How we will use your personal information
The British Council takes protecting your data and any additional information you give to us very seriously. This statement explains the laws and processes we follow here in the UK, local legislation will apply in countries outside of the UK. The information which you share with us may be used in a number of different ways.
Lawfulness of processing
Your personal data will be processed lawfully as the British Council operates under UK legislation and guidance to protect children as well as adhering to international legislation, under Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989. We have a duty of care to protect children from harm whilst in our care, either from direct or indirect harm.
Information sharing
Any information that you share with us will be treated in confidence and not shared with others without your consent unless the information you have provided relates to the harm of a child or vulnerable adult. In such cases we have a duty to take action to ensure children and adults are protected and safeguarded, we will follow child protection legislation and guidance relating to such issues within the UK and the country in which any abuse has taken place.
We will do our best to keep you updated throughout but there may be occasions where a crime has been committed that we need to get legal and law enforcement advice and be led by them in our actions.
In certain circumstances we may have to share your information with law enforcement, if this is required then we will contact you first to fully explain the process and decision making.
Your rights
The British Council applies the UK Data Protection Act 2018 as a global privacy standard and complies with local data protection laws that meet internationally accepted privacy principles. You have the right to ask for a copy of the information we hold on you, and the right to ask us to correct any inaccuracies in that information. If you have concerns about how we have used your personal information, you also have the right to complain to a privacy regulator. For detailed information, please refer to the privacy section of our website.
Information retention
Your information will be retained for seven years starting from the date you shared the information with us. The information you share will be retained for a longer period if that information has led to a criminal investigation or an internal disciplinary investigation, if this occurs then we will share the changes relating to the use and storage of your information with you.