Finding the Right Advice - Children and Young Persons privacy notice
1. Council contact details
1.1. West Northamptonshire Council
Registered Office:
One Angel Square
Angel Street
Northampton, NN1 1ED
Contact centre telephone: 0300 126 7000
The Data Controller is West Northamptonshire Council
ICO registration number: ZA896620
The Customer Services team can be contacted by email at [email protected]
1.2 This privacy notice sets out the information for the Council’s Finding the Right Advice AI bot service which covers:
- An online guided form for children, young people aged 0 to 25, families, parents, carers, family members, friends and professionals
- Personalised information, advice and signposting based on the answers provided
- The creation of a case record in the Customer Record Management system for each completed submission
Finding the Right Advice helps people find relevant information, advice and signposting by answering guided questions about their circumstances. The service generates tailored information and advice based on those answers. It does not make decisions about eligibility for council services and does not access resident records held in other council systems.
1.3 This privacy notice should be read in conjunction with the:
2. Information that we hold
2.1. Information about the types of data we collect to deliver this service.
It isn’t necessary for you to share your personal data with us when using this service, but if you chose to do so then your information will be recorded along with your standard responses within the Council’s Jardu CRM system and processed on its AWS cloud environment. AWS Lambda, DynamoDB and S3 are used to process temporary storage and all processing takes place within the UK.
The information that we do collect varies according to how the service is used. We do not ask for names, addresses or any identifiable information unless you request a copy of the advice to be sent by email, in which case we will require an email address.
The information we ask for in order to help target the advice may include:
- Age or age range
- Relationship to the child or young person
- Answers to structured questions about circumstances, topic areas and support needs
- Any information entered by the user in free text fields
- The generated tailored information and advice
- Email address, if the user chooses to provide one a copy of the advice can be sent to them
The service may collect information relating to health, disability, special educational needs, pregnancy, caring responsibilities, social care needs, emotional wellbeing and other personal circumstances where this is necessary to provide relevant information, advice and signposting. Some of this information may be classed as special category personal data under UK GDPR. We only collect information that is relevant to the advice requested.
3. How and why your information is collected and used
3.1. How we collect this personal information.
The personal information we process is provided directly by you when you complete the online guided form.
- Through the online Finding the Right Advice guided form
- Through any free text information, you choose to provide. Free text fields are optional. Users should avoid providing names, addresses, NHS numbers or other personal information unless it is directly relevant to the advice they are seeking.
- Through an optional email address if you ask for a copy of the advice to be sent to you
3.2. Why we collect your information.
We collect this information to provide tailored information and advice based on the answers you give.
The information is used to understand the circumstances and support needs described in the form, generate relevant information, advice and signposting, and create an auditable case record in the Case Record Management system of the completed submission.
If you provide an email address, we use it only to send you a copy of the tailored information and advice. Providing an email address is optional.
Whenever we collect information, we limit this to the details needed to provide the service. We ensure that data is used and stored safely and securely. We require anyone we share information with, or who uses it on our behalf, to do so too.
3.3 Lawful processing
We rely on the following lawful reasons to process your personal data for the Finding the Right Advice service.
UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e) – Public task
a. Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.
4. What we do with the information
4.1 How we use your personal information.
We use your personal information to generate tailored information and advice, provide relevant signposting, create a case record in the Customer Records Management system for the completed submission, and send you a copy of the advice if you have chosen to provide an email address.
The information will only be used for the purposes stated when it was collected. Information will not be sold, rented or provided to anyone else, or used for any other purpose than that for which it was originally collected unless required by law.
4.2. Who we share your information with.
In order to deliver the Finding the Right Advice service, it may be necessary for us to share information with council teams involved in service governance, content management, digital support, customer services and information governance.
Information may also be processed by suppliers who support the operation, maintenance and security of the service, where necessary and where appropriate contractual safeguards are in place.
We will share personal information with law enforcement agencies or other authorities only if required by applicable law and in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
4.3 Automated Decision making
The service does not make automated decisions about eligibility for council services, legal rights or other significant matters. It generates information, advice and signposting based on the answers provided by the user.
4.4 Data Profiling
Information provided through the service is categorised and matched to relevant information, advice and signposting pathways based on the answers given.
This processing is used solely to provide tailored information and advice and is not used to make decisions about individuals, determine eligibility for services or assess entitlement to support.
4.5 Automated Processing including AI
The Finding the Right Advice service uses artificial intelligence technology hosted within the Council's approved cloud environment to help generate personalised information, advice and signposting based on the answers provided.
The AI is used to match information provided by users to relevant support services, information and resources.
The service does not make decisions about eligibility for council services, statutory support, benefits, housing, social care, education services or any other entitlement.
The information provided is intended to support users in identifying relevant help and support options and does not replace professional advice, professional judgement or statutory decision-making processes.
Finding the Right Advice is an information and signposting service. It is not an emergency service and submissions are not continuously monitored. The service should not be used to report emergencies or safeguarding concerns where an immediate response is required.
5. How long we keep your information for and how we securely dispose of it after use
5.1. Information about how your personal data is kept.
We retain the contents of chats for 12 months, for training and analysis. We also hold statistical information about the Chatbot service, but this does not contain any personal data.
6. How we store your information
6.1. Physical (paper) records
The Finding the Right Advice service does not generate or store any physical (paper) records.
6.2 Electronic information
Electronic information is stored within the Council's approved systems and cloud environment, including the Customer Records Management system and approved cloud hosting services used to support delivery of the service. Appropriate contractual, technical and organisational safeguards are in place to protect personal information.
7. Your data protection rights
7.1. The law gives you a number of rights to control what personal information is used by us and how we can use it. Please see section 5 of the council’s the council's Privacy Policy for further information.
7.2. Please be aware that your rights may differ depending on the lawful basis for processing your personal data.
8. Who to contact
8.1. If you would like further information about how we use your personal information, or you wish to exercise one of your data rights or you wish to complain about the use of your personal information please contact the Data Protection Officer.
8.2. If you are still dissatisfied with how we have used your data once you have made a complaint through the council’s internal complaints procedure you have the right to complain to the ICO.
The ICO’s address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Helpline number: 0303 123 1113
9 Changes to this Service Privacy Notice
9.1 Privacy notices are live documents and will be updated or revised periodically in line with service changes and / or new legislation requirements.
This privacy notice was last updated September 2028
The update reference number is: PNS/26/0068/E
Last updated 04 September 2026