This Privacy Notice explains how Manchester City Council uses your personal data. There is more information in our detailed Children’s Social Care Privacy Notice. Children might need help from an adult to understand this.
What is personal data?
Personal data is information about you and your life. This could be things like your name, date of birth and where you live. We also keep more complicated information like things that have happened to you at home or school, or problems we need to help you and your family with.
There are some types of data we must be extra careful with. This is called special category personal data and includes information about your health or disabilities, and your ethnic origin or religion. Sometimes we need to keep information about crimes, including when other people say you have done something wrong.
Why do you need to keep my personal data?
The law says that we must work to make sure children in Manchester are safe and doing well. We need your personal data to work out how best to help you and your family, and to show that we are doing our work properly.
Where do you get it from and who is allowed to see it?
We get a lot of your personal data from you and other members of your family. We also get information from other people involved in your life such as:
- Your teachers and other people at school
- Your doctor or hospitals where you’ve had treatment
- Other councils if you lived somewhere else before you came to Manchester
- The police
Sometimes we have to share your information with those people because we must all work together to help keep you safe. We always make sure we only give them the information they need to do their job.
Sometimes we have to give information about you to other people so they can help you too. These people could be:
- People who foster or adopt children who can’t live with their family any more
- Judges and other people who work in the courts
How long do you keep my personal data?
This depends on the sort of help we have given you, but we don’t keep your information for longer than we need to. We have to keep the information for many years If you have been in council care, foster care, or you are adopted. This is so you can always find out about your earlier life once you are an adult.
How do I know what personal data you have about me?
You can ask for a copy of your personal data. This is called a subject access request. Just ask the person who is working with you.
You can also ask us to correct or delete information you think is wrong. Sometimes we can’t do this but we will always explain why.
What if I think you’re not following the rules about my personal data?
You can tell our Data Protection Officer, Michael Seal. The best way to get in touch with Michael is to send an email to dpo@manchester.gov.uk
You can also get advice or complain to the Information Commissioner's Office through their website - Advice services for members of the public | ICO