Maidstone Citizens Advice Client Privacy Policy

At Citizens Advice we collect and use your personal information to help solve your problems, improve our services and tackle wider issues in society that affect people’s lives.

We only ask for the information we need. We always let you decide what you’re comfortable telling us, explain why we need it and treat it as confidential.

When we record and use your personal information we:

  • only access it when we have a good reason
  • only share what is necessary and relevant
  • don’t sell it to anyone

    We collect and use the details you give us so we can help you. We have a ‘legitimate interest’ to do this under data protection law. This means it lets us carry out our aims and goals as an organisation. We'll always explain how we use your information.

    Coronavirus: Test and Trace if you get advice in person

    If you get advice in person we'll ask for your:

  • name
  • email address or telephone number
  • We'll keep this information in our secure case management system.

    We might be asked to share your name, contact details and the date of your visit with Test and Trace or local public health organisations. This is to help track cases of coronavirus. They might contact you if they think you're at risk after your visit. For example because someone getting advice at the same time has tested positive for coronavirus. You can find out more about Test and Trace in England on GOV.UK or Test and Trace in Wales on GOV.WALES.

    We'll never share information about the reason for your visit.

    If you can't give contact details, for example if it's not safe for you to do so, we'll still be able to give you advice in person.

    Unlike most situations, we won't ask for your consent before we share your contact details. If you don't want us to share this information you can tell your local office you want to opt out.

    We’re doing this to help keep you and the public safe, This is a ‘legitimate interest’ of Citizens Advice.

    We won't share your contact details with anyone other than Test and Trace or a local public health organisation.

    If we share your information we'll let you know, and offer further support.

    If you want to know more about changes to our face to face services or how your information will be used, please contact your local office.

     

    At times we might use or share your information without your permission. If we do, we’ll always make sure there’s a legal basis for it. This could include situations where we have to use or share your information:
     

    • to comply with the law - for example, if a court orders us to share information. This is called ‘legal obligation’
       

    • to protect someone’s life - for example, sharing information with a paramedic if a client was unwell at our office. This is called ‘vital interests’
       

    • to carry out our legitimate aims and goals as a charity - for example, to create statistics for our national research. This is called ‘legitimate interests’
       

    • for us to carry out a task where we’re meeting the aims of a public body in the public interest - for example, delivering a government or local authority service. This is called ‘public task’
       

    • to carry out a contract we have with you - for example, if you’re an employee we might need to store your bank details so we can pay you. This is called ‘contract’

     

    • to defend our legal rights - for example, sharing information with our legal advisors if there was a complaint that we gave the wrong advice

     

    We handle and store your personal information in line with the law - including the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

    You can check our main Citizens Advice policy for how we handle most of your personal information.

    This page covers how we, as your local charity, handle your information locally in our offices.

    How Citizens Advice Maidstone collect your data

    We'll only ask for information that's relevant to your problem. Depending on what you want help with, this might include:

    • your name and contact details - so we can keep in touch with you about your case

    • personal information - for example about family, work, or financial circumstances, or if you're vulnerable or at risk of harm

    • details about services you get that are causing you problems - like energy or post

    • details of items or services you've bought and traders you've dealt with

    • information like your gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation

    We occasionally ask for details about someone else like a neighbour or your partner so we can deal with an enquiry. We'll only do this if we have a legitimate interest in the information, or we need it to protect someone's life.

    If you don't want to give us certain information, you don't have to. For example, if you want to stay anonymous we'll only record information about your problem and make sure you're not identified.

    We’ll always ask for your consent to store information about your:

    • health conditions

    • ethnic origin

    • religion

    • trade union membership

    • sexual orientation

    You can withdraw your consent at any time. Tell us what personal information you don't want us to store and we'll delete it. We will collect this information when we speak to you either in person, and ask you to read and sign our consent form or on the phone, when we will ask you to confirm that you are happy for us to store your information. If you contact us by using our email form, we will ask you to confirm your consent by ticking the relevant box..

    There is a lot of information about how we collect and use data in our national policy, available here

    We also collect information about you when you use our email form, and use your contact details to send a secure email via Docusign. We will ask your permission to store your data as part of the email form, when you submit it.

     

    What Citizens Advice Maidstone ask for

    To find out what information we ask for, see our national Citizens Advice privacy policy

     

    How Citizens Advice Maidstone store your information

    You can check our main Citizens Advice policy for how we handle most of your personal information.

    We store your email information in our local system and do not share it with anyone without your permission

    How Citizens Advice Maidstone share your information

    Working on your behalf

    When you give us authority to act on your behalf, for example to help you with a Universal Credit claim, we’ll need to share information with that third party.

    This may include the local authority, local housing associations or national government departments amongst others.

    We may, with your permission, pass your details to solicitors or other professional organisations who are working with us to help clients, if we cannot help you ourselves.

    Contact Citizens Advice Maidstone about your information

    If you have any questions about how your information is collected or used, you can contact our office.

    Telephone: 01622 750770 open Monday to Friday 10 - 4

    Email: manager@maidstonecab.org.uk

    You can contact us to:

    • find out what personal information we hold about you

    • correct your information if it’s wrong, out of date or incomplete

    • request we delete your information

    • ask us to limit what we do with your data - for example, ask us not to share it if you haven’t asked us already

    • ask us to give you a copy of the data we hold in a format you can use to transfer it to another service

    • ask us stop using your information

    Who’s responsible for looking after your personal information

    The national Citizens Advice charity and your local Citizens Advice operate a system called Casebook to keep your personal information safe. This means they’re a ‘joint data controller’ for your personal information that’s stored in our Casebook system.

    Each local Citizens Advice is an independent charity, and a member of the national Citizens Advice charity. The Citizens Advice membership agreement also requires that the use of your information complies with data protection law.

    You can find out more about your data rights on the Information Commissioner’s website.