Your right to see your information
We will help you understand what information we hold about you. We will also help you decide what information you would like to see.
You have the right to see information we keep about you. This includes records and files written while you were in care, or after you have left care.
You might want to understand something important that happened in your life, or you may want to see your full record.
If you want information about a certain time in your life, or about specific events, your Personal Adviser can help you get this. This support is part of your life story work.
About your life story work
If you want to see information from your records about a certain time in your life, or about specific things that have happened, you do not have to go through a formal process. You can get this information as part of your life story work during your regular contact with your worker.
Life story work helps you build a clearer picture of your life and what has happened to you.
This information might include:
- a summary of why you came into care
- important dates or key events in your life
- notes about a specific event
- copies of forms you have already received
- notes from meetings you were part of
There may be other information too.
Sometimes, there may be information we cannot share with you. If this happens, the law says we must explain what we cannot share and why. For example, we cannot share private information about other people, such as your parents, brothers, sisters or friends.
If you have an allocated worker, you do not need to put your request in writing. You also do not need to show formal identification like you would for a full Access to Records request.
You can simply ask your worker in whatever way feels easiest for you. This could be in person, by phone, text, email or using MOMO.
Access to Records
If you want to see all the records that Children’s Social Care hold about you, or a large amount of information, you can apply for Access to Records. You will also need to do this if you no longer get support from the Leaving Care Service.
The Access to Records process lets you ask for all the information we hold about you. If you do not have a Personal Adviser, or if you want a large part of your file or the whole file, this is the process you must use.
If your file is very large, we may ask you to tell us what you want to see first. This helps us give you the information in smaller stages, rather than all at once. We will work with you to make sure you get your full file over time.
We do this so that you don’t feel overwhelmed by the amount or content of the information. It also helps us manage the request properly, especially if we need to remove information about other people.
Sometimes your records include information about other people. We cannot share private information about others, such as your parents, brothers, sisters or friends.
There are a few exceptions, for example if you already know the information or if the other person has given permission for it to be shared.
We can help you understand what is in your records and support you to decide what information you would like to see first. This might be information from your first year in care, from a certain age, or about a specific event.
To request your information through the Access to Records process, you will need to fill in the form on the Somerset Council website.
You can ask your worker for help, or contact Somerset Council Customer Services on 0300 123 2224 if you need support with this.