Short Breaks privacy notice
What is the Purpose of this Document?
This privacy notice explains how we, Norfolk County Council, use your information to ... provide the Short Breaks service.
By 'use' we mean what we do with your information, and how we store and share it.
By 'you' we mean you and your child.
Further Details about Us and Your Rights
We also provide the following details in our general privacy notice on our website:
- Who we are (and contact details)
- Your rights under the UK GDPR (including complaints)
How We Use Your Information
We will use your information to:
- Determine your eligibility for Short Breaks,
- Provide the Short Breaks service,
- Communicate with you about Service Updates,
- Safeguarding and early help, when applicable
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:
- Photo ID (when using Direct Payments)
We also collect and use "special category" information about:
- Evidence of your child's educational needs
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 and criminal conviction 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, when you sign-up. If you have an allocated Social Worker they may provide evidence of your Child's needs.
Who We Share Your Information With
All information is shared on a need-to-know basis. We do not share more than we need to.
We 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.
We may share your information with Activity Provider, where necessary, to check if they can provide a service suitable to your needs.
Where necessary for the purposes of Safeguarding we share information with relevant partners, including: Police, District Councils, and NHS.
If we need to share your information with event providers we will discuss this with you first and get your permission.
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:
- Children Act 1989, Schedule 2 (6) - Provision of Short Breaks
- Children Act 2004 - Safeguarding Purposes.
We have legal reasons to use (including share) your special category 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 provide the Short Breaks 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. Generally, Information is destroyed at the earliest of: Your application is declined, or you are no longer in receipt of a service.
If you are known to us for another service, such as social care, we will keep your information in accordance with our retention policy for that service.
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 computer systems.
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 privacy notice was created in June 2026.
