Personal information charter

How the Office of the Independent Prevent Commissioner collects, uses, stores and protects your personal information when you share concerns about Prevent.

About this charter

This personal information charter explains how the Office of the Independent Prevent Commissioner (OIPC) collects, uses, stores and protects your personal information when you share concerns about Prevent duty delivery.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Who we are

The OIPC provides independent oversight of the Prevent programme. It reviews how effectively Prevent is meeting its objectives and provides a platform to share feedback, experiences and concerns about the delivery of Prevent.

Data controller: Office of the Independent Prevent Commissioner

Email: oipc@ipcommissioner.gov.uk

What information we collect

When you use our online form  to share concerns about Prevent duty delivery, we may collect the following.

Information you provide directly:

  • your name (optional)
  • your email address (if you choose to provide contact details)
  • your connection to the concern (for example, member of public, Prevent practitioner, community organisation representative)
  • details of your concern, including descriptions, locations, dates and impact
  • supporting documents or evidence you choose to upload
  • your recommendations for addressing the issue

Information collected automatically:

  • technical information such as IP address, browser type and device information
  • form submission date and time
  • reference number assigned to your concern

We process your personal information under the following legal bases:

  • public task: processing is necessary for us to perform our statutory functions of providing independent oversight of Prevent delivery
  • legitimate interests: where we have a legitimate interest in analysing concerns to identify systemic patterns and improve Prevent delivery
  • consent: where you have given explicit consent for us to contact you or share your information with other government departments

How we use your information

We use the information you provide in the following ways.

Strategic oversight and analysis

We use information to:

  • identify systemic patterns and trends across Prevent delivery
  • conduct thematic reviews of programme effectiveness
  • analyse regional variations, training gaps and cross-sector co-ordination challenges
  • develop evidence-based recommendations for ministers
  • highlight best practice and areas for improvement

Communication (if you provide contact details):

We use information to:

  • send acknowledgement of your concern within 20 working days
  • contact you if we need additional information for our thematic analysis
  • update you on relevant thematic reviews or publications

Transparency and accountability:

We use information to:

  • inform public reporting on Prevent delivery (anonymised)
  • contribute to strategic reports and ministerial briefings

What we do not do

We do not:

  • investigate every individual concern – our focus is on identifying systemic patterns, not resolving individual cases
  • provide case-by-case resolutions – for individual complaints, you’ll need to contact the relevant organisation’s complaints procedure
  • share identifiable information in public reports – concerns are anonymised for publication

Information sharing

Within government

We may share relevant information with:

  • the Home Office
  • other government departments involved in Prevent delivery
  • specified authorities as part of thematic reviews (not for individual case resolution)

Your choice: When you submit the form, you can choose whether you consent to us sharing your information with other government departments.

External sharing

We do not share your personal information with organisations outside government unless:

  • we are legally required to do so
  • it is necessary to prevent immediate harm or risk to safety
  • you have given explicit consent

Anonymous submissions

You can submit concerns anonymously. If you choose not to provide contact details:

  • your concern will still be logged and analysed
  • we cannot contact you for additional information
  • we cannot provide updates on relevant thematic reviews

Data retention

We keep information in accordance with our retention schedule:

  • concerns data: kept for strategic analysis and thematic reviews for 7 years
  • supporting documents: kept for the same period as the associated concern
  • contact details: kept while relevant to ongoing thematic analysis, then reviewed for deletion

We review data regularly and delete it securely when it is no longer needed for our statutory functions.

Data security

We take the security of your personal information seriously. We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including:

  • secure encrypted transmission of data via our online form
  • access controls limiting who can view your information
  • regular security reviews and updates
  • staff training on data protection

Your rights

Under data protection law, you have the right to:

  • access: request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
  • rectification: ask us to correct inaccurate information
  • erasure: request deletion of your personal information in certain circumstances
  • restriction: ask us to limit how we use your information
  • objection: object to processing based on legitimate interests
  • data portability: receive your data in a portable format
  • withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time

To exercise these rights, contact us at: oipc@ipcommissioner.gov.uk

Some rights may be limited where keeping information is necessary for our statutory functions or legal obligations.

Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal information, you can:

Contact us directly at: oipc@ipcommissioner.gov.uk

Contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow SK9 5AF

Automated decision-making

We do not use automated decision-making or profiling when processing concerns about Prevent duty delivery. All analysis involves human review and assessment.

Children’s information

If a concern relates to someone under 18, we handle their information with particular care in accordance with safeguarding principles. Where there are immediate safety concerns involving children, we may need to share information with appropriate safeguarding authorities.

Changes to this charter

We may update this personal information charter from time to time. The current version will always be available at on this page.

Contact us

If you have questions about how we handle your personal information, email oipc@ipcommissioner.gov.uk

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