Issue - meetings

The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Communities which presented the revised Subject Access Requests (Social Care Records) Policy, Procedure and Practice May 2012.

The Board was advised that The Data Protection Act gave individuals rights to access their own personal information.  Individuals could send a subject access request (SAR) which required the Authority to tell them about the personal information that was held on them, and the Authority would also have to provide them with a copy of that information.

The Board was further advised that the review of the Subject Access Requests Policy commenced in July 2011 and it was agreed that a working group would be established to review the process.  The group’s aim was to look at integrating the children’s Access to Records Policy into the process that operated in adult services, and create a new, streamlined policy, procedure and practice to reflect this.

It was reported a group of representatives from across the Council had worked together to review the policy and procedures.  This had involved various departments including Children and Families Service, Adult Social Care, Customer Services, Policy and Strategy and ICT. Legal Services had also been consulted and had made some minor changes in terms of legalities.

As a result of the review the following had been established:-

·       one streamlined policy and procedure instead of two separate policies for Children and Enterprise and the Communities Directorates.  The policy and procedure document had been written to reflect the revised process;

·       A new Council SAR application form had been developed (Set out in Appendix 2 of the Policy).  There was also detailed guidance on how to complete and submit the form and how the application form would be dealt with (Set out in Appendix 3 of the Policy); and

·       Letter templates and other additional forms that may be required as part of a SAR had been updated in accordance with the revisions within the policy.  These formed the remainder of the Appendices to the policy.

In conclusion, it was reported that by having a more streamlined process in place, responses to SARs would be dealt with more efficiently, and therefore give an improved service to both children and adults who were requesting information.  It was also reported that the Policy would be scheduled for review in 2014.

RESOLVED: That the report and associated Policy be noted.