Personal information charter

Privacy notice for applicants for an Independent Review Mechanism for Fostering and Adoption (IRM) review panel.

Read this page before you provide us with any personal information - it’s important you understand how we’ll use your data.

Overview

This personal information charter outlines the standards you can expect when we handle or process your personal information.

We collect personal information to carry out our services with foster carers and adopters (prospective or registered).

Read more about what we do.

This privacy notice applies to all information provided by you or your fostering service provider (FSP) or adoption agency (AA) when you’ve applied for an IRM review panel.

You’ll be asked to give written agreement to us accessing your information, which may include your:

  • personal information such as your name, date of birth, gender, ethnicity, relationship status, sexuality or religion

  • any additional needs you might have that would affect your application to IRM or attendance at an IRM review panel, such as language, mobility or hearing

  • postal address

  • email address

  • telephone number

  • FSP or AA

  • assessment reports

  • reviews

  • medical information

  • references

  • family history

  • current circumstances

  • minutes of meetings provided by your FSP or AA

Anyone who provides their personal data is called a ‘data subject’ and, under UK law, data subject have rights, as set out in the UK General Data Protection Regulations (UK GDPR). The Information Commissioner’s Office provides more information.

It is important that you understand all of the rights that may apply to you. The rights that apply to you will depend on the legal basis that is used for processing your personal data. The legal basis for processing your data is defined as ‘public task’ – carrying out a specific task laid down by law.

In particular, the law requires your FSP or AA to send to IRM all the information considered at the fostering or adoption panel that heard your case.

We collect and use your information to carry out our functions as set out in:

  • the Independent Review of Determinations (Adoption and Fostering) Regulations 2009

  • the Adoption Agencies and Independent Review of Determinations (Amendment) Regulations 2011

  • the Care Planning and Fostering (Miscellaneous Amendments) (England) Regulations 2015

Collecting your information

We collect information directly from:

  • you

  • your FSP or AA

FSPs and adoption agencies may provide us with information from or about third parties, which will only be used for the purposes of the IRM review panel and cannot be disclosed to you unless we have permission.

Using your information

We use your information to:

  • gather information for the IRM review panel

  • communicate effectively with you about the progress of your application and the date of the IRM panel

  • compile statistics for the IRM annual report

Sharing your information

To ensure that the IRM panel has the necessary information and advice to make its recommendation about your application, we share your information with IRM:

  • panel members

  • panel advisers

  • panel secretaries

  • legal advisers

  • medical advisers

You will receive a copy of the information that the review panel receives, except for:

  • legal and medical advice – this is not disclosed to your FSP or AA either

  • third-party information

  • information that your FSP or AA has provided confidentially

Exceptional circumstances

We may share information with an appropriate authority in exceptional circumstances without your consent – for example, for safeguarding reasons. We will inform you of what we are doing except in circumstances where we consider that this would place somebody at risk.

Department for Education (DfE)

DfE will only be provided with anonymised information by IRM, so you cannot be personally identified.

DfE may share statistical information about IRM for the following purposes:

  • research or analysis

  • producing statistics

  • providing information, advice or guidance

DfE will ensure that your data:

  • remains confidential

  • is not shared for marketing purposes

IRM is a service commissioned by the Department for Education, but is part of Coram Children’s Legal Centre (CCLC).

CCLC will receive only anonymised information, so you cannot be personally identified. CCLC may share statistical information about IRM for the following purposes:

  • research and analysis
  • producing statistics
  • improving services

If you have any questions or concerns about your data protection rights and have not been able to resolve them, send an email to info@coramclc.org.uk for the attention of the data protection officer.

Storing your information

We store your data on a:

  • restricted computer drive
  • password-protected database

IRM employees, panel members and advisers are expected to adhere to our code of conduct on confidentiality and document storage.

Keeping your information

We hold your data for one year from the date of the IRM review panel recommendation. After this period, all documents that are not anonymised are destroyed.

We keep anonymised information for statistical purposes for 5 years after the destruction date.

Complaints

If you have any concerns about how we’re using, processing or storing your information, you can contact the contract manager to try to resolve your concerns.

We do not control information held about you that was provided by your FSP or AA for the purposes of the IRM panel. Your FSP or AA is responsible for collecting this information.

You should contact your FSP or AA if you:

  • have any questions about this data

  • want to request access to it

You can also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) about your concerns, if you prefer.

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Call 0303 123 1113

Contact us

Independent Review Mechanism
Regent Business Hub
4 Pavilion Business Park
Royds Hall Road
Wortley
Leeds
LS12 6AJ

Email irm@irm.org.uk

Call 0113 202 2080

Lines are open from 9.30am to 12.30pm, Monday to Friday. Where possible, consider contacting us by email.

Contact us for:

  • further details on how your information is used

  • how we maintain the security of your information

  • your rights to access the information we hold on you

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