Our service supports people onto the employability pipeline, which helps them to secure and sustain a job.
We offer a wide range of courses and activities which improve confidence, grow self-belief and build employability skills. Each course is different, depending on the aspirations of the people we work with, and can include work experience placements, as well as the opportunity to gain SCQF qualifications.
This notice was reviewed on 30 July 2025
To allow us to provide the service you would expect from us, we process the following information about you:
Address
Date of birth
Telephone numbers
Email address
Emergency contact details
Any health or disability issues you may need support with
SCN number for qualifications
PVG number if required as part of programme
Details of criminal convictions in relation to PVG application
We need your information and will use your information:
to analyse what we collect so that we can administer, support and improve our business and the services we offer
to contact you to send you details of any changes to our services which may affect you
to contact you for your views on our services.
to share with SQA any issues and record qualifications
to share information with organisations who fund the projects
We may also seek your consent to collect some information that is called ‘special category data’. The provision of this information is voluntary, and you do not need to provide it. We collect this to help us understand demographic trends so that we can tailor the care and support services we provide. This will include information such as:
Ethnicity
Disability
Religion
Marital Status
Sexual Orientation
We do not share this information, and it is reported on in an anonymous format.
We store your information in a computer system called the ‘LinkLiving Information Management System (LLIMS)’. We may also keep some information on paper-based forms and if we do, these are stored in lockfast filing cabinets in our offices. It’s also possible, if you have contacted us by email, that some information will be held in the email system (Outlook).
We also have an electronic filing system or document management system (SharePoint), where any forms or correspondence relating to your care and support are scanned and stored.
All the personal data we hold about you is subject to our data retention policy. We review our data retention periods regularly and will only hold your personal data for as long as is necessary to allow us to provide our care and support services, or as required by law (we may be legally required to hold some types of information).
We will generally keep your information for the following minimum periods after which it will be destroyed if it is no longer required for the reasons it was obtained.
|
Document Type |
Retention Period |
|
Support Plan |
5 years – from service end date |
|
Service reviews/risk assessments, etc. |
5 years – from service end date |
|
SQA Information |
1 year after certification |
To view our full our retention schedule please click here.
The personal data that we collect from you is gathered and processed with your signed consent. We will ask for your signed consent during the initial assessment of your support needs. By receiving a copy and signing this Privacy Notice (or by signing a data consent agreement and being provided with a link to this Privacy Statement on our website), you are providing your consent under the Data Protection Act 2018 for your data to be used for the purposes and retained for the period(s) specified in this document.
There are certain circumstances when we have a legal requirement to record and retain personal data about you during the period we provide care and support. These circumstances relate to any adult or child protection concerns that come to light during the period we provide you with care and support.
Any special categories of personal data we will ask for will be provided with your explicit consent. The details of your ‘Emergency Contact’ will be processed in your vital interests.
The information you provide to us will be treated by us as confidential.
We may disclose your information to third parties who act for us for the purposes set out in this notice or for purposes approved by you, including the following:
Referral agencies
Statutory Authorities (Local Authority)
Emergency Services (Police, Fire, Ambulance)
Other support providers
Medical Professionals, raising concerns or in a crisis.
Social Work, raising concerns or in a crisis.
Statutory Bodies for Adult/Child Protection
Regulatory Bodies (SQA)
Researchers who help us access your experience of LinkLiving’s services
Organisations who fund our services – i.e. National Lottery
We may disclose your information to third parties without your consent including:
NHS and Social work services, particularly if we identify and Adult Protection or Child Protection concern and assess you, another adult or child as “at risk”
We may also use your information in case studies with your explicit consent.
We may receive information from third parties about you in relation to the care and support services we provide to you. Any information received will be subject to the same storage and retention principles described in this privacy notice.
If your details change, please contact the Employability Services on 01324 466860 or by email at lareception@linkliving.org.uk to inform us to ensure that the information we hold about you is up to date.
You can also contact our data protection officer at datamanagement@linkhaltd.co.uk or by post to Link House, 2c New Mart Road, Edinburgh EH14 14L.
You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.
You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances. However, if Link can demonstrate that there is a compelling reason to process such personal data then we may refuse to stop processing your personal data.
You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.
You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.
Please contact us at datamanagement@linkhaltd.co.uk if you wish to make a request.
If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to us at Link House, 2c New Mart Road, Edinburgh EH14 1RL or by email at datamanagement@linkhaltd.co.uk
You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data.
The ICO’s 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