Please scroll down or use the index to jump to information within this page.

1. How to see a copy of the information we hold on you
2. Information that you are not allowed to see
3. Correcting inaccurate data on you and/or your family
4. Preventing processing if it may cause damage or distress
5. Arranging to see records on another person
6. Any questions or complaints?
7. Data Protection Officer's contact details
8. Leaflet produced by Surrey County Council about accessing your information

1. How to see a copy of the information we hold on you

If you would like to see some or all of the information we hold on you and/or your family, please complete a Data Protection form. If you have an allocated worker this form will then be forwarded to that worker. If you have any further questions please contact the Surrey County Council Data Protection Officer.

If you would like to see your Adoption records, you will need to contact the Adoption Team.

We will acknowledge your request as soon as we have received your completed form, the required payment and verification documentation.

We will endeavour where possible and practicable to provide you with a full copy of the information you are entitled to see, however there may be occasions where due to the volume of paperwork this may not be practical, and we will need to contact you to further verify your request or make an appointment for you to attend one of our offices, where we can make arrangements for you to view all the files and obtain reasonable copies.

Please be aware that we only hold Surrey County Council records and cannot help with tracing records for any other area of the UK. Please see our map of the County of Surrey for more details of the area we cover.

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2. Information that you are not allowed to see

The Data Protection Act 1998 identifies certain information that we are not obliged to release to you. This may include:

• information that could cause physical or mental harm to you or someone else.
• information that has been supplied to us in confidence by someone else and they are not willing to let you see it.
• information that is personal to someone else who has not given their consent for you to see it.
• information that relates to prevention or detection of crime.

3. Correcting inaccurate data on you and/or your family

If you think any information we have recorded is incorrect, you have the right to ask us to change it. We may not be able to change it, as it is necessary for us to have a complete record of our contact with you. If we are not able to change it, we will record the fact that you disagree. You also have a right to appeal against any statements that you think are misleading.

4. Preventing processing if it may cause damage or distress

If you think that the processing of any of your and/or your family's information is likely to cause anyone substantial unwarranted damage or distress, you have the right to ask us to stop processing it. There may be legal reasons that mean we can continue processing your information in this way. If this is the case, we will explain to you why we are not able to stop processing the information.

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5. Arranging to see records on another person

There may be a reason why you would like to see the personal information that we hold on someone other than yourself, for example if someone in your family has contact with us.

If this person has sufficient capacity to understand your request and to give their consent for you to see this information then we would normally need to seek the consent of that person before we can share their information.

Where a child does not have capacity to make a request on their own behalf, the parent with parental responsibility for the child, who is also looking after the child, is ordinarily entitled to make the request on the child's behalf.

Relatives, carers or friends of adults who do not have capacity to make a request on their own behalf or to give their consent are not automatically entitled to access that adult's personal information. The professionals involved may share certain, relevant information with appropriate people if the Local Authority considers it is necessary to do so and is in the best interests of the adult concerned. If you have been appointed to act on behalf of an adult who lacks mental capacity, either by an Enduring or Lasting Power of Attorney, or by a Court Order, you may be able to access information relevant to that Power or Order on that adult's behalf.

Please see the Freedom of Information pages if you would like to access any other information held by the county council.

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6. Any questions or complaints?

If you have any questions regarding the sharing of your personal data, please contact the Data Protection Officer at Surrey County Council. If you would like to complain about the way your information has been processed, please contact the professional or team involved in supporting you.

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7. Data Protection Officer's contact details

Data Protection Officer
Surrey County Council
Legal Services
County Hall
Penrhyn Road
Kingston upon Thames
KT1 2DN

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8. Leaflet produced by Surrey County Council about accessing your information:

A PDF download of the document 'Accessing your information' is available below, if you would like this document in large print, on tape or in another language please contact us:

Email: contact.centre@surreycc.gov.uk
Tel: Adult social care 0300 200 1005 or general 03456 009 009
Fax: 020 8541 9004
Minicom: 020 8541 8914

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