Foyer privacy notice

Welcome to the Foyer, we want you to get the most from your time here and look forward to supporting you on your journey.  During your stay we’ll ask you to share some information about yourself, so it’s important you know how we’ll use that information.  

What's a privacy notice?

A privacy notice lets you know how we collect, use, store, and share your personal info. It’s important that you know how we handle your data and that you can trust us to keep it safe. We have these notices for everyone – staff, residents, and of course, you! 

Why should I care about this?

Your privacy matters to us. This notice explains how we look after your personal info, your rights, and the choices you can make about how we use your data. It’s about giving you control and keeping you in the loop about how your information is used. You can change your mind anytime. 

What information do we collect about you?

At the Foyers, we collect different types of information 

  1. Identifiable Info – this directly or indirectly identifies you, like your name, address, date of birth, medical details, and info from social services or the police. We also take a photo of you when you arrive to help keep you safe. 

  2. Pseudonymised Info – Info that’s coded, so only certain people can identify you, but it’s not obvious to anyone else. 

  3. Anonymised Info – Info where all identifying details have been removed. 

  4. Aggregated Info – Info about a group of people combined to show trends or averages. 

We only use the minimum amount of info needed to do our job, and we’ll never share anything confidential without your permission (unless the law requires us to, or it’s to keep you or others safe). We sometimes use non-identifiable info to help us improve the service we provide, like looking at the average length of stay of young people in the Foyers. 

Who do we share your info with?

We only share your info when it’s absolutely necessary, and we won’t share it without your consent, unless the law says we must. We might share your info with: 

  • Medway Council and Social services  
  • Health and mental health support teams 
  • Your parent/guardian 
  • The police or courts (if required by law) 
  • Contractors working on our behalf 
  • Other mhs homes staff helping to deliver the service 
  • Organisations supporting your education or training 

Our aims are to ready Young People for independent living and make positive contributions to Medway. When we share your info, we make sure it’s secure and only given to the right people. 

Our Promise to Keep Your Info Safe

We’re committed to protecting your privacy. Your personal data will only be used legally and securely, following all the relevant rules. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and our register number is Z629086X.   

We take all necessary steps to protect your info, using strict controls to make sure only the right staff can access it. We’ll never sell your personal info. 

When can we use your info?

We’ll only use your identifiable info if: 

  • It’s needed for your support. 
  • You’ve given written consent for a specific purpose. 
  • We need to keep you or someone else safe. 
  • We’re required by law to use it (like a court order). 
  • There’s an emergency, like to protect health or safety. 

Your Rights

You have the right to: 

  • Know how we use your information. 
  • Ask to see the info we hold about you. 
  • Ask us to correct any wrong info. 
  • Ask us to delete info that’s no longer needed. 
  • Ask us to limit how we use your info. 
  • Say you don’t want us to use your info. 

If you have any questions or concerns about your info, you can talk to someone at the Foyer, and they’ll help you. 

If you want to get in touch about your data, you can contact our Data Protection Officer at: 

Email: data.protection@mhs.org.uk 

Address: mhs homes, Broadside, Leviathan Way, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4LL 

Thanks for reading this! We hope you enjoy your time at the Foyer. 

I agree to my information being shared as described above: 

Signed: ____________________________________ 

Date: ______________________________________ 

Print Name: ________________________________ 

This privacy notice is designed to provide a simple overview for the Foyer service; to view the full mhs privacy notice please visit the mhs website.

Version 3.0 March 2025