NORTHERN IRELAND SOCIAL CARE COUNCIL

Transcription

1 NORTHERN IRELAND SOCIAL CARE COUNCIL FREEDOM OF INFORMATION POLICY FINAL SEPTEMBER 2012

2 1. INTRODUCTION The purpose of the Northern Ireland Social Care Council s (NISCC) Freedom of Information Policy is to explain how Freedom of Information requests are made and also describe the type of information which NISCC will make readily available through publications and on its website ( It also explains how other information requests should be made, such as requests for personal information. The NISCC operates in an open, transparent and accountable way and this Policy underpins that ethos. The NISCC publishes a wide range of information on its website which is explained further in this Policy and regularly reviews this information to ensure the public understands how it transacts its business and makes decisions. 2. THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 gives everyone the right to obtain information from public organisations including health and social care agencies. This means that you can access information about how the NISCC works, how we spend public money, and how and why we make decisions. The FOI Act gives you the right to access almost all the information the NISCC holds, but there is some information which cannot be made public, for example investigations into an allegations of misconduct of a social worker or social care worker. In addition, information given in confidence or personal details about others cannot be provided - these are known as exemptions. 3. OTHER WAYS TO ACCESS INFORMATION Data Protection Act 1998 You can also obtain your own personal information where this is held by the NISCC through the Data Protection Act (DPA) The DPA gives everyone access rights to their own personal information and covers both private and public organisations. Environment Information Regulations 2004 The Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) 2004 gives everyone the right to environmental information held by public organisations. 2

3 4. NISCC PUBLICATION SCHEME In order to comply with the FOI Act public sector organisations such as the NISCC must routinely publish information whenever possible. The Information Commissioner, who is responsible for monitoring and enforcing compliance with the FOI Act 2000, has drawn up what is called a Model Publication Scheme for all public sector organisations which we have decided to adopt. We have reviewed the information we routinely put into the public domain to ensure we are compliant with the Scheme. A copy of the information which we publish under our Publications Scheme can be found on our website and this information in turn can mostly be found on our website by using the search facility. 4. HOW TO REQUEST INFORMATION A wide range of NISCC information is available on our website as described in our Publications Scheme. However if the information which you require is not available from our website, you can make a request in writing by: Post: Sandra Stranaghan info@niscc.hscni.net FOI Officer NI Social Care Council 7 th Floor, Millennium House Great Victoria Street Belfast BT2 7AQ All requests for copies of information under the FOI Act must be made in writing. In doing so it would be helpful if you tell us what information you are requesting, and give us your name, address (or address) and contact telephone number. If you would like to speak to the FOI Officer before submitting your request, you should telephone We will respond to requests within 20 working days of receipt. If you wish to make a request for information under DPA again you should do so in writing as indicated above. However you must also enclose proof of identity a formal document or bill with your name and address on it or your driving licence or passport. 3

4 Under the Data Protection Act 1998 we have 40 working days to provide the information you ask for. 5. HOW YOUR REQUEST FOR INFORMATION IS MANAGED Information which you seek will be provided free of charge, however some exceptions may apply as set out below disbursements related to the provision of information and any reformatting requested by the applicant; any information which is provided in hard copy and where there is no statutory provision for charges, may incur charges for photocopying, reformatting and postage as follows: - Photocopying 10 pence per page - Reformatting - 10 per hour postage all materials will be posted using Royal Mail and standard postal rates will apply according to weight/size of the material provided if the time taken to source the material exceeds 18 hours then a further charge can be made. You will be advised in advance of any charges which may apply before proceeding with the request. However no charges will be made for any information accessed via our website. 6. WHERE INFORMATION IS UNAVAILABLE OR IS REFUSED The FOI Act does not require us to provide information that we do not already gather; however, we do have a duty to help you with your request. We will contact you and tell you what information we do hold and whether that may help with your query. If a request to provide information is refused (withheld) we will tell you what information has been withheld and why. 4

5 If you are unhappy with any aspect of the way in which we deal with your request or wish to have it reviewed, you should write to the NISCC Director of Corporate Services, Mr Mark Bradley, 7th Floor Millennium House, Great Victoria Street, Belfast BT2 7AQ. If we cannot resolve the matter following this further review and you remain dissatisfied you can ask the Northern Ireland Information Commissioner to decide if your request has been dealt with correctly. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at Information Commissioner 51 Adelaide Street Belfast BT2 8FE Tel EQUALITY SCREENING This Policy has been screened for equality implications as required by Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and for compliance with human rights and disability legislation. 8 REVIEW OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION POLICY This Policy is subject to review after two years or earlier if necessary to account for any developments in legislation or best practice. This Policy was endorsed by Council on 5 September 2012 and is therefore due review by September [September 2012] 5