Mediation Dispute Resolution privacy notice
What this document is for
This privacy notice explains how we, Norfolk County Council, use your information to provide the Mediation Dispute Resolution (MDR) service.
By 'use' we mean what we do with your information, and how we store and share it.
By 'you' and 'your' we mean your and/or your child.
Further details
We also provide the following details in our general privacy notice:
- Who we are (and contact details)
- Your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including complaints
- Your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (the GDPR) and
You can also ask us for a copy of this information.
How we use your information
We will use your information to:
- Provide the MDR service
We also use your information to review the quality of our services and improve how we work. We also use your information in other ways compatible with the above.
What information we collect and use about you
We will collect and use:
- Contact Details
- SEN Reference Number
- Information you discuss/share as part of the MDR service
The information you share may include 'special category' information, particularly about Health for the MDR Service. We also ask for "special category" information about: Race or Ethnicity, Religious or Philosophical Belief and Sexual Orientation to meet our Equalities Reporting requirements. By law we can only collect 'special category' information when it is relevant and for the purposes described above.
The UK GDPR makes sure we keep your special category information safe and secure.. More details are on our website in the document named Special category data and criminal offences data policy. This explains how we follow these legal duties.
Where we get your information from
We receive most of this information from you, but we also receive it from:
- Anglian Care Trust, who provide the MDR service on our behalf
Who we share your information with
We share your information with:
- Anglian Care Trust, who provide the MDR service on our behalf
- The Integrated Care Board (ICB), part of the NHS who we work with to provide the MDR service
All information is shared on a need-to-know basis. We do not share more than we need to. The equalities reporting information is not shared.
We also share your information with companies that help us do our job. They also have to keep your information safe and only use it to help us. For example, this includes IT providers such as Microsoft.
Our lawful basis for using your information
We have legal reasons under the UK GDPR to use your information because it is necessary:
- For the performance of a task carried out in the public interest and the task or function has a clear basis in law
- These statutory powers and duties are:
- Section 10 of the Children and Families Act 2014, and
- Children's and Young People's Continuing Care National Framework 2016 at paragraphs 88-94:
- Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, which sets out a duty for us to ensure equality in how we deliver our services.
We have legal reasons to use (including share) your special category information and criminal convictions information because it is necessary:
- For reasons in the substantial public interest and in the exercise of a statutory function (the statutory functions are the same as the statutory powers and duties referred to above)
You do not need to give us your information. But if you do not give us the information we may not be able to properly provide the MDR service.
How long we keep your information
When the information is no longer needed for the above reasons it will be securely deleted, or shredded.
If you are your child are known to us for other reasons such as being a Looked After Child, our existing retention policy will be followed.
If we need to use your information for research or reports, it will be anonymised, or pseudonimised, and any notes (handwritten or typed) from research sessions will be securely destroyed. The information will continue to be used in a summarised and anonymised or pseudonymised form in any published research reports or papers. If the published research is of historic interest it may be held in public archives indefinitely.
How we keep your information
The information is stored electronically, on our computers, and in paper files.
Automated decision making
We do not make automated decisions (including profiling) about you.
Changes to this notice
We update this privacy notice from time to time, so please review it often. The date below is updated every time this privacy notice is updated.
This notice was created in December 2025.
