Knowsley Council provides services to residents and local communities that necessitate the collection, storage and use of personal information. We have summarised in this privacy notice how we manage this in relation to the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme.
Who will own my data once I submit it?
Knowsley Council will be the data controller for the information you provide to us and that which is provided to the Council from the Home Office/Department of Levelling up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
What information will you collect or be provided with?
Ukrainian guests
- Name/alias
- Contact details including mobile number, email address
- Date of birth
- Date of arrival in UK
- Address staying at in UK
- Immigration status (visa/BRP/passport details)
- Family members information, including any children
- School and early years placements
- Disability and health information
- English language tuition
- Employment gained
- Money and financial information
- Housing status
- Ethnicity
- Information relating to any safeguarding concerns
Sponsor/Host family
- Name/alias
- Date of birth
- Address
- Contact details including mobile number, email address
- Details of family members that live at the property
- Relationship to guest
- Information relating to any safeguarding, security checks, home and suitability assessments to progress as a host
- Bank details to process the monthly thank you payment
As part of the Government Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (as a host Local Authority) we receive information from the Home Office/DLUHC for each guest being welcomed to Knowsley under the Scheme. This information is required to ensure guests are supported appropriately.
If you are a sponsor, we will receive the information you provide in your application form and any additional information you provide when we discuss your application with you.
Why do you need my information?
Your information is needed as part of the Council’s requirement to deliver the Homes for Ukraine Scheme in Knowsley. The information collected allows the Council to co-ordinate appropriate support to sponsors/hosts and guests of the scheme.
You will be allocated a worker from the Council’s Resettlement team to support you under the Scheme and we will keep a record of this.
What allows you to use my information?
The lawful basis for sharing your information with Government and other Council and commissioned services is UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e) - the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the Controller. The Council needs to share some information such as name, date of birth and address, in order to deliver the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.
Where information is sensitive in nature (special category data) we will only share it under the additional condition of UK GDPR Article 9(2)(a) explicit consent or on the basis of Article 9(2)(g) substantial public interest and under Schedule 1 Part 2 (18) of the Data Protection Act 2018 for safeguarding of children and individuals at risk in acknowledgment of the guests’ vulnerability in seeking refuge from the war in Ukraine. The Council may need to share additional information to help you to access the range of support/services you require such as information on health, mental health, alleged or committed offences.
Some of your information may be used for safeguarding purposes.
The following pieces of legislation provide the Council with the Powers to perform public tasks:
- Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016
- Children and Families Act 2014
- Children and Social Work Act 2017
- Children Act 1989
- Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act
- Health and Social Care Act 2012
To share your information other than that necessary to deliver the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme, we will seek your consent under Article 6 (1)(a) and Article 9(2)(a) of the UK GDPR. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. Details on how you can withdraw your consent are provided below.
However, please be aware that your consent is not required where the Council consider processing is necessary under Article 6(1)(e) and Article 9(2)(g) for safeguarding purposes.
We will never share your personal information for commercial gain or marketing.
Who will my information be shared with?
When we share your personal information, we will only do so where it is necessary and required by law, or you have given your consent.
The types of organisations we may share your information with include Home Office, DLUHC, Department for Works and Pensions, Education partners, Housing agencies, English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL) providers, Employment agencies, Health partners, Substance misuse agencies, Community partners and Law enforcement agencies.
Should you move to a different Local Authority we will share your information with the Local Authority you are moving to so that support may be transferred under the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.
Do I have to provide this information and what will happen if I don’t?
The UK government is working in partnership with Local Authorities to deliver the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme. Knowsley Council checks the suitability of sponsors and hosts in its locality in terms of their offending history (DBS check), any safeguarding concerns, and the suitability of the accommodation they are providing. The Council’s Resettlement team also allocates a worker to the guest on arrival and checks for any safeguarding concerns and what necessary support they require. The guest is requested to sign a consent form to share any additional information necessary to deliver the support. If the sponsor/guest or host/guest relationship breaks down, the Council may support the guest to find alternative accommodation.
Should the guest withdraw consent to share information with the Resettlement team, it will be very difficult for the Council to provide support under the scheme. However, a guest can opt out at any time by sending an email to Refugee.Resettlement@knowsley.gov.uk
How long will you keep this data for and why?
It is not known how long the war in Ukraine will last, but the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme provides guests with a visa to remain in the UK for 3 years. It also provides thank you payments to sponsors/hosts for up to 2 years, based on the length of time the guest has been in the UK. Knowsley Council expects to retain the data for up to 2 years, or as long as the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme continues to operate if this is longer. The 2-year retention period will initiate at the point the Scheme ends, after which point the information will be deleted from our systems. Financial information will be retained for 6 years and confidentially destroyed.
How will my information be stored?
The information will be stored on the Council’s secure IT systems with access to your information being restricted to only those staff who need to see it as part of their job role. Information shared with DLUHC will be via the Foundry secure portal.
Personal information shared with partner agencies will be sent using encrypted email systems, such as through the TLS secured domain list or by Egress secure mail.
Will this information be used to make automated decisions about me?
No. Decisions will be made by officers of the Council taking account of the information available.
Will my data be transferred abroad and why?
No. Information will be kept on Council servers including Microsoft cloud servers which are hosted in the UK.
What rights do I have when it comes to my data?
Under the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018/ UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), you have the following rights with regard to your personal data: -
- The right to subject access – you have the right to see a copy of the personal data that the council holds about you and find out what it is used for
- The right to rectification – you have the right to ask the 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 the council to remove data that we hold about you. However, the Council can refuse to erase your personal data where it is processed to comply with a legal obligation or for the performance of a public task or in the public interest
- The right to restriction – you have the right to ask for your information to be restricted (locked down) on 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 the 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 the 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 DPA 2018/UK GDPR, please visit the Information Commissioner’s website here.
You can request a copy of your data or ask questions about how it is used by writing to: -
Data Protection Officer
Knowsley Council
Westmorland Road
Huyton
L36 9GL
Or email: Inforights@knowsley.gov.uk
Who can I complain to if I am unhappy about how my data is used?
You can complain directly to the Council’s Data Protection Team by writing to: -
Data Protection Officer
Knowsley Council
Municipal Building
Archway Road
Huyton
Liverpool
L36 9YU
Or email: data.protection.officer@knowsley.gov.uk
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office using the following details: -
The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Telephone: 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 54 57 45
Website: www.ico.org.uk