Guidance

Fast Stream and Emerging Talent (FSET) data privacy notice

Published 30 August 2024

1. Your data - when exploring the Fast Stream attraction website

For information on what data is collected and tracked, and your options, please see the Civil Service Careers site cookies policy.

2. Your data - when conducting marketing and attraction events

The data:

When you sign up to hear more about the programmes we offer will process your:

• personal email address; or
• work email address
• whether you are a civil servant
• which schemes you are interested in

3. Your data - when pre-registering for the Fast Stream or Internships

The data:

When you pre-register for the Fast Stream or Internship programmes we will process your:

• full name
• personal email address
• scheme preferences

4. Your data - during the application, recruitment and onboarding process for Fast Stream and internships

The data:

When you create an account we will process your:

• full name
• personal email address

When you make an application to the Fast Stream we will ask for your:

• full contact details, including address and telephone number
• date of birth
• eligibility – nationality and immigration status
• whether you are currently a civil servant
• internship details
• scheme preferences
• physical or mental health condition, illness, impairment or disability reasonable adjustment requirements
• diversity and inclusion information, including:
  • gender, sexual orientation and ethnicity
  • type of school attended
  • university/universities attended
  • type of degree/degrees
  • receipt of free school meals
  • level of parent education and type of work
  • socio-economic background

If you pass the online tests we may ask for your:

• additional information about your nationality and immigration status
• degree and detailed module information
• personal statement
• qualifications, licences, professional memberships

When you are invited to an assessment centre or later interview we will process your:

• evidence of your identity and right to work in the UK - such as your passport, utility bills or other documentation

When you undergo pre-employment checks we may also ask for your:

• bank account details
• ID / address verification documentation such as:
  • drivers licence
  • birth certificate
  • marriage / civil partnerships
  • utility / council tax bills
  • credit card / bank or mortgage statements
  • welfare benefit entitlement letters
  • passport information
• carer’s passport (applicable where individuals have this personal responsibility)
• nationality, UK Immigration / residency and any visa restrictions
• age / date of birth
• parents’ employment / occupation
• gender and sexual orientation
• religious beliefs
• educational / professional qualifications and membership
• educational institution attendance details (schools, colleges, further education / higher education)
• free school meal eligibility (for diversity monitoring)
• employment history
• National Insurance number
• tax documents (P45 / P60)
• contact details for your referees
• National Insurance number
• public sector pension history
• health declaration
• character declaration - including details of unspent convictions, motoring offences, police cautions, insolvency, bankruptcy, time spent outside of the UK and self-employment

The list above only applies to applications made through the Fast Stream system. Some advertisers may use their own application systems, in which case their privacy notice will apply.

For applicants who are current civil servants, we also ask for your:

• work email address
• line manager’s email address
• employer
• job title and grade

When accessing our OnBoarding Zone we will process your:

• personal email address

When you contact us with feedback or an enquiry we will process your:

• personal email address
• the details of your request, which could include any of the above data

When we conduct feedback surveys we will process your:

• Anonymised feedback and answers provided

5. Your data - while being a Fast Streamer (employee) on-scheme

The data:

When you create an account on our HR platform, or update your on-scheme details through these systems we may process your:

• full contact details, including address and telephone number
• your contract of employment
• staff ID number
• salary and payroll information
• emergency contact details
• date of birth
• location
• whether you are currently a civil servant
• degree and detailed module information
• individual assessment and selection scores
• security clearance level, status and expiry date
• physical or mental health condition, illness, impairment or disability
• WorkPlace adjustments
• reasonable adjustment requirements
• diversity and inclusion information, including
  • gender, sexual orientation and ethnicity
  • type of school attended
  • university/universities attended
  • type of degree/degrees
  • receipt of free school meals
  • level of parent education and type of work
  • socio-economic background
• your on-scheme details:
  • your department
  • your job role / title
  • your scheme
  • dates of employment
  • dates of each posting
  • your pay details
  • your department line manager’s name and contact details
• National Insurance number
• public sector pension history
• health declaration
• character declaration - including details of unspent convictions, motoring offences, police cautions, insolvency, bankruptcy, time spent outside of the UK and self-employment
• payroll information

Holding and maintaining your data in our HR and Payroll systems we will process your:

• All above on-scheme data
• qualifications, licences, professional memberships and details of training completed
• changes to payroll information
• expenses information
• all absence and time off information including:
  • annual leave information
  • special leave
  • sickness
  • unauthorised absence
• all performance information including:
  • goals and objectives, and progress against each
  • assessments and performance reviews throughout the programme including: - behaviour, posting, learning and development; personal, training and technical Profession learning - Development Trajectory Assessments (DTAs), End of Scheme Assessments (ESAs) - all scores and results, feedback and recommendations about your performance
  • attendance at mandatory training
  • feedback about yourself from you, your Activity Manager and/or Fast Stream Delivery Manager about progress, and anyone else’s feedback you wish to add.
• one-to-one details including date, conversation summary and Activity Manager name, feedback and approval.
• HR case management details including:
  • performance, conduct and absence issues/outcomes
  • Performance Improvement Plans
  • progress against agreed objectives and details of review points and outcomes
  • photographs, audio and video which may be taken subject to explicit consent of the Fast Stream individual

When registered with a Fast Stream email address we will process your:

• full name
• personal email address
• Fast Stream email address

When accessing the information and guidance platform(s) we will process your:

• Fast Stream email address

When you contact us with feedback, appeals or an enquiry we will process your:

• your email address
• the details of your request, which could include any of the above data

When we conduct feedback surveys we will process your:

• feedback and answers provided
• selected data we hold about you on our HR platform

6. Your data - as an Activity Manager

The data:

During the Fast Stream bidding and matching process we will ask for a posting template to be completed, detailing the nature of the posting and the development available. We will process your:

• full name
• work email address
• department
• grade
• job location
• role title

When you create an account on our HR platform to manage your Fast Streamer(s) we will process your:

• full name
• work email address

When using the HR system to manage the Fast Streamer, we will process your:

• commentary/feedback following Fast Streamer one-to-ones
• commentary/feedback and assessment outcomes following Fast Streamer performance reviews
• approvals, rejections or comments about annual leave, special leave, expenses, objectives

When using our service management platform to request support from FSET, provide feedback or make an enquiry, we will process your:

• full name
• work email address
• department
• query type
• details of query

When using our information and guidance sharing platform, we will process your:

• full name
• work email address
• general (not individual) data analytics to inform how the information site is being used to allow for continuous improvement

When we arrange and conduct Activity Manager training we will use your:

• full name
• work email address
• record of attendance
• anonymised responses to feedback questionnaires

When we conduct feedback surveys we may process your:

• Anonymised feedback and answers provided

7. Your data - as a Fast Streamer leaving the Fast Stream

The data:

When leaving the Fast Stream we will process:

• your personal email address
• preferred phone number
• your Fast Stream profession
• mainstreaming details, including the department, location, profession and job role transferred to
• diversity and inclusion information including: - your age - your gender your ethnicity - your sexual orintation - your family’s socio-economic background - your physical or mental health condition, illness, impairment or disability
• details about leaving the Cabinet Office and transferring to another government department including:
  • annual leave details
  • tax
  • department details
  • dates of time on programme
• details about leaving the Civil Service including the organisation and job role you move to
• your HR personal reference confirming date of employment
• your preference for taking part in the Alumni network, and personal email address for contact
• your preference for taking part in future Fast Stream activities
• reason for leaving the Fast Stream
• answers to feedback survey to hear your thoughts about the Fast Stream

8. Your data - as an Activity Manager leaving the scheme

The data:

When leaving the Fast Stream we will process your:

• full name
• work email address
• account deletion but the data will be kept as part of the Fast Streamer’s records

9. Your data - when engaging with Outreach activities (schools and colleges)

The data:

When you take part in any of the outreach activities aimed at school and college age students, we will process your:

For the Student:

• Your name
• Email address
• Year group
• Your teacher/ careers advisers email address
• Name of school/ college
• Location

Additional for activities delivered in a government building:

• Contact details of your emergency contact (teaching staff or family member)
• Physical or mental health condition, illness, impairment or disability reasonable adjustment requirements

When we conduct feedback surveys we will process your:

• Anonymised feedback and answers provided

For the school/ college main point of contact:

• Your name
• Job title
• Work email address
• Name of school/ college
• Location
• The free school meals (FSM) percentage of your school/ college

When we conduct feedback surveys we will process your:

• Anonymised feedback and answers provided

For the Civil Servant Volunteer:

• Your name
• Job title
• Work email address
• Department
• If relevant - current development scheme
• Location

When we conduct feedback surveys we will process your:

• Anonymised feedback and answers provided

10. Your data - Civil Service Schools Outreach Network (CSSON)

When you join the network, we will process your:

• Name
• Email address
• Job title
• Department/ Team/ Staff Network
• If you target schools, colleges or both
• Locations you target outreach support to

11. Your data - as an Emerging Talent Outreach industry partner

When you agree to partner with the team, we will process your:

• Name
• Job tile
• Work email address
• Name of organisation
• Locations which you target/ support

12. Purpose

The Fast Stream and Emerging Talent team manages many thousands of applicants to the programmes, as well as thousands of on-scheme Fast Streamers, interns and students who may also leave the programmes.

The purposes for which we are processing your personal data are:

• to manage recruitment for Civil Service organisations and non-departmental public bodies. This includes an online application service, online tests and sift tests
• to enable the creation of user accounts
• to provide general and technical support to users
• to monitor the effectiveness of recruitment, onboarding and on-scheme processes - this could include statistical analysis of system usage, or research into the experience of applicants, scheme participants and other users
• to obtain user details of the services to enable action to be taken during recruitment, onboarding, on programme and as they leave the Fast Stream programme
• to monitor application, appointment and progression levels by diversity characteristics
• to monitor the effectiveness of on-scheme delivery and quality of provision; this could include statistical analysis of system usage, research into the experience of users throughout the programme, or evaluating the impact of the schemes on key outcomes
• to support the processing and actioning of enquiries and/or service requests
• to assess how the service(s) impacts different demographics of individuals and to improve our service delivery
• to determine what support an individual may require
• take action for performance, conduct and/or attendance issues
• update the HR and payroll systems with any changes in sickness, pay changes, case management records or personal details

13. Legal basis of processing

The legal basis for processing your personal data is:

• Contractual: it is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party - an employment contract
• Contractual: it is necessary in order to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract for employment
• Legal obligation: it is necessary to comply with a legal obligation placed on us as the data controller - we are required to report on equality of opportunity; and onboarding processes have specific requirements
• Public task: processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the data controller. Civil Service Fast Stream facilitates the recruitment of high-quality candidates to roles across government departments, agencies and other public bodies. It provides recruitment tools and processes that support Civil Service recruitment strategy

Sensitive personal data is personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and the processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation.

The legal basis for processing your sensitive personal data is:

• it is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest for the exercise of a function of the Crown, a Minister of the Crown, or a government department; the exercise of a function conferred on a person by an enactment. Civil Service Fast Stream facilitates the recruitment of high-quality candidates for roles across government departments, agencies and other public bodies. It provides recruitment tools and processes that support the Civil Service Fast Stream recruitment strategy.
• it is necessary for the purposes of performing or exercising our obligations or rights as the controller, or your obligations or rights as the data subject, under employment law, social security law or the law relating to social protection. External recruitment is required to follow the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles. Personal data is processed to ensure that these requirements are met. We are required under the Equality Act 2010 to make appropriate reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability.
• processing is of a specific category of personal data and it is necessary for the purposes of identifying or keeping under review the existence or absence of equality of opportunity or treatment between groups of people with a view to enabling such equality to be promoted or maintained. Diversity and inclusion data processed for this purpose may include ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and disability information. Such data would only ever be processed at an aggregate (group) level, so no individual can be identified from the analysis output.
• it is necessary for statistical purposes, and it is in the public interest. Analysis of applications and recruitment outcomes (including online tests), impact on protected groups, timescales for recruitment, and other research may be carried out.

The processing by us of personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences or related security measures is not carried out under official authority, but is authorised because it meets the following condition:

• it is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest for the exercise of a function of the Crown, a Minister of the Crown, or a government department; the exercise of a function conferred on a person by an enactment.

14. Recipients

Your personal data will be shared by us with:

Account data:

• our technical suppliers and their approved staff

Once you have made an application for our programmes, your information may be shared with:

• approved staff managing vacancies (including recruiters and interview panel members) and places on the programme(s)
• Fast Stream recruitment team
• Fast Stream Emerging Talent team
• the recruiting departments or profession, including their security teams
• service management system

If you request support with your application or for a technical issue:

• approved staff from Cabinet Office
• our technical suppliers and their approved staff
• service management system
• technical suppliers of online tests

Once you have been appointed into a role:

• approved staff from Cabinet Office
• your Activity Manager within the department you are posted to
• with secondment host organisations you are posted to
• the Grade Manager of your department
• with secondment host organisations you are posted to
• the Profession Lead for your scheme
• the Profession Assessor

While on the Fast Stream:

• approved staff from Cabinet Office
• our technical suppliers and their approved staff for our service management system, and HR and payroll systems
• your Activity Manager within the department you are posted to
• with secondment host organisations you are posted to
• the Grade Manager of your department(s)
• the Profession Lead for your scheme
• the Profession Assessor

When you leave the Fast Stream:

• approved staff from Cabinet Office
• our technical suppliers and their approved staff for our service management system, and HR and payroll systems
• your Activity Manager within the department you were posted to
• with secondment host organisations you are posted to
• the Grade Manager of your department(s)
• the Profession Lead for your scheme

All data may be shared with external data analysis organisations to support aggregated statistical analysis that may be required for research purposes.

As your personal data will be stored on our IT infrastructure it will also be shared with our data processors who provide email and document management and storage services to us.

15. Retention

For Fast Stream and Internships, your personal data will be kept by us for the following durations:

• Enquiries made through our Service Management Platform will be held in identifiable form in line with the below user status (applicant, candidate, successful candidate, Employees on-scheme, on exit). This data will then be anonymised and used for historical trend analysis of the enquiries including query category and response times.
• Application records and associated files (including CVs, letters, emails, comment and feedback) will be kept for 1 year. After 1 year your data is anonymised and kept for a period of up to 9 years for research and analysis purposes.
• Candidate accounts – will remain open and accessible for up to 12 months from the date the account was created. After a recruitment campaign has finished the account will be closed and deleted. Once an account has been closed and deleted it can no longer be accessed.
• Successful candidates’ data (including DAS appointees) will be shared with personnel management platforms and security systems as part of the onboarding process. This data will be held by the FSET team for 10 years after the application, to enable longitudinal research on the impact of the programme on key outcomes.
• Fast Streamers (employees on-scheme) will have their data shared with our Civil Service HR and Payroll platforms during their tenure on the Fast Stream Programme and for 10 years after their exit from the programme, to enable longitudinal research on the impact of the programme on key outcomes.
• On exit from the Fast Stream Programme, data may be retained within our Civil Service HR platforms for a total of up to 10 years for research and analysis purposes.
• Feedback during surveys will be retained within our Civil Service data analysis systems for up to 10 years for research and analysis purposes. This data will be processed at an aggregate (group) level, so no individual participant can be identified from any analysis outputs.

16. Automated decision making

Your personal data will be subject to automated decision making when online psychometric tests are used.

The Fast Stream uses online psychometric tests in the early stages of recruitment.

Decisions are made on who to invite to later stages based on automated scoring and sifting processes. In addition, test scores and other applicant data are regularly captured for statistical and research analysis purposes.

Your score is calculated from the responses you give during the test, and no other information about you is used. We compare your score to those gained by a peer group who previously took the test, to give you a standardised normative score. The Fast Stream will have a minimum standardised normative score requirement, and if your score is lower than this, you will be rejected and your application will not be considered further.

17. Your rights

You have the right to request information about how your personal data is processed, and to request a copy of that personal data.

You have the right to request a copy of any personal data you have provided, and for this to be provided in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.

• your personal data except diversity data is available to view in your online account at any time
• you can request a copy of your personal data, in machine-readable format, by contacting us here https://cabinetofficefset.freshdesk.com/support/home - this request may take up to four weeks to process

You have the right to request that any inaccuracies in your personal data are rectified without delay.

You have the right to request that any incomplete personal data are completed.

You have the right to request that your personal data is erased if there is no longer a justification for it to be processed.

You have the right in certain circumstances (for example, where accuracy is contested) to request that the processing of your personal data is restricted.

• if your data is restricted from processing, you cannot be considered for a job

You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data where it is processed for direct marketing purposes.

• your data is not processed for direct marketing purposes

You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data.

• you can object to processing, although you will then be unable to be considered for a job

You have the right, in relation to automatic profiling, to obtain human intervention in the outcome, to express your point of view, and to contest the decision reached by automatic profiling.

• you can contact us here https://cabinetofficefset.freshdesk.com/support/home

Subject Access Requests should be submitted centrally via the contacts section below for the Cabinet Office Data Protection Officer.

18. International transfers

As your personal data is stored on our IT infrastructure, and shared with our data processors who provide email, and document management and storage services, it may be transferred and stored securely outside the European Economic Area. Where that is the case it will be subject to equivalent legal protection through the use of Model Contract Clauses.

19. Complaints

If you consider that your personal data has been misused or mishandled, you may make a complaint to the Information Commissioner, who is an independent regulator.

The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
0303 123 1113
casework@ico.org.uk

Any complaint to the Information Commissioner is without prejudice to your right to seek redress through the courts.

20. Contact details

Cabinet Office is the data controller for your account details, and for any applications you have not yet submitted.

Cabinet Office and the department you apply to are joint data controllers for your personal data within your submitted applications.

The data controller for your personal data is the Cabinet Office. The contact details for the data controller are:

Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS
0207 276 1234
publiccorrespondence@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

The contact details for Cabinet Office’s Data Protection Officer (DPO) are:

Stephen Jones (DPO)
Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS
dpo@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

The Data Protection Officer provides independent advice and monitoring of Cabinet Office’s use of personal information.

21. Updates to this notice

If this privacy notice changes in any way, we will place an updated version on this page. Regularly reviewing this page ensures you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances we will share it with other parties. Last updated: 30th August 2024