Privacy Notice

Introduction 

At Real Life Options Group, we are committed to safeguarding the privacy and security of personal information. This Privacy Notice outlines how we collect, use, store, and protect personal data for employees, volunteers, people we support, website visitors, and marketing data, ensuring compliance with data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK Data Protection Act 2018. 

Who We Are 

We are Real Life Options Group. The Group consists of: 

• Real Life Options: Company number 2699638. Registered Charity No: 1156258 (England and Wales) and SCO45939 (Scotland) 

• 1st Home Care Ltd: Company number SC272838 

• Montana Homecare Ltd: Company number SC267110 

• Affinity Homecare Shrewsbury Ltd: Company number 09508514 

Our mission is to support people in making their own choices and living their lives the way they want. We provide specialised home care, residential care, and social care for people with learning disabilities, autism, and the elderly. 

What information do we collect? 

We collect various types of personal data depending on your relationship with us: 

1. For Employees and Volunteers: 

• Personal details: Name, gender, contact details, date of birth, nationality, residency status and emergency contacts 
• Employment information: Application forms, contracts, salary, benefits, sick pay and pension information 
• Performance: Records of work absences, holiday entitlement, performance appraisals and disciplinary actions 
• Health: Information about medical conditions relevant to providing appropriate workplace support 
• Legal: Criminal background checks (DBS/PVG), driving licenses and compliance with legal obligations

      2. For People We Support: 

• Personal data: Name, contact details, date of birth, social security details, health information and care plans 
• Special category data: Information on health, ethnicity, religion, and other sensitive data related to the support provided 
• Legal: Information on Power of Attorney, financial details, and criminal records where applicable 

     3. For Website Visitors and Marketing Data: 

• Personal data: Name, email address, phone number, and any other details provided via forms (e.g. newsletters, donations). 
• Browsing information: IP address, browser type, time zone settings, and cookies to improve website functionality and performance (see Cookie Policy on our website). 

How we use your data 

We process your personal data for the following purposes: 

• Employees and Volunteers: To manage employment or volunteering arrangements, including payroll, benefits, performance management, health and safety and legal compliance 

• People We Support: To deliver person-centred care, manage care plans, and fulfil our contractual obligations, whether funded by local authorities or private individuals 

• Marketing and Website Data: To respond to inquiries, process transactions, send updates, newsletters and analyse website traffic 

We may use personal information for legitimate interests or legal requirements, such as responding to legal requests or safeguarding health and safety. 

We will only use your personal data where we have a lawful basis for doing so. 

Data sharing and third-party access 

We may share personal data with trusted third-party service providers (e.g. IT systems, payroll processors, care management software) and legal advisors, where

necessary to fulfil our obligations. We ensure that all third parties protect your data in line with current data protection legislation. 

We do not sell personal data to third parties for marketing purposes. 

Data Security and Retention 

We take the security of your data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it. Personal data is retained only as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected or as required by law. 

Your Rights 

Under GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data: 

• Right to Access: Request access to the personal data we hold about you 

• Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data 

• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data where it is no longer necessary 

• Right to Restrict Processing: Request a suspension in processing your data 

• Right to Object: Object to processing where we rely on legitimate interests 

• Right to Data Portability: Request the transfer of your data to another organisation 

To exercise these rights, contact dataprotection@reallifeoptions.org 

Data Breaches 

In the event of any loss, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to your personal data, the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) are notified within 72 hours of the breach. This notification will be undertaken by our Data Protection Officer.  

Right to Lodge a Complaint 

If you believe that we have not complied with your data protection rights, you can contact our Data Protection Officer at dataprotection@reallifeoptions.org  or write to the Data Protection Officer at: Real Life Options, Suite 1, 1346 Shettleston Road, Glasgow, G32 9AT. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues, at www.ico.org.uk  

The Information Commissioners Office address: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. 

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113 ICO
Website: https://www.ico.org.uk 

Updates to This Privacy Notice 

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. The latest version will always be available on our website. 

Contact Us 

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Notice, how we handle your personal data or require a copy of our Data Protection Policy, please contact our Data Protection Officer at dataprotection@reallifeoptions.org or write to us at Real Life Options, Suite 1, 1346 Shettleston Road, Glasgow, G32 9AT.