Reading’s Women’s Rough Sleeping Census: Data Privacy

This notice explains how and why we collect and use the information asked in this survey. As part of the Women’s Rough Sleeping Census, Reading Borough Council are conducting research to better understand rough sleeping for women. We hope to use this information to advocate for better services for women in Reading.

If you have any questions about how we handle the information from this survey, please e-mail the Data Protection Officer: Nayana George at IGTeam@reading.gov.uk. 

What kind of information will we ask for?

This survey asks for information about respondent’s circumstances to gain an understanding of women’s experiences in Reading. We will not collect directly identifying information such as name or date of birth. Participating in this survey is entirely voluntary, and not all questions need to be answered.

How will we use this information?

What we are told will only be used for the purpose of researching homelessness. The worker or volunteer conducting this survey will submit the information you provide into an electronic form that is sent directly to Reading Borough Council. The answers will not be accessible to the worker or volunteer after the survey is submitted. We will not use this information for any other purpose.

Will this be shared with others?

The information provided in this survey comes directly to us at Reading Borough Council. We will then check the data to make sure it contains no identifying information before sending the anonymised information to appointed researchers Solace, Crisis and Change Grow Live who will produce a publicly available report. The data will be considered anonymised once any personal or identifying information has been removed.

The report will present the information as statistics, and it will be impossible for anyone to be identified. If the respondent chooses to add any extra comments to the survey, we may use quotes from them in the final report. This will not be connected with their survey answers and will not contain any identifying information.

Our lawful basis for using your information

Our Lawful Basis for Processing under UK GDPR is Article 6(1)(e) Public Task “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,” there is substantial public interest in conducting research to improve the understanding of the experiences of women who are rough sleeping in Reading.

How long do we hold on to the information?

We will hold data for a minimum of 2 years from the date the survey is completed, but we may extend this period if needed for further research.

Your information rights

Under data protection law, you have rights including:

• Your right of access – You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.
• Your right to rectification – You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
• Your right to erasure – You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Your right to restriction of processing – You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Your right to object to processing – You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Your right to data portability – You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.

You have a right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how your personal information has been handled by RBC.

They can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office. Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Helpline number: 0303 123 1113 ICO website: https://www.ico.org.uk.