Refugee and Asylum Seeker Privacy Notice

This privacy notice is designed to help you understand how we use personal information when delivering the service provided by the Refugee and Asylum Seeker Team in support of residents who arrived in the Borough through recognised Government Resettlement schemes including the Homes for Ukraine and three Afghan schemes and also asylum seekers. We use personal information to provide Benefit Advice, Employment Support, Housing Support, Digital Support, support in Emergencies and financial assistance. It includes the services covered, the information we will use to deliver the services, who we will share it with, and how long we will keep it.

As part of the Resettlement schemes (UKRS, ARAP, ACRS, HFU) currently operating with Cheshire West and Chester Council, along with Asylum Seekers housed in the Borough. As the Local Authority, we receive information from the Home Office, MOD on each person being welcomed into the Cheshire West and Chester area.

Act in the best interests and promote the physical and mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and adults
Encourage and take into account the views, wishes and feelings of children, young people and adults
Help those children, young people and adults gain access to and make the best use of services provided by the local authority and its relevant partners to live a safe and happy life
Promote high aspirations and seek to secure the best outcomes for children, young people and adults
Keep children, young people and adults safe and stable in their home lives, relationships and education or work
Prepare children and young people for adulthood and independent living
Provide advice, emotional support, and practical assistance and safety measures

What information we collect, use, and why

Whenever you get in touch with us either in person, by phone or online, we need to collect certain information to ensure we can provide the best possible support. This information helps us identify you, understand your needs, and tailor our services accordingly. We categorise the information we collect into three main types: personal data, special category data, and criminal data.

Personal Data

We collect the following personal data to deliver our services:

Name, address, and contact details: To identify and communicate with you
Date of birth: To verify your identity and eligibility for certain services
National identifiers (e.g., NHS number, National Insurance number): To uniquely identify you and access relevant records
Family relationships and friendships: To understand your support network and provide appropriate services
Lifestyle and social circumstances: To tailor services to your specific needs and circumstances. Including any information relating to any safeguarding concerns, vulnerability or any reported risks posed to yourself or others
Financial details: To assess eligibility for financial support and manage payments
Employment and education details: To provide employment and educational support services
Housing needs: To assess and address your housing requirements
Case file information: To maintain accurate records of the services provided to you. Including an assessment of what support you need now and how we can help you in the future
Visa/ Evisa / passport Information: To verify your identity and eligibility for certain services
Home Office Data eg; NASS Reference Number, Immigration Status: To verify your identity and eligibility for certain services

Special Category Data

We collect the following special category data to deliver our services:

Physical or mental health details: To deliver health and social care services tailored to your needs
Racial or ethnic origin: To ensure equality and diversity in service provision
Religious or other beliefs: To respect and accommodate your beliefs in service provision
Advocacy details: To provide advocacy support and ensure your voice is heard

Criminal Data

We collect the following criminal data to deliver our services:

Criminal proceedings, outcomes, and sentences: To provide appropriate support and comply with legal requirements
Offences (including alleged offences): To assess risk and provide appropriate support

Sources of Information

We primarily collect information directly from you. However, in certain circumstances we also receive information from:

Cheshire West and Chester Council Services, including: education, children’s social care, Housing Options, adult social care
health service providers including NHS agencies (GPs, Hospitals, Ambulance, Health Visitor, Mental Health services)
education providers
care providers, e.g. day care, domiciliary, residential
Government agencies (e.g. Department of Health, Department of Work and Pensions, Home Office and MOD)
support groups for people with disabilities
local government and other Local Authorities
Cheshire police
Commissioned services including – drug and alcohol services
Advocacy services, voluntary, faith and community sector organisations eg-CHAWREC
Housing Associations – including – Muir Housing, Sanctuary Housing, Weaver Vale Housing Trust, For Housing

What is your personal information used for?

We use your information to:

assess you or a family member’s needs to deliver a service to you or handle your query
detect and prevent crime or fraud
improve our service delivery, in certain circumstances we use personal information to create statistics which help us to see how our services are being used and how they should be funded
monitor the quality of the services we provide and check how our services are performing overall, for example by requesting your feedback
evidence positive outcomes to funding agencies
act in the best interests and promote the physical and mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and adults
encourage and take into account the views, wishes and feelings of children, young people and adults
help those children, young people and adults gain access to and make the best use of services provided by the local authority and its relevant partners to live a safe and happy life
promote high aspirations and seek to secure the best outcomes for children, young people and adults
keep children, young people and adults safe and stable in their home lives, relationships and education or work
prepare children and young people for adulthood and independent living
provide advice, emotional support, and practical assistance and safety measures

Who Do We Share Your Information With?

We share your information only when necessary or required by law. This includes sharing with the following organisations for the reasons outlined below:

Health Service Providers (e.g., NHS, GPs, hospitals): To ensure you receive appropriate medical care and support, and to coordinate health services
Education Providers: To support your educational needs and ensure you receive appropriate educational services
Care Providers (e.g., day care, domiciliary, residential): To provide you with necessary care services and support tailored to your needs
Government Agencies (e.g., Department of Health, DWP, Home Office, Ministry of Defence): To comply with legal obligations, access benefits, and ensure you receive the support you are entitled to
Support Groups for People with Disabilities: To connect you with relevant support groups that can provide additional assistance and resources
Local Government and other Local Authorities (e.g., electoral roll purposes): To fulfil statutory duties, such as maintaining the electoral roll and providing local services including education, children’s social care, Housing Options, adult social care
Police: To assist in the prevention and detection of crime, and to ensure your safety and the safety of others
Substance Misuse Agencies: To provide support and treatment for substance misuse issues
Advocacy Services: To ensure your voice is heard and your rights are protected, especially if you need assistance in making decisions
Fire and Rescue Services: To ensure your safety in case of emergencies and to provide fire safety advice and support
Housing Associations: To address your housing needs and provide appropriate housing support
Services commissioned by Refugee and Asylum Seeker Team (RAS)
Language Translation Services eg– Premium Linguistics

By sharing your information with these organisations, we aim to provide you with comprehensive and coordinated support, ensuring your needs are met effectively and efficiently.

Data Processors

We use data processors to support our activities and ensure efficient service delivery. These data processors include:

Gov.UK Notify: To contact you about a service, providing timely updates and important information related to the services you receive
Firmstep: Our case management system for logging your contact with us when you contact our contact centre, helping us maintain accurate records and provide consistent support

By using these data processors, we aim to enhance our service delivery, ensure the security of your information, and provide you with the best possible support.

Data Controller

We are the Data Controllers for this processing.

The Lawful Basis for Processing

Most of the personal information we collect is provided by you. Under Article 6 of the UK GDPR, we rely on the following lawful bases for processing your personal data:

Legal Obligation (UK GDPR Article 6(c)): We are legally required to process your data
Public Task (UK GDPR Article 6(e)): We need to process your data to perform a task in the public interest or as part of our official functions

Special Category Data

When we collect special category data, we rely on the following lawful bases under Article 9 of the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018)

Substantial Public Interest (UK GDPR Article 9(2)(g) and DPA 2018 Schedule 1): We need to process your data for reasons of substantial public interest, as required by UK legislation

Additional Provisions for Special Category Data

When we collect special category data for reasons such as substantial public interest, we do so under the Data Protection Act 2018 Schedule 1. The specific reasons include:

Equality of Opportunity or Treatment: To ensure equal opportunities and treatment
Support for Individuals with a Particular Disability or Medical Condition: To provide support for individuals with specific needs
Safeguarding of Children and Individuals at Risk: To safeguard children and vulnerable individuals
Safeguarding of economic well-being of certain individuals: To safeguard the economic well-being of certain individuals

The legislation we rely on when using your personal information to meet our legal obligations or public tasks includes but is not limited to:

section 98, section 95 or Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
section 59 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 allows the Home Office to share personal data in connection with the settlement of migrants. As a Crown Department the Home Office (UKVI) will also rely on its Common Law Powers to share personal data with the Local Authority

International Data Transfers

We ensure your personal information is protected if transferred outside the UK by using appropriate safeguards, including:

Adequacy Decisions: Transferring data to countries with adequate data protection laws
Appropriate Safeguards: Using Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs), or International Data Transfer Agreements (IDTAs)
Derogations for Specific Situations: Relying on your explicit consent, performance of a contract, public interest, legal claims, or vital interests
Risk Assessments: Conducting risk assessments to ensure data protection standards are maintained
Technical and Organisational Measures: Implementing encryption, access controls, and regular audits to protect your data

These measures ensure your personal information remains secure and your rights are upheld, even when transferred internationally.

Retention Period

We will only use your personal information whilst delivering the service to you and to deal with any questions or complaints that we receive about this unless the law requires us to keep it for a longer period. In practice, this means that your personal information will be retained for the relevant period listed below dependant on our involvement with you:

Your information will be kept for two years following the closure of the schemes and then securely deleted

If we need to use your information for research or reports, your information will be anonymised and any information taken from notes (hand written or typed) during any consultation sessions will be securely destroyed. The information will continue to be used in a summarised and anonymised form in any research reports or papers that are published. The anonymised information in the papers that will be of historic interest and will be held in public archives indefinitely.

Your Rights

The UK GDPR provides you with a several rights to control what personal information is used by us and how it is used by us.

Further guidance about these rights can be accessed from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website.

If you are not happy about the way your personal data is being used, or you require further information about how we process your personal data, you can contact Council’s Data Protection Team:-

Online: Contact the DPO
By post: Data Protection Officer, The Portal, Wellington Road, Ellesmere Port, CH65 0BA

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office using the following details:

Website: Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Instant Message: Live Chat
By post: The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113