If your personal information is under the Trust’s control, 99% of the time you will have the right of access.
To exercise your right of access, please follow the steps below:
Step 1 – Decide what records you seek. For example, supervision, review or assessment records
Step 2 – As much as possible, be specific about the timeframe. For example, the last one year or 2010 – 2015
Step 3 – Note the service and Trust officers involved, if you have that information. This is not essential requirement
Step 4 – Check that you are eligible to make a valid request
Step 5 – Complete the Subject Access Request (SAR) form which you can download by clicking here or the icon below
Step 6 – Forward the completed SAR form to us at info_governance@sandwellchildrenstrust.org
For a request to be valid, it must be submitted by someone with the appropriate authority to do so. Here you will find a list of eligible individuals and those with the authority to make a valid request for access on their behalf:
Identity Checks
Be prepared to provide evidence of authority to make a valid Subject Access Request. You may be asked to present one or more of the following:
- A nationally accepted photo ID (driving licence, current passport, citizencard, NUS card etc.
- A utility bill not older than 3 months
- Correspondence from a Public Authority not older than 3 months
- Proof of Parental Rights
- Proof of residence with the natural person not older than 3 months
Clarification Requests
After submitting a Subject Access Request, the Trust may contact you to ask:
- Why you require the records
- Whether you would like to narrow the record specification
- Whether you would like to narrow the timeframe for the record search
Clarification requests are designed to help us locate and verify records within the statutory required period for response, especially when the scope and data volume is large
When we do this, we would normally request that you respond within 14 days. During this 14 day period, we would pause the one calendar month countdown. Countdown will resume on the day your response is received.
Refusing a Subject Access Request
The Trust may refuse a Subject Access Request on the following grounds:
- Where a natural person makes repetitive and/or multiple requests over a short period of time, usually monitored over 12 months.
- Where the request is excessive in nature and the natural person does not respond appropriately to clarification requests
- Where there are lawful prohibitions around disclosure of particular records
- Where disclosure is likely to cause harm or distress to another natural person
Whatever the case may be, Sandwell Children’s Trust will communicate to you, and simplify explanations as much as possible.