The Castings provides short term accommodation and housing support services to homeless persons. This notice provides details of what information we collect from you, what we do with it and who it might be shared with.
Identity and contact details of the controller and the data protection officer
Falkirk Council is the data controller. You can contact the data protection officer at:
Frequently asked questions
Why do we collect this information?
We need to process your data in order to ensure that the services we are providing are fit for purpose, efficient and effective whilst meeting our statutory and legal obligations. The information is being collected for the following purposes:
- To provide suitable temporary accommodation
- To provide housing support services (as appropriate)
The lawful basis for each purpose is set out below:
| Legal basis |
Purpose |
| Consent |
|
| Performance of a contract |
1 |
| Legal obligation |
1, 2 |
| Vital interests |
|
| Task carried out in the public interest |
1, 2 |
| Legitimate interests |
|
Where we are relying on tasks carried out in the public interest or legal obligation, we must comply with various pieces of legislation. Some of the key pieces of legislation we adhere to are detailed below.
- Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 and 2001
- Homelessness etc (Scotland) Act 2003
- Housing Support Services (Homelessness) (Scotland) Regulations 2012
As a Local Authority landlord our performance is monitored by the Care Inspectorate and the Scottish Housing Regulator to which we report our performance using anonymised statistical data.
What information do we collect about you?
For all of the purposes detailed above, we collect basic personal data. This can include your name, date of birth and contact details (including telephone number, email or address), National Insurance Number. We need to know your housing history and your current housing status in order to process your application.
To determine your housing needs and to identify and provide suitable support to enable you to maintain a tenancy, we gather additional information which may include gender, employment status, current financial position and next of kin details. It may also include ethnicity, religion, language spoken, disability and any health issues or addictions.
We collect information that will support you during your stay. This may include referrals made to support services on your behalf and records of meeting and action plans that have been put in place.
We also collect information to assist in any welfare benefits matters such as copy of photographic ID, medical certificates, rent control cards and welfare checks, bank statements and Scottish Welfare Fund information.
We keep copies of your communications with us and our responses. This allows us to record our communications with you, make decisions, monitor our performance and improve the services that we deliver.
CCTV equipment is used on the premises and records people entering and leaving the building, all common areas, stair wells and immediate grounds outside. Please see our separate Privacy Notice for Council Premises CCTV for further information.
Upon leaving The Castings we may record information relating to any personal items stored with us during your stay.
We will keep your information safe and secure and have systems, processes and training designed to achieve this.
Where do we collect information from?
We collect information from you using a variety of different methods, including when you complete one of our forms, when you call, write, email or meet with us. We may also obtain information about you from other Falkirk Council services.
We may collect information from other sources including Police Scotland, NHS Forth Valley, other landlords, other Local Authorities, and voluntary organisations like SACRO, Signpost and Falkirk District Association Mental Health (FDAMH).
Who might we share your information with?
We share information with our contractors who are carrying out services on our behalf.
We may share information with our community partners such as NHS Forth Valley and Police Scotland. We also share with registered social landlords, other council services, other Local Authorities, and voluntary organisations like SACRO, Signpost and FDAMH.
The Council has a duty to protect public funds. We may check your information within the Council for verification purposes and/or for the prevention of fraud and for the exercise and defence of legal claims. We may share your information with other organisations where we are required to do so for the purposes of the prevention or detection of crime.
Will we send your information outwith the UK?
We do not transfer your information outwith the UK. Should it become necessary to do so, we would ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.
How long do we keep hold of your information?
We keep your information as long as required by law or by our business requirements. We have a Business Classification Scheme in place which sets out the types of records we hold, and how long we hold them - you can access the relevant part of the scheme below.
- Downloads
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Housing
PDF file, 607.6 KB
What are my rights in relation to the information held about me?
You have the following rights:
- To see any information held about you by making a subject access request.
- To withdraw consent at any time, where the legal basis for processing is consent.
- To data portability, where the legal basis for processing is (i) consent or (ii) performance of a contract.
- To request rectification or erasure of your information, where data protection legislation allows this.
Do I have a right to complain about the way information has been used?
If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, please let us know and we will try to resolve this. If you are still concerned, you can contact the Information Commissioner:
Do I have to provide my personal data to you?
Yes, as we are complying with legislation or contract, we need this information to ensure that we are meeting these requirements and providing the best quality services.
If we did not collect this information, we would be unable to meet our obligation and provide you with the services you are entitled to.
Do you use any automated processes to make decisions about me?
We do not use automated decision making processes.
This notice was last updated in January 2019.