What is the legal basis for processing your information?
We collect and use your information either because there is a law we must follow, or because doing so is in the public interest and part of the duties of the Council.
For example, under section 11 of the Children Act 2004, the Council has a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. To meet this duty, we need to collect and use personal information as part of delivering Children’s Social Care and Early Help services.
Using AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot M365 and Beam Notes does not change the legal basis we rely on. These tools support our existing work by helping staff with tasks such as drafting, summarising and recording information.
For the purposes of data protection law, the Council mainly relies on Article 6(1)(e) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), as the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority.
Where we use more sensitive (special category) information, we do so under conditions set out in Article 9 of the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. This includes where processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest or for health and social care purposes.
In some cases, we may also process information relating to criminal offences where this is necessary for safeguarding children and individuals at risk and to support our statutory social care functions. This is carried out in line with Article 10 of the UK GDPR and relevant provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018.
In some circumstances:
- if we have a contract with you, we may need to use your information to deliver that service
- if we need your consent to use your information for a specific purpose, we will ask you directly
- if there is another legal reason we need to use your personal information, we will explain this to you when we collect it.