Citizens Advice Braintree & South Essex

At Citizens Advice we collect and use your personal information 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. We always let you decide what you’re comfortable telling us, explain why we need it and treat it as confidential.

When we record and use your personal information we:

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

We collect and use the details you give us so we can help you. We have a ‘legitimate interest’ to do this under data protection law. This means it lets us carry out our aims and goals as an organisation. We’ll always explain how we use your information.

At times we might use or share your information without your permission. If we do, we’ll always make sure there’s a legal basis for it. This could include situations where we have to use or share your information:

• to comply with the law – for example, if a court orders us to share information. This is called ‘legal obligation’
• to protect someone’s life – for example, sharing information with a paramedic if a client was unwell at our office. This is called ‘vital interests’
• to carry out our legitimate aims and goals as a charity – for example, to create statistics for our national research. This is called ‘legitimate interests’
• for us to carry out a task where we’re meeting the aims of a public body in the public interest – for example, delivering a government or local authority service. This is called ‘public task’
• to carry out a contract we have with you – for example, if you’re an employee we might need to store your bank details so we can pay you. This is called ‘contract’

• to defend our legal rights – for example, sharing information with our legal advisors if there was a complaint that we gave the wrong advice

We handle and store your personal information in line with the law – including the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

You can check our main Citizens Advice policy for how we handle most of your personal information. 

This page covers how we, as your local charity, handle your information locally in our offices.

How Citizens Advice Braintree & South Essex collect your data

Please see our National Citizens Advice privacy policy for details of how we collect data.

We obtain permission to collect your personal data either verbally (telephone advice), by agreeing to our client permission and consent clause on our website (email advice) or by signing our client permission and consent form (face to face)

What Citizens Advice Braintree & South Essex ask for

To find out what information we ask for, see our National Citizens Advice privacy policy.

How Citizens Advice Braintree & South Essex use your information

To find out how we use your information, see our National Citizens Advice privacy policy.

Working on your behalf

When you give us authority to act on your behalf, for example to help you with a Universal Credit claim, we’ll need to share information with that third party.

With your consent we commonly share information to act on your behalf with a range of organisations including but not limited to:

• Basildon Borough Council
• Braintree District Council
• Brentwood Council
• Castle Point Council
• Rochford Council
• Thurrock Council
• The Department of Works & Pensions (DWP)

How Citizens Advice Braintree & South Essex store your information

The national Citizens Advice charity and Citizens Advice Braintree & South Essex operate a system called Casebook to keep your personal information stored safely.

Citizens Advice Braintree & South Essex stores information on cloud-based systems: Microsoft 360, Microsoft SQL Server database (Advice Needs Assessments where used for clients attending some drop in sessions and Email advice requested via our website www.cabse.org.uk)

How Citizens Advice Braintree & South Essex share your information

To find out how we share your information, see our National Citizens Advice privacy policy.

In addition, Citizens Advice Braintree & South Essex may, with verbal or signed consent, share your information with a funder or refer you to an organisation of your choice.

Contact Citizens Advice Braintree & South Essex about your information

If you have any questions about how your information is collected or used, you can contact our office.

Telephone: 01277 358081, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

Email: info@cabse.org.uk  

You can contact us to:

• find out what personal information we hold about you

• correct your information if it’s wrong, out of date or incomplete
• request we delete your information
• ask us to limit what we do with your data – for example, ask us not to share it if you haven’t asked us already
• ask us to give you a copy of the data we hold in a format you can use to transfer it to another service
• ask us to stop using your information

Who’s responsible for looking after your personal information

The national Citizens Advice charity and your local Citizens Advice operate a system called Casebook to keep your personal information safe. This means they’re a ‘joint data controller’ for your personal information that’s stored in the Casebook system.

Each local Citizens Advice is an independent charity, and a member of the national Citizens Advice charity. The Citizens Advice membership agreement also requires that the use of your information complies with data protection law.

You can find out more about your data rights on the Information Commissioner’s website.