Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme privacy notice

This privacy notice is designed to help you understand how and why we process your personal data for the purpose of delivering the homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme and the common objective of providing homes to those fleeing the war in Ukraine.

This notice should be read in conjunction with our corporate privacy notice and the privacy notice produced by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and Home Office.

Who are we?

We are a ‘data controller’ as defined by Article 4(7) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation. We will receive, from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, details of North Yorkshire residents and organisations who have applied to become a sponsor through the Homes for Ukraine scheme and details of the individuals and/or families they intend to host. The data received will be used to conduct suitability checks and facilitate payments associated with the scheme.

We have appointed Veritau to be our data protection officer. Their contact details are:

Information Governance Office
Veritau
West Offices
Station Rise
York
North Yorkshire
YO1 6GA

Email: infogov@northyorks.gov.uk

Tel: 01904 552848

For sponsors, and any other individual’s residing in the sponsor’s household, we may collect and process the following types of personal data:

• name
• address
• date of birth
• email address
• telephone number
• details of property (number of bedrooms, installation of smoke detectors, etcetera)
• assessment details/rationale regarding suitability of property
• immigration status (to confirm minimum of six months leave to remain in the United Kingdom)
• bank details (for transfer of discretionary payments)

In addition, we will also collect the following special category information from sponsors and any other individuals (aged 16 or over) who reside in the sponsor’s household:

• information concerning criminal convictions
  • where necessary, we will conduct Disclosure and Barring checks and record the outcome/s of those checks in order to assess your suitability as a potential sponsor.
• safeguarding checks outcomes/flags
  • safeguarding checks will be conducted as appropriate to assess your suitability as a potential sponsor.

For applicants seeking refuge, we will collect and process the following types of personal data:

• name
• age
• sex
• email address
• telephone number
• potential family members
• passport number (and related details)
• address main applicant will be staying at (if different from your sponsor’s main address)
• bank details (for payment of interim subsistence payment)

We will also collect the following special category data from applicants:

• information concerning criminal convictions and offences

For organisations and non-governmental organisations, we will collect and process the following types of data:

• name
• work email address
• address 
• details of property (number of bedrooms, etcetera)

Why do we collect your personal information?

Your personal data will be used to conduct a range of suitability checks and to facilitate the administration of payments associated with the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

We will use the personal data obtained to undertake the following checks:

• pre-arrival and post-arrival checks
• accommodation checks (all households will be visited to ensure the accommodation is fit for purpose and suitable to receive guests)
• address validation checks
• disclosure and Barring Service checks
  • this could be either be an enhanced check or a basic check depending on the specific circumstances
• safeguarding checks
• any other checks reasonably required by us to assess the suitability of a sponsor and their guest or guests' application

We will also:

• Provide support to Ukrainian guests (for example, safeguarding support, assistance in accessing public services, assistance in accessing education, employment and training)
• Administer funds associated with the scheme: for example, cash allowances for guests, ‘thank you’ payment scheme for sponsors (following satisfactory housing and safeguarding checks)
• Assist with re-matching and move-on accommodation if required

Who do we obtain your information from?

We will receive some information directly from you or your paired sponsor/lead-guest as part of your application, but we will also obtain some of this data from other trusted partners of the scheme, including:

• the home office (central government)
• department for levelling up, housing and communities (central government)
• other central government agencies
• disclosure and barring service providers
• North Yorkshire police
• North Yorkshire’s district and borough councils

In addition, information will be obtained via in person assessments (home visits) undertaken by our social care workers and our officers. During home visits workers will meet with sponsors and/or their Ukrainian guests and they will also examine the property in which the guest will reside. Any relevant details which relate to the suitability of the property and or the suitability of the sponsor and applicant pairing may be recorded and retained. This assessment will form part of the eligibility assessment. In addition, welfare checks may be conducted following the arrival of the guests to the property.

Who do we share this information with?

If necessary, we may share your information with the following organisations:

• The Home Office
• The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
• Our appropriate services and departments
• Other local authorities
• North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Services
• North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Groups
• School admissions
• Other central government agencies
• Charities and other voluntary organisations (so that they can contact you and/or locate your home to provide services to you or any refugee you may host, as necessary)

In addition, if any notable safeguarding concerns are raised during the course of an application we may need to share data with our internal safeguarding services and/or North Yorkshire Police.

Any information which is shared will only be shared on a need to know basis, with appropriate individuals. Only the minimum information for the required purpose will be shared.

Your personal information may also be shared with third parties contracted by ourselves to provide a service to or behalf of the ourselves. These service providers are known as data processors and they have a legal obligation under General Data Protection Regulation and to ourselves to look after your personal information and only use it for providing that service. In particular, we have entered into a contract with:

• disclosure and barring service providers

How long do we keep your information for?

What is our lawful basis for processing your information?

We rely on the following lawful basis to process your personal data:

UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e) – the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller

• immigration and asylum act 1999
• nationality immigration and asylum act 2002

DPA 2018, part 2, chapter 2, section 8 (d) - the exercise of a function of the crown, a minister of the crown or a government department.

Should special category data processing occur, the legal basis that we will use to process this data is:

• UK GDPR Article 9(2)(g) - processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, on the basis of domestic law which shall be proportionate to the aim pursued, respect the essence of the right to data protection and provide for suitable and specific measures to safeguard the fundamental rights and the interests of the data subject

For the processing of this special category data and of criminal offence data, the processing meets Schedule 1, Part 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018 as below:

• (6) Statutory etcetera and government purposes
• (18) Safeguarding of children and of individuals at risk

For more information about how we use your data, including your privacy rights and the complaints process, please see our corporate privacy notice.