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Does Connexions Birmingham keep information about me?

Yes we do. The Connexions Service holds information or data about you to help us provide you with the guidance and support you require to progress in education, training or employment. Other people, such as your doctor or teacher, will also hold information about you so that they can provide you with the best possible service. We hold all our information electronic form on a secure database called Insight.

Where does Connexions Birmingham get my information from?

Connexions Birmingham is part of Birmingham City Council so that’s where we get most of our information from to begin with. We also get information about you from other organisations we work with, for example schools.

These organisations are sometimes required to give us certain information by law.

Any further information kept about you will be information that you have given us when talking to your Personal Adviser (PA).

What sort of information does Connexions Birmingham keep about me?

The sort of information that is kept about you includes:

• First names(s) and surname
• Date of Birth
• Address, including postcode
• Telephone number/email address
• Gender (Male or Female)
• Ethnicity* (Black Caribbean, White British, Indian, etc...)**
• School/College attended
• GCSE results, if appropriate
• What you plan to do when you leave school or college (known as Intended Destination)
• Whether you have been submitted to or received offers for college courses, apprenticeships or jobs
• What you are doing (for example in school, college, employed, unemployed)
• Your Lead Personal Adviser name and her/his office and contact details
• Level of support provided by Connexions Birmingham
• Record of all contacts you have had with Personal Advisers
• Parent/Carer contact name, if necessary
• Information on your health**
• Criminal convictions**

* We are obliged to record ethnicity information to comply with The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.
** The processing of sensitive personal information is strictly controlled by law. We will always try to gain your consent to record and share sensitive information, for example, about health or criminal convictions, but there may be times when we are legally required to record and share this information without your consent. Where there are issues in connection with safeguarding, child protection or child exploitation, we are required to share information with other organisations but you can read more about that a little further on in this guide.

What do you do with the information you collect about me?

People who work with you, such as a Connexions PA will use your information to understand your circumstances and provide the best help available. This may involve sharing the information with other organisations. Your information will also be used to produce reports and statistics, but in these cases it will not be possible to identify you.

Where is the information about me kept?

Sometimes your information records are on paper but most of your information is kept on our database called Insight, which we mentioned at the start of this webpage. In either case your information is kept securely and only made available to authorised Connexions Birmingham staff.

They can only access it on a “need to know” basis by using their unique password which they do not share with anyone else.

Your PA will agree with you what information is to be recorded after each interview you have with them. Each time we record information about you we will apply the following standards:

• We will only record information that is relevant.
• We will only record factual information and keep this up-to-date and accurate.
• We will record information clearly so that it is easy to understand.
• We will always show where information has come from.
• We will only keep information for as long as is necessary then remove it.

Who do you share my information with?

Our policy is to be open with you about how we work with or share information with other organisations.

Sometimes we might need to share information about you if we have concerns about safeguarding, child protection or child exploitation. Whenever we share information, we have to apply the following standards:

• We only use or pass on information if it is in your interests and relevant.
• We will only record information about you that is given to us by other organisations if it is relevant to our service.

This is not a complete list, but some of the organisations we work with include:

• Children’s Social Care
• Colleges
• Connexions Services in other areas
• Health Professionals
• Housing
• Jobcentres
• Police
• Schools
• Training Providers
• Young People’s Learning Agency
• Youth Offending Teams
• Youth Service
• Voluntary organisations like Barnardo's and Action for Children

Can I see my information?

When you see your PA you can see your information on the computer screen if they are logged into the database at the time.

If you want a copy of the information we keep about you, you must apply in writing, to the

Data Protection and Freedom of Information Team
Children, Young People and Families Directorate
Martineau Centre
Balden Road
Birmingham
B32 2EH

There may be a small administration fee to provide this information.

A simple note, saying, “I would like to see the records that Connexions Birmingham keeps about me” signed and dated with your name and contact details will do.

We need to make sure that requests for information are authentic and that we are sending the information to the right person.

To help us make sure that we have the correct person we suggest that you call in to one of our Connexions Centres or see your PA in school or college. You can write out your request in advance and then sign and date it in front of your PA. You might be asked to provide some ID if the PA or other member of staff does not already know you. They will then pass your request on to Children, Young People and Families Directorate, Data Protection and Freedom of Information Team. Once we have verified that you have made this request in line with the legal requirements, we will respond to you within 40 calendar days.

What if I don’t want Connexions to record or share my information?

If you do not wish us to record or share certain information with other organisations, you will need to tell your PA. They will discuss the consequences of this with you, as it may restrict the service that we can provide.

We will record on the database when you have given consent to record or share information. Each time you see a PA they will check whether you are happy with us continuing to record and share information about you. If you wish to withdraw your consent for us to record or share information we will also record this on the database.

If you have any further questions about the information on this webpage you should either discuss it with your PA or contact:

Data Protection and Freedom of Information Team
Children, Young People and Families Directorate
Martineau Centre
Balden Road
Birmingham
B32 2EH
Tel: 0121 464 4591

You can download a leaflet version of this information.

You can always get advice on data protection from:

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

Information Line: 01625 545 745
Website: www.dataprotection.gov.uk
Email: data@dataprotection.gov.uk