Support services.
There are different types of support services from care and support to events that we can offer you but we need your information to do this.
Care and Support services
Our purpose(s) for processing and lawful basis
Riverside provides a wide variety of care and support services offering accommodation and a range of initiatives in conjunction with local authorities and partners to deliver care and support solutions to vulnerable individuals and those at risk of homelessness. Riverside Care & Support operates in over 170 Local Authority Areas, delivering over 340 services, including:
Supported housing, care services, veteran support and housing, retirement housing, young people and families, community services and substance misuse and rehab.
We also conduct, take part in and support a variety of homelessness-related research and reporting activities.
The legal bases which apply to the processing described above are
- Where we need to take measures to enter into and then perform a contract we have entered into with you (provision of services set out in our agreements with you).
- Where we need to comply with legal obligations (e.g. as set out by the Care Quality Commission, health care, health and safety and safeguarding legislation).
- Where the processing is necessary in the public interest or for official purposes set out in legislation (e.g. where we work in partnership with local authorities and the NHS).
- Where we have your consent (e.g. provision of additional benefits and services).
- Where we need to protect your vital interests (or someone else’s vital interests).
- Where it is necessary for our legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests (e.g. maintaining security and safety of our property, customer satisfaction surveys and market research).
Where possible we will seek your explicit consent to process sensitive personal data. In cases where consent may not be appropriate the following legal bases may apply:
- Where we need to comply with legal obligations in relation to social security and social protection (especially where we act on behalf of local authorities or the NHS including The Care Act 2014; Health and Social Care Act 2008 (regulated activities) Regulations 2014, Mental, Capacity Act 2005 and Mental Health Act 1983)
- Where we need to protect your vital interests (e.g. where your life or that of another individual is in danger and you aren’t able to give your consent).
- Safeguarding of individuals at risk (including children).
- Monitoring equality of opportunity or treatment (where the data isn’t used to make decisions on particular individuals).
To process personal data about criminal convictions or offences we must have both a lawful basis for the processing and either legal authority or official authority for the processing.
Depending on how and when we engage with you, we may also provide you with additional information or privacy notices. For instance if we offer, or you request, further support we may provide you with a privacy notice specific to that service.
How we use your information
We will use your information to:
- Be able to contact you, respond to you directly and verify your identity
- determine your eligibility for care and support services.
- Process requests and administer care and support services, including billing and payment plans.
- Identify your care and support needs and complete our assessments, in order to offer you the safest and most effective service possible.
- Update our records of your care and support needs.
- Complete individual risk assessments and investigate any issues or incidents.
- Share information about your care and support with your family or next of kin.
- Share information with other agencies where we have your agreement, are required to do so, or where doing so gives effect to our agreement with you;
- Monitor our premises and maintain a safe environment for residents and staff.
- Provide information about additional services we offer;.
- Complete consultations and conduct transactional surveys in order to monitor and improve our service and offer you the opportunity to shape current and future services
- Provide assistance to the police in the event of a Missing Person case.
- Monitor equality and diversity.
- Provide reporting to and carry out audits for local authorities and regulators.
If at any point you lack the mental capacity to make a particular decision about your information, and processing it, including sharing it, would be in your best interests, we will process it on your behalf. When we do so we will follow the Mental Capacity Act and its Code of Practice which can be found here in England and in Scotland the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000.
Surveillance in care and support
Care and support services use surveillance as part of service delivery to provide safe care and treatment or to help people stay safe without restricting their activities or movement.
This can be used across a whole service or on an individual need basis and examples include, but are not exhaustive to, technology such as acoustic monitoring, bed sensors and call bell systems such as Tunstall or Nurse Call, and communal CCTV.
Any surveillance that is undertaken within a care and support service, outside the use of communal CCTV usage, is individually risk assessed with each customer and consent clearly recorded.
Usage of surveillance for the provision of care and treatment is managed in line with the Health and Social Care Act, Mental Capacity Act, and guidance on using surveillance published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as well as data protection legislation mentioned and guidance or codes of practice issues by the Information Commissioner’s Office.
CQC do not authorise the use of hidden cameras or other hidden recording equipment within private areas of a registered residential service or customers own home. Covert surveillance may only be used in rare circumstances and for a short period of time, for example, to identify a specific allegation.
Under Sections 62 –64 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008, CQC are permitted to have access to information that has been recorded using covert or overt surveillance (or to have access to surveillance systems) where CQC consider it necessary and proportionate to do so to exercise their functions as a regulator.
Who we may share your information with
In most circumstances, we collect personal data directly from you, but we may also obtain personal data from government bodies and local authorities, third-party care and support providers, other persons, or partner organisations involved in your care.
Where authorisation is in place (e.g. Lasting Power of Attorney) we may share personal data with the authorised individuals acting on your behalf. Unless we are certain that you have appointed them or that they are acting in an official capacity, we will not disclose your personal information to anybody who makes a claim to be acting on your behalf.
In some exceptional circumstances we need to share care information with relatives/next of kin without authority or your consent.
In order to provide safe and effective services to you, we may share your data with:
- Any individuals you have nominated or authorised to act on your behalf (including friends, family, MPs and Councillors)
- Local Authorities who have commissioned our services to you under a contract
- NHS Trusts involved in your care, or where our services form part of a contract with a Trust
- Health and Social Care professionals, which may include your GP or Pharmacy
- Third parties that assist us in providing services to you, either in your home or externally (including translators and communications specialists)
- Support Services or organisations involved in your care (including charities, foundations, or other non-NHS bodies)
- Police, fire, or other rescue services
- Law enforcement agencies, or other agencies where we have a legal obligation to share data
How long we will keep it
We retain data for differing lengths of time, dependant on a number of criteria, including:
- The services you have accessed
- Any retention period specified by law, or regulation, or
- Any retention period suggested as best practice by regulators, sector specialists or professional bodies
- If no retention period is specified by law, we will keep it for as long as is reasonable for us to demonstrate we have met the conditions of our service or license agreement with you
You can contact us using the webform about the specific retention periods relating to your information.
Community events and services
Our purpose(s) for processing and lawful basis
Community groups or special interest groups are made up of residents who have similar interests and provide community activities. You can either create a group in your local area with help from us or join one that is already in existence. Community groups provide activities such as photography workshops, arts and crafts classes and social events for residents and their families.
Riverside also hosts or arranges community events and services across all of the regions in which we operate. We’ll inform you about these in a number of ways, including social media, on our website, and through your housing officer or tenancy/support worker. Special interest groups also get involved in helping us to shape our current and future services.
We may contact you about community events and services we offer and process your information in order to administer these events and services, and to receive feedback.
We may also ask your permission to use photographs, video recordings taken, feedback or quotes in our publications and communications.
The legal basis which applies to the processing described above is:
- Where we have your consent, or explicit consent (e.g. use of photos/videos for marketing, communications or publishing etc.)
Where the legal basis is consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time.
Where we collect information about participants in events and services to monitor and evaluate activities and the social impact of activities the legal basis will be:
- Where it is necessary for our legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests (e.g. maintaining security of our property and assets, customer satisfaction surveys and market research)
Where our legal basis is legitimate interests, you can opt out of the processing of your information
We may process sensitive personal data in limited circumstances with your consent to identify any reasonable access requirements for events, or any dietary requirements specific to your religious or philosophical beliefs. This may include any children under the age of 16 you have legal responsibility for.
In some instances we may also ask you to provide sensitive personal data to allow us to monitor the equality and diversity of those participating in events or services, to ensure we are considering all of our residents in deigning and delivering community events.
How we use your information
We use information provided to:
- Be able to contact you and respond to you directly.
- Provide information about additional services we offer, including opportunities to participate in meetings, training, employment services, youth services and events.
- To organise and administer community events or services (including food and drink requirements)
- Deliver support for participation in groups or events to you or any member of your household.
- Share information with existing community groups or with event organisers where we have your agreement
- Comply with our safeguarding and health and safety duties.
- Complete consultations, facilitate residents’ groups and community grant applications.
- Conduct transactional surveys in order to monitor and improve our service
- Monitor equality and diversity.
- Publish photographs, feedback or quotes where we have your consent
Who we may share your information with
- Existing community groups
- Other organisations or individuals involved in the delivery of groups, events, or services
- Third parties acting under contract to gather feedback or to deliver and receive surveys
How long we will keep it
We keep information on our tenancy files for six years after the tenancy ends.
Assistance
Our purpose(s) for processing and lawful basis
We understand that sometimes you might need more support and it’s important to us that people experiencing difficult circumstances are given the opportunity to lead more resilient and independent lives through the housing, care, and support services we provide. That’s why we actively create opportunities to increase household income through our programmes of employment, affordable warmth, and money advice.
The legal bases which apply to the processing above are:
- Where we have your consent to refer you to our internal support teams, or organisations we have partnered with (including criminal convictions)
- Where it is necessary for yours and our legitimate interest to use the information collected (please see how we use your information below)
- Where we need to protect your vital interests (or someone else’s vital interests).
- Where we need to comply with social protection responsibilities (where we gather health data to ensure you receive appropriate support
How we use your information
Our Money Advice Team may use your data:
- To assist you in calculating any welfare benefits you may be entitled to claim
- To assist you in completing claim documentation
- To advise you on any decisions you intend to appeal
Our Affordable Warmth Team may use your data:
- To assist you if you have received an inaccurate or incorrect energy bill
- To assist you if you have fallen into fuel debt
- To assist you if you have no energy supply and need assistance to reconnect
Our Employment and Training Team may use your data:
- To assist you in looking for work if you have a disability
- To assist you in looking for work if you have a criminal record
- To assist you in general job searching, CV writing and interview techniques
- To assist you in identifying apprenticeships, training, and qualification opportunities
- To assist you in accessing funding to support learning or job opportunities
- To assist you in becoming self employed and/or starting your own business
Who we may share your information with
- Money Advice and Pension Service
- Department for Work and Pensions
- Any third parties advertising training and employment opportunities that you would like to be considered for
- Utility providers
- Funding providers, for self-employment opportunities
- Local authorities (including Social Services where relevant)
- Health professionals acting on your behalf
- Law enforcement
How long we will keep it
We keep information on our tenancy files for six years after the tenancy ends.