Children Missing Education: privacy notice

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Purpose for processing your information

The children missing education officers sit within the Admissions and Access to Education Service. The purpose is to fulfil the legal duty under section 436A of the Education Act 1996 to make arrangements to identify, as far as it is possible to do so, children missing education (CME).

Information we collect

In order to carry out activities and obligations as local authority officers, we process personal information in relation to parent/carers and children:

  • personal contact details such as name, title, addresses, contact numbers, and personal email addresses.
  • personal demographics, including date of birth and gender
  • education information including any special educational needs and disability (SEND) and previous or current school information.
  • involvement with statutory services such as:
    • Social Care
    • Access and Early Help
    • MASH
    • School Admissions
    • Exclusions
    • Data Team
    • Housing
    • The Bridge AP Academy (TBAP)
    • SEND
    • Youth Justice Service
  • receipt of benefits
  • Council Tax
  • involvement with the Home Office
  • involvement with the police and/or probation

We also obtain personal information from other sources including personal details, characteristics, educational history and professional involvement, from previously attended schools, NHS, other local authorities.

This information is only used for the intended purpose but if we intend to use it for any other purpose, we will normally ask you first. In some cases, the Council may use your information for another purpose if it has a legal duty to do so, to provide a complete service to you, to prevent and detect fraud, or if there is a risk of serious harm or threat to life.

How we collect your information

The initial CME notification may come from other local authorities, your child’s current or previous school, NHS, Other professionals such as Social Services, Metropolitan Police. We may also be notified by anonymous referrals made by members of the public.

Sharing information

The Children Missing Education Officers may also use your information for other legitimate purposes and may share (where necessary) with other Council departments and external bodies responsible for administering services to children and young people. Reasons for sharing information with the internal and external bodies will be:

  • to enable the tracking and monitoring of children missing education residing within the bi-borough (Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea local authorities)
  • to fulfil the council’s safeguarding duty and comply with the Prevent Strategy
  • the Home Office to notify of potential illegal immigration and the police may request information at any time as part of a criminal investigation

Internal bodies are:

  • Admissions and Access to Education that covers Children Missing Education (CME)
  • Elective Home Education (EHE) Exclusions and Child Licensing
  • Data Team,
  • Early Help Service
  • MASH Team
  • Safeguarding service
  • Governance and Legal Services.

External bodies are:

  • schools/academies, including independent and boarding
  • other Councils/boroughs
  • police
  • Home Office
  • Department for Work and Pensions

For the purpose of validating proof of address, the child employment and licensing team will refer to data held by any of the services mentioned above, internal Council Tax records, the Housing Team, Parking Services and the Fraud Team.

How long we keep your information

We will only retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any future legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

We must continue to retain necessary information in accordance with our corporate records policy to fulfil legal, statutory and regulatory requirements.

Your rights and access to your information

You have the right to request a copy of the information that we hold about you. The new General Data Protection Regulation also gives you additional rights about the information we hold about you and how we use it, including the right to:

  • Withdraw consent and the right to object and restrict further processing of your data; however, this may affect service delivery to you.
  • Request to have your data deleted where there is no compelling reason for its continued processing and provided that there are no legitimate grounds for retaining it.
  • Request your data to be rectified if it is inaccurate or incomplete
  • Have your data transferred or copied should you move to another authority
  • Not be subject to automated decision-making including profiling

To submit a Subject Access Request email the CME Officers at [email protected]

If you have any concerns

Please contact us if you would like to know more about the information we hold about you and how we use it. The children missing education officers can be contacted by telephone 020 7745 6439 (RBKC) or 0207 745 6448 (Westminster) Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

You have a right to complain to us if you think we have not complied with our obligation for handling your personal information; email the Children Missing Education Team, [email protected]. Your concerns will be investigated via the respective Council’s complaints procedures.

If you are not satisfied with the Council’s response you have a right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).  

Changes in your circumstances

You must notify us immediately if there are any changes in your circumstances and personal details so we can maintain an accurate and up to date record of your information.

Last updated: 30 October 2024