Privacy Policy & Cookies
At Citizens Advice Hart we collect and use your personal information to help solve your problems, improve our services and tackle wider issues in society that affect people’s lives.
We only ask for the information we need. We always let you decide what you’re comfortable telling us, explain why we need it and treat it as confidential.
When we record and use your personal information we:
- only access it when we have a good reason
- only share what is necessary and relevant
- don’t sell it to commercial organisations
At times we might use or share your information without your permission. If we do, we’ll always make sure there’s a legal basis for it. This could include situations where we have to use or share your information:
- to carry out our legitimate aims and goals as a charity – for example, to create statistics for our national research. This is called ‘legitimate interests’
- to comply with the law – for example, if a court orders us to share information. This is called ‘legal obligation’
- to protect someone’s life – for example, sharing information with a paramedic if a client was unwell at our office. This is called ‘vital interests’
- for us to carry out a task where we’re meeting the aims of a public body in the public interest – for example, delivering a government or local authority service. This is called ‘public task’
- to carry out a contract we have with you – for example, if you’re an employee we might need to store your bank details so we can pay you. This is called ‘contract’
- to defend our legal rights – for example, sharing information with our legal advisors if there was a complaint that we gave the wrong advice
We handle and store your personal information in line with the law – including the General Data Protection Regulation and in line with our Citizens Advice policy.
How Citizens Advice Hart collect your data
We collect data in line with Citizens Advice privacy policy
What Citizens Advice Hart ask for
To find out what information we ask for see Citizens Advice privacy policy
How Citizens Advice Hart use your information
To find out how we use your information see Citizens Advice privacy policy
Working on your behalf
When you give us authority to act on your behalf, for example to help you with a Universal Credit claim, we will need to share information with that third party.
In addition to services referred to under the national privacy policy, Citizens Advice Hart share information with Hart District Council for housing and council tax issues, with Hart Foodbank for the provision of foodbank vouchers, with the Department of Work and Pensions for benefit payments and with Hampshire Macmillan Cancer Advice Service for help for those suffering with cancer.
How Citizens Advice Hart store your information
We store your information on the Citizens Advice case management system and in line with the Citizens Advice privacy policy
How Citizens Advice Hart share your information
For the local services referred to above and the national services referred to in the Citizens Advice privacy policy, we will ask you for your consent before sharing your data.
Where we share data with our funders for the purpose of evaluating the impact of the funded service, this data will be anonymised.
Contact Citizens Advice Hart about your information
If you have any questions about how your information is collected or used, you can contact our office.
Telephone: 01252 878435
Email: help@citizensadvicehart.org.uk
You can contact us to:
- find out what personal information we hold about you
- correct your information if it is wrong, out of date or incomplete
- request we delete your information
- ask us to limit what we do with your data – for example, ask us not to share it if you have not asked us already
- ask us to give you a copy of the data we hold in a format you can use to transfer it to another service
- ask us to stop using your information
Who is responsible for looking after your personal information?
The national Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Hart operate a system called Casebook to keep your personal information safe. This means they are a ‘joint data controller’ for your personal information that’s stored in our Casebook system.
Citizens Advice Hart is an independent charity, and a member of the national Citizens Advice. The Citizens Advice membership agreement also requires that the use of your information complies with data protection law.
You can find out more about your data rights on the Information Commissioner’s website.