Hear for Norfolk Privacy Policy

How we use your information

This privacy notice tells you what to expect when Hear for Norfolk collects personal information. It applies to information we collect about:

• people who use our services, including those who subscribe to our Friends of Hear for Norfolk scheme, to our newsletter or request information from us
• people who support us
• visitors to our website
• feedback from people who access our services and activities
• complaints from people who receive/d our support
• people who attend our training courses, and
• job applicants and our current and former employees, trustees and volunteers.

People who use Hear for Norfolk services

Hear for Norfolk offers various services to the public. On occasions we might refer our service users to other organisations for additional or specialist support, but the referral will be made only with the consent of the service users. In very rare occasions there may be exception to seeking consent where the situation falls under the Protection of Vulnerable Adults legislations.

We have to hold the details of the people who have requested the service in order to provide it. We only use these details to provide the service the person has requested and for other closely related purposes. For example, we might use information about people who have requested information to carry out a survey to find out if they are happy with the level of service they received or to invite them to join the Friends of Hear for Norfolk scheme. When people do subscribe to our Friends of Hear for Norfolk scheme, they can cancel their subscription at any time and are given an easy way of doing this. We do not share their personal data with any third parties.

People who support us

If you support us, for example make a donation, volunteer, register to fundraise or sign up for an event, we will usually collect:

• Your name
• Your contact details
• Your date of birth
• Your bank details

Where it is appropriate we may also ask for:

• Information relating to your health (for example if you are taking part in a high risk event)
• Why you have decided to donate to us. We will never make this question mandatory, and only want to know the answer if you are comfortable telling us.

We will mainly use your data to:

• Provide you with the services or information you asked for
• Write a Thank You letter to you
• Administer your donation or support your fundraising, including processing gift aid
• Keep a record of your relationship with us
• Ensure we know how you prefer to be contacted
• Understand how we can improve our services, advice or information.

Visitors to our website

When someone visits www.hearfornorfolk.org.uk we may use a third party service, Google Analytics, to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. We do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. This information is processed in a way which does not identify anyone. We do not make, and do not allow Google to make, any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting our website. If we do want to collect personally identifiable information through our website, we will make it explicit. We will make it clear when we collect personal information and will explain what we intend to do with it.

Use of cookies by Hear for Norfolk

You can read about how we use cookies by following the link to our Cookies Policy.

Search engine

The search facility on our website is provided by WordPress only searches the content on our website. No user-specific data is collected by either WordPress, Hear for Norfolk or any third party.

Security and performance

Hear for Norfolk uses a third party service to help maintain the security and performance of the Hear for Norfolk website. To deliver this service it processes the IP addresses of visitors to the Hear for Norfolk website.

WordPress

We use a third party service, WordPress.com, to host our website pages. We use a standard WordPress service to collect anonymous information about users’ activity on the site, for example the number of users viewing pages on the site, to monitor and report on the effectiveness of the site and help us improve it. WordPress requires visitors that want to contact us via the website to enter a name and email address if visitors contact us through our website. We may also request additional information, such as phone number, in order to improve our service. This information is emailed directly to Hear for Norfolk and is not stored on our website.

People who contact us via social media

We manage our social media interactions directly.

If you send us a private or direct message via social media the message will be stored by Hear for Norfolk for three months. It will not be shared with any other organisations.

People who call us by telephone

When you call Hear for Norfolk we collect personal information about the caller to ensure that we provide the appropriate and correct service or information.

People who email us

Hear for Norfolk has its own, secure network, which meets the Cyber Essentials implementation profile. Any email sent to us, including any attachments, may be monitored and used by us for reasons of security and for monitoring compliance with office policy. Email monitoring or blocking software may also be used. Please be aware that you have a responsibility to ensure that any email you send to us is within the bounds of the law.

People who provide us with feedback on our services and activities

We use the information collected to improve and develop our services and activities, monitor the impact of the services, address any concerns identified by the respondents and provide any further information or support they might have requested. In our analysis we do not identify the individuals that provided the feedback and there is no third party involved in entering or analysing the data.

People who make a complaint to us

When we receive a complaint from a person we make up a file containing the details of the complaint. This normally contains the identity of the complainant and any other individuals involved in the complaint.

We will only use the personal information we collect to process the complaint.

We usually have to disclose the complainant’s identity to whoever the complaint is about. This is inevitable where, for example, the accuracy of a person’s record is in dispute. If a complainant doesn’t want information identifying him or her to be disclosed, we will try to respect that. However, it may not be possible to handle a complaint on an anonymous basis.

We will keep personal information contained in complaint files in line with our retention policy. This means that information relating to a complaint will be retained for two years from closure. It will be retained in a secure environment and access to it will be restricted according to the ‘need to know’ principle.

Similarly, where enquiries are submitted to us we will only use the information supplied to us to deal with the enquiry and any subsequent issues and to check on the level of service we provide.

People who attend our training courses

When individuals apply to attend one of our training courses, they submit their information in an application form. Any personal information that is provided in the application and during course attendance, are used only for the purpose of ongoing administration and management of learners and their achievements. If the learner undertakes an accredited course then their personal information with be shared with the accrediting body.

Job applicants, current and former Hear for Norfolk employees, trustees and volunteers

Hear for Norfolk is the data controller for the information you provide during the process unless otherwise stated. If you have any queries about the process or how we handle your information please contact us at nda@hearfornorfolk.org.uk

What will we do with the information you provide to us?

All of the information you provide during the process will only be used for the purpose of progressing your application, or to fulfil legal or regulatory requirements if necessary.

We will not share any of the information you provide during the recruitment process with any third parties for marketing purposes or store any of your information outside of the European Economic Area. The information you provide will be held securely by us and/or our data processors whether the information is in electronic or physical format.

We will use the contact details you provide to us to contact you to progress your application. We will use the other information you provide to assess your suitability for the role you have applied for.

What information do we ask for, and why?

We do not collect more information than we need to fulfill our stated purposes and will not retain it for longer than is necessary.

The information we ask for is used to assess your suitability for employment. You don’t have to provide what we ask for but it might affect your application if you don’t.

Application stage

We ask you for your personal details including name and contact details. We will also ask you about your previous experience, education, referees and for answers to questions relevant to the role you have applied for. Our recruitment team will have access to all of this information.

You will also be asked to provide equal opportunities information. This is not mandatory information – if you don’t provide it, it will not affect your application. This information will not be made available to any staff outside of our recruitment team, including hiring managers, in a way which can identify you. Any information you do provide, will be used only to produce and monitor equal opportunities statistics.

Shortlisting

Our hiring managers shortlist applications for interview. They will not be provided with your name or contact details or with your equal opportunities information if you have provided it.

Assessments

We might ask you to participate in assessment days; complete tests or occupational personality profile questionnaires; and/or to attend an interview – or a combination of these. Information will be generated by you and by us. For example, you might complete a written test or we might take interview notes. This information is held by Hear for Norfolk.

If you are unsuccessful following assessment for the position you have applied for, we may ask if you would like your details to be retained in our talent pool for a period of six months. If you say yes, we would proactively contact you should any further suitable vacancies arise.

Conditional offer

If we make a conditional offer of employment we will ask you for information so that we can carry out pre-employment checks. You must successfully complete pre-employment checks to progress to a final offer. We are required to confirm the identity of our staff, their right to work in the United Kingdom and seek assurance as to their trustworthiness, integrity and reliability.

You will therefore be required to provide:

• Proof of your identity – you will be asked to attend our office with original documents, we will take copies.
• Proof of your qualifications – you will be asked to attend our office with original documents, we will take copies.

You will be asked to complete a criminal records declaration to declare any unspent convictions.

We will provide your email address to the GBG Online Disclosure Service through their portal https://gbg.onlinedisclosures.co.uk/Landing/LandingPage who will contact you to complete an application for a Criminal Record check via the Disclosure and Barring Service, which will verify your declaration of unspent convictions.

We will contact your referees, using the details you provide in your application, directly to obtain references

We will also ask you to complete a questionnaire about your health. This is to establish your fitness to work.

If we make a final offer, we will also ask you for the following:

• Bank details – to process salary and expenses payments
• Emergency contact details – so we know who to contact in case you have an emergency at work
• Post start date

Our Code of Conduct requires all staff to declare if they have any potential conflicts of interest. If you complete a declaration, the information will be held on your personnel file.

We require that all employees and volunteers sign the Confidentiality and Business Protection Agreement, which is also held in your personnel file.

How long is the information retained for?

If you are successful, the information you provide during the application process will be retained by us as part of your employee file for the duration of your employment plus 6 years following the end of your employment. This includes your criminal records declaration, fitness to work, records of any security checks and references.

If you are unsuccessful at any stage of the process, the information you have provided until that point will be retained for 6 months from the closure of the campaign.

Information generated throughout the assessment process, for example interview notes, is retained by us for 6 months following the closure of the campaign.

Equal opportunities information is retained for 6 months following the closure of the campaign whether you are successful or not.

How we make decisions about recruitment?

Final recruitment decisions are made by hiring managers and members of our recruitment team. All of the information gathered during the application process is taken into account.

You are able to ask about decisions made about your application by speaking to your contact within our recruitment team or by emailing ceo@hearfornorfolk.org.uk

Your rights

Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you have rights as an individual which you can exercise in relation to the information we hold about you.

You can read more about these rights here – https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/is-my-information-being-handled-correctly/

Complaints or queries

Hear for Norfolk tries to meet the highest standards when collecting and using personal information. For this reason, we take any complaints we receive about this very seriously. We encourage people to bring it to our attention if they think that our collection or use of information is unfair, misleading or inappropriate. We would also welcome any suggestions for improving our procedures.

This privacy notice was drafted with brevity and clarity in mind. It does not provide exhaustive detail of all aspects of Hear for Norfolk’s collection and use of personal information. However, we are happy to provide any additional information or explanation needed. Any requests for this should be sent to the address below.

If you want to make a complaint about the way we have processed your personal information, you can contact us on ceo@hearfornorfolk.org.uk or 01603 404440.

Access to personal information

Hear for Norfolk tries to be as open as it can be in terms of giving people access to their personal information. Individuals can find out if we hold any personal information by making a ‘subject access request’ under the Data Protection Act 1998. If we do hold information about you we will:

• give you a description of it
• tell you why we are holding it
• tell you who it could be disclosed to, and
• let you have a copy of the information in an intelligible form.

To make a request to Hear for Norfolk for any personal information we may hold, you need to put the request in writing addressing it to our Chief Executive, or writing to the address provided below.

If you agree, we will try to deal with your request informally, for example by providing you with the specific information you need over the telephone or in person. If we do hold information about you, you can ask us to correct any mistakes by, once again, contacting the Chief Executive.

Disclosure of personal information

In many circumstances we will not disclose personal data without consent. However in exceptional circumstances, when we are dealing with a safeguarding issue, for example, we will need to share personal information with the organisation concerned and with other relevant bodies. Further information is available in our Information Governance Policy, Protection of Vulnerable Adults Policy and Confidentiality Policy about the factors we shall consider when deciding whether information should be disclosed.

You can also get further information on:

• agreements we have with other organisations for sharing information
• circumstances where we can pass on personal data without consent for example, to safeguard a person
• our instructions to staff on how to collect, use and delete personal data, and
• how we check that the information we hold is accurate and up to date.

Links to other websites

This privacy notice does not cover the links within this site linking to other websites. We encourage you to read the privacy statements on the other websites you visit.

Changes to this privacy notice

We keep our privacy notice under regular review. This privacy notice was last updated on 4th January 2018.

How to contact us

If you want to request information about our privacy policy you can email us at nda@hearfornorfolk.org.uk or write to:

Chief Executive

14 Meridian Way
Meridian Business Park
Norwich
Norfolk
NR7 0TA

If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible, at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.