Privacy and cookie policy

Rural Cambs Citizens Advice is registered under the Data Protection Act.

Cookies and browsing of this site

A cookie is a small file of text and numbers that we put on your computer. The only cookies that may be used by this site are analytical cookies, which allow us to compile anonymous statistics of visitors to our website.

If you would like to have more detailed information about cookies, then please go to https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/online/cookies/.

The cookies we may use are Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. Google Analytics sets a cookie in order to evaluate your use of the website and to compile reports for us on activity on the website. Google stores the information collected by the cookie on servers in the United States. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.

For an overview of Google Analytics: www.google.co.uk/intl/en/analytics/privacyoverview.html
The overview provides a link to Google’s browser opt-out which gives you the opportunity to opt out of all Google Analytics on all websites.

Links to other websites

Our website contains links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

AI chat system

The IBM Watson AI powered chat system used on the website stores the information given to it on IBM servers for a period of 7 days. After that it is not accessible. It does not request personal nor confidential data, it only interprets the English language questions fed to it and tries to direct people to a relevant Help Article page on the website, it does nothing further with peoples’ supplied data.

CARC staff and their representatives review the questions and answers gathered in the AI system from time to time (they are only stored for the previous 7 days) to try to teach the AI to provide better answers to peoples’ problems and/or better interpret peoples’ questions to direct them to an existing Help Article on the website.

Permission to Store Enquiry Form Input

In order to help you, we need to maintain a record of your case. The law says we must get your consent to do this.

Forms on this site sometimes ask for data of a sensitive nature but please be assured that …

everything you tell us will be treated in strictest confidence.

Confidentiality is key to the service provided by Citizens Advice.

Some of the data which we ask to record may not appear directly relevant to your query but it is used for statistical purposes, with the aim of improving the service provided to all clients by Citizens Advice.

None of the forms on this site contain hidden fields and so, apart from the date and time of the request, will pass to us only the information which you have typed in.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the security and integrity of your personal information (the e-mail advice enquiry forms are on secure pages, with encryption at the same level as used by banks, etc.) no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed 100% secure, especially as the emails themselves go out unencrypted. If you are concerned about confidentiality then please contact us by phone or in person.

The data we store is shared with other Citizens Advice who are working in partnership to provide the best possible service to clients.

We are subject to regular audits by the Citizens Advice national association, the Community Legal Service and Office of the Immigration Services Commission. The people who do these audits will sign a confidentiality statement, as do all our staff.

Please note that giving us permission to keep records in this way does not allow us to contact other agencies on your behalf or to pass any information on to them, unless we are required to do so by law.  Where contacting a third party is necessary, in order to deal with your enquiry, we will ask you to sign an Authorisation Form.

At Citizens Advice Rural Cambs, we collect and use information about you 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 and  always let you decide what you’re comfortable telling us explain why we need your information and keep it confidential. When we keep something you tell us, we:

• only access it when we have a good reason
• only share what is necessary and relevant
• don’t sell it to commercial organisations

Who’s responsible for keeping your personal information safe

Citizens Advice Rural Cambs is an independent charity and a member of the national Citizens Advice organisation.

Citizens Advice Rural Cambs and national Citizens Advice are both responsible for keeping your personal information safe and making sure we comply with data protection law. This means we’re a ‘joint data controller’ for your personal information.

How will you use my data?

 First and foremost your information will be used to provide you with advice. We also use information in a way that doesn’t directly identify you to understand how different problems are affecting society and to take action to tackle these problems. As this is used for research it is kept separate from your case record.

Where you have given us your permission and contact details, we, or in some instances a trusted research partner, may contact you to ask you for feedback on the service you received and your overall experience of Citizens Advice.

Do I have to give my consent for you to use information about me?

You can decide exactly what information you are happy to tell us. We’ll use the information because we have a ‘legitimate interest’ to do so for the purpose of providing you with advice and carrying out research.

What information do we ask for?

We’ll only ask for information that’s relevant to your problem. Depending on what you want help with, this might include:

• your name and contact details – so we can keep in touch with you about your case
• personal information – for example about family, work, or financial circumstances, or if you’re vulnerable or at risk of harm
• details about services you get that are causing you problems – like energy or post
• details of items or services you’ve bought and traders you’ve dealt with
• information like your gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation

We occasionally ask for details about someone else like a neighbour or your partner so we can deal with an enquiry. We’ll only do this if we have a legitimate interest in the information, or we need it to protect someone’s life.

If you don’t want to give us certain information, you don’t have to. For example, if you want to stay anonymous we’ll only record information about your problem and make sure you’re not identified.

When we ask for more private information about you, like any health conditions,  ethnicity or sexuality, we will need to get your consent. This is because this information is treated in a special way by the law. You can always withdraw this consent and request we remove what you told us.

Some of our specialist services, such as our Money Advice service, are provided on the basis of your consent. We will ask your consent to use your personal information with these services.

Where will you store my data?

 The record of your case will be stored securely in an electronic case management system used jointly by all of the Citizens Advice service. We are all responsible for keeping it safe. As part of solving your problem, we might also make written notes, download copies of your case or send emails containing your information. We will make sure any information is stored securely and only accessed when there’s a good reason by staff and volunteers of the Citizens Advice service.

How long do you keep records for?

We keep records for 6 years. We may keep records for 16 years if the advice given could have serious consequences if it was not stored for a longer period.

Why might you share my information? Who will you share it with?

Citizens Advice Rural Cambs will generally not share information without your permission, unless required to do so by law or in some very limited situations, like to protect you or someone else from serious harm.

If a particular service involves sharing your information without permission, we will always let you know upfront that it isn’t confidential.

What if I have a question about how my information has been used?

You can contact us and ask us:

• what information we’ve stored about you and get a copy to keep
• to change or update your information
• to delete your information from our records or withdraw your consent
• to stop using your information

If you have any questions about how your information is collected or used by us, you can contact Citizens Advice Rural Cambs on  0808 278 7807

You can also read more detailed information about how some of our services use information on our national site: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/citizens-advice-privacy-policy/

If you’re not happy with how we have used your information, you can contact Citizens Advice at:
www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/Contact-us-form

You can also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office to raise a concern about how we have used your information.
https://ico.org.uk
0303 123 1113