Portsmouth educational psychology team privacy notice

Portsmouth City Council (“the Council”, “we”, “us”) is the data controller for the personal information described in this notice.

This is a service‑specific privacy notice for the Portsmouth Educational Psychology Team. It should be read alongside the Council’s corporate data protection privacy notice, which explains how we use personal information more generally.

This privacy notice tells you how the Portsmouth Educational Psychology Team collects, uses, shares and protects personal information about children and young people we work with.

It applies to information we collect about:

• children and young people, and
• parents or carers where relevant.

We collect personal information that is relevant to a child or young person’s learning, development and emotional wellbeing, including:

• Identity and contact details (such as name, date of birth, address)
• Educational information (such as school or setting, learning needs and progress)
• Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) information
• Health and wellbeing information, where relevant
• Professional reports and assessments
• Views and information provided by parents, carers, schools and the child or young person

This may include special category data, such as health or SEND information, which is given extra protection under data protection law.

We collect information from:

• parents or carers
• the child or young person
• nurseries, schools and colleges
• other professionals involved in supporting the child (with consent where required).

The Educational Psychology Team uses personal information to:

• assess a child or young person’s learning, development and emotional needs
• provide advice, guidance and support to children, families, schools and settings
• contribute to Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessments
• meet the Council’s statutory duties relating to children and education.

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), our lawful bases are:

Article 6 (lawful processing)

• Public task – where processing is necessary for us to carry out our statutory duties as a local authority.

Article 9 (special category data)

• Substantial public interest, and
• Health or social care purposes, where applicable.

Where consent is used, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

We may share relevant information with:

• schools, nurseries and colleges
• health and social care professionals
• other Council services involved in supporting the child
• statutory bodies where we are legally required to do so.

We only share information when it is necessary, lawful and proportionate.

All staff are trained in data protection and confidentiality.

We protect personal information by:

• using secure IT systems and encrypted email
• limiting access to staff who need the information to do their job
• using secure systems, including the Shared Secure Environment, when exchanging information with schools and partners.

We only keep personal information for as long as necessary.

Educational psychology records are retained for six years after a young person’s 18th birthday, in line with the Council’s retention schedule.

Children, young people and parents (where appropriate) have rights under data protection law, including the right to:

• access personal information
• request correction of inaccurate information
• request deletion in certain circumstances
• object to or restrict processing.

Requests to access information are known as Subject Access Requests.

Educational Psychology Business Support Team

Children, Families and Education
Floor 2, Core 6
Civic Offices
Guildhall Square
Portsmouth
PO1 2EA

Email: EducationalPsychologyService@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Data Protection Officer

• Data Controller: Portsmouth City Council (Registration Number Z5578313)
• Address: Civic Offices, Portsmouth, PO1 2AL
• Data Protection Officer (DPO) Email: DataProtection@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
• Telephone: 023 9282 2251

If you have questions about this notice, or want to exercise your rights, contact the DPO using the details above.