Privacy Policy – PBIC Bedford

Privacy Notice

Your privacy is very important to us at PBIC. We hold and process information to allow us to deliver advice, guidance and various courses for all our customers. We also use data to help improve and provide the most relevant services to you.

Our Privacy Promise to you:

We will keep your information secure and confidential
We will never sell your data to a third party.
We will never swap your data with a third party.
We will train our staff to ensure that they know how to manage your information appropriately and in line with regulations.
We pass information to trusted partners and funders to be able to deliver our services (The Big Lottery Fund, European Social Fund, National Careers Service, Department for Work and Pensions). All these government departments and companies comply with Data Protection laws.

If you are a user of our services, a student or a web visitor, this privacy policy is designed to explain to you what we do with your data and why, and how you can control it. We handle all data in line with the law. The following subsections outline key information on our privacy policy. These are set out in two main categories: Advice users and Students.

Advice Users

The type of information we collect:

We must record certain information to be able to help with your problems or deliver careers advice. We’ll also ask for information that’s relevant to your case. This includes:

your name, address, date of birth, contact telephone number and e-mail – so we can keep in contact about your case.
personal information – dependent on the type of advice this could include national insurance number, information about your family, work, financial circumstances, career aspirations, interests or education and work history.
details about services you get that are causing you problems – like energy or post
details of items or services you’ve bought, and traders you’ve dealt with
information like your gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation – for reporting purposes to our funders

We use small data files stored on your computer called ‘cookies’. Most websites do this. They help us improve the website experience for you. Find out what we use them for, and how to control their use on our cookies page.

Where do we get this information?

All data that PBIC collects will be obtained from you. When you seek advice at PBIC you will be asked to fill out an Information Advice and Guidance log. This log has all the relevant information needed to deliver the advice you require.

The purposes for collecting this information

The main reason we ask for your information is to help solve your problems or deliver relevant careers advice. We also need to share certain data with our funders for reporting purposes. We only access your information for other reasons if we really need to – for example:

for training and quality purposes
to investigate complaints
to get feedback from you about our services
to help us improve our services

All advisers and staff accessing data have had data protection training to make sure your information is handled sensitively and securely.

We use some information to create statistics about who we’re helping and what problems are the most common. This information is always anonymised – you can’t be identified from it. We share these with funders, regulators, government departments and publicly available documents such as annual reports.

Sharing information when solving problems

If you ask us to act on your behalf, we might need to share some of your information with other organisations – we’ll always tell you when we do this. For example, if we contact an organisation on your behalf to solve a problem, we will share information relevant to this issue. In addition, if we refer you to another organisation for more advice, we might share information about your problem with them, so they can help you more quickly.

If we are concerned for your or someone else’s safety

If something you’ve told us makes us think you or someone you know might be at serious risk of harm, we could tell the police or social services – for example if we think you might hurt yourself or someone else.

Sharing information with potential employers

If you are looking for work, we might ask you whether you want us to share your information with potential employers who are looking for the set of skills that you have.

Letting us know if you think your information is incorrect

You have the right to question any information we have about you that you think is wrong or incomplete. Please contact us if you want to do this by:

e-mailing us at dataprotection@pbic.org.uk
speaking to your adviser using the details they have provided you with

If you do, we will take reasonable steps to check its accuracy and correct it.

Storing your information – if you contact us online, by phone or face to face

Whether you contact us face to face, over the phone or by e-mail our adviser or administrator will record your data in order to resolve your query. This may be passed on internally to the appropriate person who can provide the best service.

When you receive advice, we store all your information, correspondence, and notes about your problem into our secure case management systems. For general advice these are stored in AdvicePro, and for careers advice these are stored in Cognisoft Touchpoint. Some of your information might also be kept within our secure email and IT systems. Paper copies of IAG logs are kept in a secure filing cabinet. These records are only accessible to authorised staff, Senior Management and authorised contractors. It is advisable that computer records are accessible by password and all ‘hard copy’ information is maintained in a locked cupboard or drawer.

In line with the various funder requirements we keep your data for as long as required. All data once the required retention period has been expired with be destroyed.

Advice pro system is hosted in the UK and Cognisoft Touchpoint is. Most of our trusted partners store their data securely within the European Economic Area (EEA) in line with data protection law.

We record our phone conversations for training and monitoring purposes. This is clearly stated before the connection is made. The recordings are stored in our secure on-site server and are deleted after 3 months.

Access to records

Only authorised staff have access to participant’s records. Such records will be kept secure in locked cabinets at PBIC offices. Keys are deposited and maintained in the designated place to prevent accidental breaches of confidentiality. Information on computers is only accessed via an appropriate staff member’s password.

No file can be taken out of PBIC offices. With regards to collecting data during outreach sessions, data is stored on encrypted laptops and hard copies are logged and transferred back to PBIC offices straight after the sessions.

When we use your information without permission

In most cases, we’ll get your permission to collect, use, store and share your information.

At times we might use or share your information without your permission. If we do, we’ll always make sure there’s a legal basis for it. This could include situations where we have to use or share your information:

to comply with the law, called ‘legal obligation’ – for example, if a court orders us to share information
to protect someone’s life, called ‘vital interests’ – for example, sharing information with a paramedic if a client was unwell at our office
to carry out our aims and goals as an organisation, called ‘legitimate interests’ – for example, to create anonymous case studies and statistics for our national research
to defend our legal rights – for example, to resolve a complaint that we gave the wrong advice

Contact us about your data

You can contact us at any time and ask us about what information is stored about you or to update your information. To do this please e-mail dataprotection@pbic.org.uk

Students

The type of information we collect:

In order to attend our free ESOL courses and workshops we must collect the following data:

Your name, and contact information such as address, email address and telephone number, as well as your date of birth, national insurance number and your nationality.
Information relating to your education, employment history and level of English or Polish. This is to determine which course is best suited to your needs.
Your availability schedule, to establish which courses you would be available to attend.
Your individual learning needs, disabilities or learning difficulties so that we can accommodate the course to your requirements.

Where do we get the information?

You provide the information in the above point at the moment you sign up to one of our courses. You will be asked to come in for an initial assessment and fill out the relevant forms. Your tutor will collect data throughout the course on your progress.

The purposes for collecting this information:

We collect this information primarily so that your learning experience is suited to your needs. We also need your contact information to update you on any changes or general information about your course. We also need to share certain data with our funders for reporting purposes. We only access your information for other reasons if we really need to – for example:

for training and quality purposes
to investigate complaints
to get feedback from you about our services
to help us improve our services

All tutors and staff accessing data have had data protection training to make sure your information is handled sensitively and securely.

Sharing information

We will share your information with funding organisations when required. Where you have been referred through the Job Centre, we may share information with them about your attendance.