Adoption in Merseyside privacy notice

Adoption in Merseyside (AiM) is the regional Adoption Agency that covers the Merseyside area covering adoption recruitment, family finding and adoption support for Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral Councils.

Who will own my data once I submit it?

AiM will hold any data shared by you on behalf of Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral Councils – however your local council controls your data.

Why do you need my information?

We need to collate your data to support our work:

In recruiting, preparing and assessing people who have an interest in adopting children.
In family finding for children who have a plan of adoption.
In supporting adoption families to ensure that our adoption support service is accessible to all.
We need to be able to report on our work to Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral Councils.
We are also required to periodically report on our business to the Department for Education.

What allows you to use my information?

We are required by Adoption Legislation and Adoption Agencies Regulations to source and use information to:

Inform our practice in recruiting suitable prospective adoptive parents.
In identifying a placement suitable to meet a child’s needs.
To support adoption families.

The legal basis for the collection of your data is set out in the following:

Adoption and Children Act 2002 and associated regulations
Children and Adoption Act 2006 and associated regulations
Local Authority Social Services Act 1970
Local Authority Adoption services (England) regulations 2003
Adoption Statutory Guidance 2014

You may be asked to consent to sharing your information with us. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

Who will my information be shared with?

We will share your information with:

Our partner agencies – Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral
Voluntary Adoption Agencies
Education
Health
Police
Other placing adoption agencies
Placing Local Authorities
Adoption Panel Members
Safeguarding practitioners,
Adoption registers – Linkmaker, National Adoption Register

Do I have to provide this information and what will happen if I don’t?

You are required to provide this information so we can:

Undertake a detailed assessment and make an informed recommendation as to your suitability to be prospective adoptive parents.
Undertake an assessment of your adoption support needs and the identified support be accessed.

If you do not provide this information we will not be able to:

Process your interest in adoption.
Assess your support needs.

You can change your mind about providing your information to us. This will mean that:

Your interest in adoption will no longer be processed and you will be asked to formally withdraw from the process.
We will consider that you have changed your mind and have withdrawn from the process.

If there is a Safeguarding concern we may need to share your information without your consent.

How long will you keep this data for and why?

Recruitment records are required to be kept for 25 years. An adopted person’s record is required to be kept for 100 years.

How will my information be stored?

All our records are kept electronically on a system called Liquid Logic. This is supported by Knowsley Council’s secure electronic network.

Will this information be used to take automated decisions about me?

No, we will not use your information to make an automated decision about you. We do not make any automated decisions.

Will my data be transferred abroad and why?

No your information will not be transferred abroad.

What rights do I have when it comes to my data?

Under the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the following rights with regards to your personal data:

The right to subject access – you have the right to see a copy of the personal data that your local Council holds about you and find out what it is used for.
The right to rectification – you have the right to ask your local Council to correct or remove any inaccurate data that we hold about you.
The right to erasure (right to be forgotten) you have the right to ask your local Council to remove data that we hold about you.
The right to restriction – you have the right to ask for your information to be restricted (locked down) on your local Council systems.
The right to data portability – you have the right to ask for your data to be transferred back to you or to a new provider at your request.
The right to object – you have the right to ask your local Council to stop using your personal data or to stop sending you marketing information, or complain about how your data is used.
The right to prevent automated decision making – you have the right to ask your local Council to stop using your data to make automated decisions about you or to stop profiling your behaviour, where applicable.

To find out more about your rights under the GDPR, please visit the Information Commissioner’s website.