privacy rights are protected.

We may collect information from social media where you have given us permission to do so, or if you post on one of our social media pages.

How will we use the information about you?

We collect information about you in order to:

  • Support the person/people who care(s) for you, enabling them to create a document detailing their caring role. This can be shared with friends or family members, in case they need to step in and take on caring responsibilities.

We occasionally carry out analysis of data we hold about carers, donors and volunteers, to better understand the value of our work and identify patterns and trends. This helps inform how we work and make the Carers’ Centre a stronger and more effective organisation and provide better services.

How long will we keep information about you?

We will hold your personal information on our systems for as long as the person who cares for you is registered with our service, or until you withdraw consent for us to hold the information.

We may aggregate and anonymise personal data so that it can no longer be linked to any particular person. This information can be used for a variety of purposes, such as reporting to funders and identifying trends to help inform our actions and improve our services.

What lawful basis is used to process your information?

The lawful basis we use to process your information is consent.

When will we share your information

We will never sell your personal data, and will only ever share it with organisations we work with where necessary and if its privacy and security are guaranteed.

We may share personal data with subcontractors or suppliers who provide us with services. However, these activities will be carried out under a contract which imposes strict requirements on our supplier to keep your information confidential and secure.

The Carers’ Centre has a legal duty to disclose safeguarding concerns to Adult Social Care. The Carers’ Centre will always inform you of any disclosure.

How do we collect information about you?

We collect information about you when you express an interest in volunteering at The Carers’ Centre, and when you fill in an application form. We may also collect further information about you through phone calls, letters, emails or in person to support your volunteering role.

What information do we collect about you?

The personal information we collect will include your name, address, age, and contact details.

For monitoring purposes, we may ask you for your religious beliefs and ethnic background. This information will only be held with your explicit consent.

Depending on your volunteering role, we may collect extra information about you (for example, references, criminal records check, professional certificates, details of emergency contacts, medical conditions, bank details to pay expenses). This information will be retained for legal reasons, to protect us (including in the event of an insurance or legal claim) and for safeguarding purposes.

How will we use the information about you?

We collect information about you in order to:

  • carry out our obligations arising from any agreement entered into by you and us around volunteering;
  • seek your views or comments on the volunteering services we provide;
  • notify you of changes to our volunteering services;
  • send you communications which you have requested;
  • inform our future service development to ensure that these are fully accessible.

We occasionally carry out analysis of data we hold about volunteers, to better understand the value of our work and identify patterns and trends. This helps inform how we work and makes The Carers’ Centre a stronger and more effective organisation that can provide better services.

How long will we keep information about you?

We will hold your personal information on our systems for as long as you wish to remain a volunteer with us.

We may aggregate and anonymise personal data so that it can no longer be linked to any particular person. This information can be used for a variety of purposes, such as reporting to funders and identifying trends to help inform our actions and improve our services.

What lawful basis is used to process your information?

The lawful basis we use to process your information is consent.

When will we share your information?

We will never sell your personal data and will only ever share it with other organisations we work with where necessary and if its privacy and security are guaranteed.

We may share personal data with subcontractors or suppliers who provide us with services. However, these activities will be carried out under a contract which imposes strict requirements on our supplier to keep your information confidential and secure.

Occasionally, where we partner with other organisations, we may also share information with them (for example, if you register to attend an event being jointly organised by us and another charity). We’ll only share information when necessary and we’ll make sure to notify you first.

The Carers’ Centre has a legal duty to disclose some information:

  • Safeguarding concerns will be reported to Children’s Services or Adult Social Care.
  • Drug trafficking, money laundering, acts of terrorism or treason will be disclosed to the police.
  • Colleagues believing an illegal act has taken place will report it to the appropriate authorities.

The Carers’ Centre will always inform you of any disclosure.

How do we collect information about you?

We collect information about you when you donate to The Carers’ Centre, or express an interest in donating or fundraising for The Carers’ Centre. We may also collect further information about you through phone calls, letters, emails or in person, in relation to your donation or fundraising efforts.

What information do we collect about you?

The personal information we collect will include your name, address, and contact details.

If you are a donor, we will also collect financial information (direct debit/standing order details), and whether your donations are gift-aided.

We may collect information from social media where you have given us permission to do so, or if you post on one of our social media pages.

How will we use the information about you?

We collect information about you in order to:

  • carry out our obligations arising from any donation or fundraising agreement entered into by you and us
  • send you communications which you have requested;

We occasionally carry out analysis of data we hold about donors to better understand the value of our work and identify patterns and trends. This helps inform how we work and makes The Carers’ Centre a stronger and more effective organisation that can provide better services.

How long will we keep information about you?

We will hold your personal information on our systems for 7 years to comply with financial regulations, or longer if you have given us consent to contact you.

We may aggregate and anonymise personal data so that it can no longer be linked to any particular person. This information can be used for a variety of purposes, such as reporting to funders and identifying trends to help inform our actions and improve our services.

What lawful basis is used to process your information?

The lawful basis used to process information of donors is contract. The lawful basis used to process information of those enquiring about donating or fundraising with us is consent.

When will we share your information?

We will never sell your personal data. We may share personal data with subcontractors or suppliers who provide us with services. However, these activities will be carried out under a contract which imposes strict requirements on our supplier to keep your information confidential and secure.

Occasionally, where we partner with other organisations, we may also share information with them (for example, if you register to attend an event being jointly organised by us and another charity). We’ll only share information when necessary and we’ll make sure to notify you first.

The Carers’ Centre has a legal duty to disclose some information including:

  • Drug trafficking, money laundering, acts of terrorism or treason will be disclosed to the police.
  • Colleagues believing an illegal act has taken place will report it to the appropriate authorities.

The Carers’ Centre will always inform you of any disclosure.

How do we collect information about you?

We collect information about you when a prospective volunteer or employee fills in an application form and includes you as their referee.

What information do we collect about you?

The personal information we collect will include your name and contact details.

How will we use the information about you?

We collect information about you in order to contact you regarding a prospective employee or volunteer, to gain your views on their suitability for the role.

How long will we keep information about you?

We will only hold your information on our system for as long as we are working with the volunteer or employee you are a referee for. As soon as an employment contract ends, or a volunteer decides no longer to volunteer, all information will be removed from our systems.

What lawful basis is used to process your information?

The lawful basis we use to process your information is legitimate interest.

When will we share your information?

We will never sell your personal data and will only ever share it with other organisations we work with where necessary and if its privacy and security are guaranteed.

We may share personal data with subcontractors or suppliers who provide us with services. However, these activities will be carried out under a contract which imposes strict requirements on our supplier to keep your information confidential and secure.

The Carers’ Centre has a legal duty to disclose some information:

  • Safeguarding concerns will be reported to Children’s Services or Adult Social Care.
  • Drug trafficking, money laundering, acts of terrorism or treason will be disclosed to the police.
  • Colleagues believing an illegal act has taken place will report it to the appropriate authorities.

The Carers’ Centre will always inform you of any disclosure.

How do we collect information about you?

We collect information about you when a carer includes you in an Emergency Plan as an Emergency Contact

What information do we collect about you?

The personal information we collect may include your name and contact details.

How will we use the information about you?

We collect information about you, in order to ensure that other people know how to contact you should you be required to carry out tasks within the Emergency Plan.

How long will we keep information about you?

We will hold your personal information on our systems for as long as the Emergency Plan is active, or until you request that we remove your details.

We may aggregate and anonymise personal data so that it can no longer be linked to any particular person. This information can be used for a variety of purposes, such as reporting to funders and identifying trends to help inform our actions and improve our services.

What lawful basis is used to process your information?

The lawful basis we use to process your information is Legitimate Interest. the legitimate interest is the interest of the carer who wishes to see their dependant is cared for in the event of an emergency. The interests of the dependant are also involved in the processing. The processing is necessary to achieve these interests.

When will we share your information?

We will never sell your personal data, and will only ever share it with organisations we work with where necessary and if its privacy and security are guaranteed.

We may share personal data with subcontractors or suppliers who provide us with services. However, these activities will be carried out under a contract which imposes strict requirements on our supplier to keep your information confidential and secure.

Questions and complaints

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we use your personal information, contact: 

Data Protection Lead,
The Carers’ Centre,
The Woodlands,
Lower Bristol Road,
Bath,
BA2 9ES

Or email: data@banescarerscentre.org.uk
Or call: 01761 431388 (available 9am – 5pm, weekdays)

You can complain to The Carers’ Centre directly by contacting our Data Protection Lead using the details above. If wish to make a complaint (including a complaint about fundraising activity) that does not directly relate to your data protection and privacy rights, you can do so in accordance with our charity’s complaint policy.

If you are not happy with our response, or you believe that your data protection or privacy rights have been infringed, you can complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office which regulates and enforces data protection law in the UK. Details of how to do this can be found at www.ico.org.uk.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We’ll amend this Privacy Policy from time to time to ensure it remains up-to-date and accurately reflects how and why we use your personal data. The current version of our Privacy Policy will always be posted on our website.

Amended October 2024.

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