Angus Independent Advocacy (AIA) is committed to protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy.

This Privacy Notice explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we may share it with, how long we keep it, and the rights you have under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Who we are

Angus Independent Advocacy is an independent advocacy organisation supporting people across Angus to have their voice heard and their rights upheld.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or how we use your personal information, please contact us:

Angus Independent Advocacy
5–7 The Cross
Forfar
DD8 1BX

Telephone: 01241 434413
Email: enquiries@angusindadvocacy.org

What information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with us and the services you receive.

This may include:

• your name and contact details;
• your date of birth;
• emergency contact details;
• information relating to the advocacy support you receive;
• information provided by you or, where appropriate, by professionals involved in your support;
• correspondence with you;
• records of meetings and advocacy activity;
• information submitted through our website, including referral and consent forms.

Where necessary to provide our services, we may also process special category personal information, such as information relating to health, disability, ethnicity or other sensitive information.

Why we use your information

We use your personal information to:

• provide independent advocacy;
• respond to enquiries and referrals;
• communicate with you about our services;
• manage, monitor and improve our services;
• meet our legal and regulatory obligations;
• safeguard children and adults where required by law; and
• produce anonymous statistical information to help us understand the impact of our work and improve our services.

We only collect and use information that is necessary for these purposes.

Our lawful basis

Depending on the circumstances, we process personal information using one or more of the lawful bases available under the UK GDPR, including:

• where you have given your consent;
• where processing is necessary to provide the advocacy service you have requested;
• where we are required to comply with a legal obligation;
• where processing is necessary to protect someone's vital interests; or
• where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests as a charity, provided these do not override your rights and freedoms.

Where we process special category personal information, we do so in accordance with the additional conditions set out in the Data Protection Act 2018.

Sharing your information

We treat your information confidentially.

We will only share your information:

• with your agreement, where appropriate;
• where necessary to provide advocacy support;
• where required by law;
• where there is a safeguarding concern or risk of serious harm; or
• where another lawful basis permits or requires us to do so.

Where information is shared, we will only share the minimum amount of information necessary for the relevant purpose.

We do not sell your personal information.

How long we keep your information

We only keep personal information for as long as it is necessary.

Advocacy records are retained in accordance with our Data Retention Schedule. In most cases, personal information relating to advocacy support is securely destroyed 12 months after your last contact with AIA, unless there is a legal, safeguarding or regulatory reason for it to be retained for longer.

Your rights

Under the UK GDPR you have the right to:

• be informed about how we use your personal information;
• request access to the personal information we hold about you;
• request that inaccurate or incomplete information is corrected;
• request erasure of your information in certain circumstances;
• request that we restrict how we process your information;
• object to certain types of processing; and
• request a copy of information you have provided to us where the right to data portability applies.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exemptions.

Subject Access Requests

You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.

Requests can be made by contacting us using the details above.

Further information about your information rights is available from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Website information

When you visit our website, we may collect limited technical information, such as your IP address, browser type and pages visited. This information helps us maintain the security and performance of our website and understand how it is used.

If you choose to contact us or submit an enquiry, referral or consent form through our website, we will use the information you provide only for the purpose of responding to your enquiry, processing your referral or providing advocacy services, in accordance with this Privacy Notice.

Please read this Privacy Notice before submitting personal information through our website.

Data protection concerns

If you have concerns about how Angus Independent Advocacy has handled your personal information or responded to a request relating to your information, please contact us in the first instance.

We will review your concerns through our internal Data Protection Complaints Procedure.

If you remain dissatisfied following the completion of our internal complaints process, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Changes to this Privacy Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in legislation or how we process personal information.

The latest version will always be available on our website.