Child friendly privacy notice

Who are we?

We are Luton Council and we offer lots of advice and services to people living in Luton. We offer services to those who need it including social care, adoption and fostering.

We also keep rubbish off the streets, the parks tidy and safe, support your school/college and make sure you have a local library service.

What is ‘personal data’?

Anything that can identify you is your personal data.

This can include things like your:

• name
• photo
• date of birth
• address

It can even include social media usernames and gamer-tags

We have to be extra careful with certain types of data, known as 'special category' data which can include things such as:

• an illness you have
• what religion you follow

Sometimes, Luton Council also has to use data about crimes and people who may have broken the law.

Why do we keep your personal data?

We collect and keep personal data about you so that we know who you are and what you need to keep you safe and help you thrive.

We could also use personal data if you have taken part in an event, or entered a competition we have organised.

This makes sure if you win, you get your prize.

What personal data do we keep about you?

We may hold data such as:

• your name
• where you live
• your date of birth
• who your family are

We also hold data about:

• when you have visited us
• we have visited you
• times we have cared for you
• about any services we provide for you

This data may include details:

• about your life
• your school
• your health
• even any library books you have borrowed from us

How do we use your personal data?

We keep your data safe and use it so we can deliver our care and services.

It is normally only seen by people who work for us, so they can do their job. But, sometimes we do need to share it with other people but we only do this if we really have to.

Examples of when we might need to share it include:

• when the police ask for it to investigate a crime
• when a court orders us to provide it
• when our services are inspected
• to help your school teach and look after you
• if you are at risk of harm or are a risk to others

How do we collect your personal data?

We collect it from you and your family and also hold data that other people you know, like your doctor or your school, give us.

How long do we keep your data for?

We keep your personal data for as long as it is needed to help you or for as long as the law needs us to.

Some personal data is kept for a long time so that you can see it later on, if you want to.

Do you have a say in what happens to your personal data?

Of course you do because you have what we call ‘rights’ when we use your data.

One of your rights is to know what we do with your personal data. That’s what this page is for.

You can ask us to tell you what personal data we have about you, or if we will stop using it or even delete it. You can also tell us if your personal data is wrong so we can fix it.

The rights you have will depend on what we use your data for. More information can be found in Luton’s main privacy notice. You might want to ask an adult to help with this because it can be confusing.

Who makes sure we follow all the rules?

We have someone in the council called our data protection officer, and their job is to protect your data. This means they make sure we are following all the rules, and your data is safe. If they see something wrong, they tell us so we can fix it.

It is very important that we keep your data safe and follow all the rules. If you are worried about what we do, you can write a letter to our data protection officer using this address:

Data protection officer
Luton Council
Town Hall
George Street
Luton
LU1 2BQ

Or you can email: [email protected]