Introduction
We know that handling information the right way is a big part of our legal responsibilities. We must follow three main rules.
- Keep your information safe.
- Let people see information if they ask for it.
- Keep our records organised and secure.
Data protection
We register with the Information Commissioner Office (ICO) and have a legal duty to protect your data. This means we process your data lawfully and securely. Our data protection officer oversees this process.
We hold personal data about various groups we have contact with. Our Data Protection and Privacy Notice explains what data we collect, why we collect it, and who we share it with.
Our Data Protection Policy outlines how we comply with data protection laws and handle personal data.
We may share information with third parties if it complies with data protection laws.
We have several data sharing agreements and carry out Data Protection Impact Assessments when necessary.
Data sharing agreements
| Name of Agreement |
|---|
| Data Processing Agreement between the Scottish Social Services Council and the Care Inspectorate |
| Data Processing Agreement between the Scottish Social Services Council and the Student Awards Agency Scotland |
| Data Sharing Agreement between the Scottish Social Services Council and the Care Inspectorate |
| Data Sharing Agreement between the Scottish Social Services Council and Scottish Qualifications Authority |
| Health and Care Group Agreement |
| ISA-PHS-SSSC – Flu and Covid 19 Vaccines for social care staff |
| PHS and SSSC – Early Learning and Childcare staff, COVID-19 in ELC settings |
| Reporting of Covid-19 Vaccinations Uptake for SSSC registered Social Care Staff to Scottish Government |
| Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service and Scottish Social Services Agreement |
| Scottish Funding Council and Scottish Social Services Agreement |
| SHCIN Framework for Sharing Intelligence |
If you require more information, please contact our Information Governance Team at [email protected] for details.
Data Protection Impact Assessments
View the list of Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs).
If you require more information, please contact our Information Governance Team at [email protected] for details.
Asking for your personal information
You can ask for a copy of any information we hold about you under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This is called a ‘subject access request’. You can make a subject access request by filling out the form, by phone or in writing.
We are the regulatory body for the social work, social care and children and young people workforce in Scotland. You can read more about our role and responsibilities on the About us page(Opens new window).
Please read the guidance below on what we hold, and do not hold, before making a subject access request. In some cases, we may not be the right organisation to ask for your data.
Data we hold
We will hold personal data about you if:
- you are, or have been in the past, registered with us
- you have a current or previous fitness to practise investigation
- you have a connection to a current or previous fitness to practise investigation
- you are, or have been in the past, employed by the SSSC.
Data we do not hold
We do not hold:
- social work/care records
- social services case notes
- adoption or fostering records
- court or police records.
Please choose from the options below.
Asking for other information not held by the SSSC
If you are looking for any of the following types of record, we will not be able to help you because we do not hold these records:
- social work / care records
- social services case notes
- adoption or fostering records
- court or police records.
For copies of these records, you should contact the organisations listed below.
Social work / care records, social services care notes and adoption or fostering records
Your local authority usually keeps these records. You can see a list of local authorities and their websites on the MyGov Organisations webpage(Opens new window).
Court or police records
For copies of court or police records you should ask the relevant court or police force. For court records you can search for the relevant court on the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service website(Opens new window). For police records you can submit a request on the Police Scotland Subject Access Request webpage(Opens new window).
If you still believe that we hold information about you, please complete the subject access request form.
Disclosure Scotland
We follow the rules set out in the relevant legislation to make sure we handle, use, store, destroy and keep information from Disclosure Scotland properly.
View our Disclosure Scotland Information Handling Policy.
Freedom of information
Anyone can ask for information using the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. However, we may not share information if it is private, commercially sensitive or if it would cost too much to provide.
Making a request
If you make a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, be specific about what you’re looking for, such as a particular date or time period. FOI legislation only allows access to recorded information. Recorded information may be in reports, spreadsheets, emails or meeting minutes.
The Scottish Information Commissioner’s Tips(Opens new window) for asking for information under FOI provide simple advice.
How to submit an FOI request
Your FOI request must include:
- your name (a first name and surname, first initial and surname or title and surname)
- a description of the information.
You must submit an FOI request in writing.
You can do this by email to [email protected] or post to:
Scottish Social Services Council
Freedom of Information request
Compass House
11 Riverside Drive
Dundee
DD1 4NY
We will respond to all requests within 20 working days.
What to do if you’re unhappy with our response
If you’re unhappy with how we’ve handled your request and want us to review our decision, you should write to us within 40 working days of receiving our response, using the contact details above.
What to do if you are unhappy with our review response
If you are unhappy with our response to your review, you can ask the Scottish Information Commissioner to decide. You can contact them at:
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.foi.scot(Opens new window)
FOI requests received
Our FOI disclosure log shows all the FOI requests we’ve responded to, their outcome and, where applicable, our response. This means you can quickly and easily see questions we have already answered.
Guide to information
You might not need to ask us for information, for example, if it is already available. By law, we must have a scheme that specifies the types of information we publish or plan to publish. We follow the Scottish Information Commissioner’s Model Publication Scheme, and you can find out how it works on the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website(Opens new window)
We have produced an FOI Guide to Information 2025 that:
- allows you to see what information is available
- states what charges may be applied
- explains how to find the information easily
- provides contact details for enquiries and to get help with accessing the information
- explains how to ask for information that’s not been published.
Reuse of public sector information
We are committed to making the data we produce available to the public for reuse. We keep an open data publication schedule which we update regularly as we make more of our data available in this format.
Any open data we make available will have an associated open licence. This licence tells you what you can do with the data. We use the Open Government licensing scheme (OGL)(Opens new window), although we also licence some of our data under Creative Commons(Opens new window) and the Non-commercial Government licence(Opens new window).
We will never release personally or commercially sensitive data.
Difference between reuse and FOI
You can ask for information which is not already published as open data, through processes such as Freedom of Information. However, any information disclosed in this way may have copyright protection. This means you may not have the automatic right to reuse it other than for its original purpose. If you are looking for information held by us with a view to reusing it in some way you must ask for our permission first.
Public Sector Information Reuse Regulations
The framework for the process of reuse is set out in regulations. We have a Statement of Public Task that describes the information we produce, hold and send out.
How do I ask to reuse information?
You can ask to reuse information. You should clearly describe the information you are asking for and that you are asking for it under the Reuse of Public Sector Information Regulations.
You must tell us:
- your name and address
- which document you would like to reuse
- the purpose you will use the information for.
We usually deal with requests within 20 working days. Our response will tell you about any conditions for reuse and if we will charge you a fee to reuse the information.
Email [email protected]
Records management
We create and keep records because they are important for our work and help us meet legal and business requirements.
Managing our records properly means we can:
- prove what actions we’ve taken
- support future decisions
- stay accountable to stakeholders.
Our Records Management Policy explains how we look after our records.
The law (Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011) says we must have a Records Management Strategy and Plan that’s agreed with the Keeper of Records of Scotland. We follow this plan to manage our records.
We provide annual progress updates to the Keeper’s assessment team who provide us with an informal indication of what marking we could expect when we submit a revised plan under the Act.
We only keep your information for as long as we need it for our legal duties or business needs. When we no longer need it, we destroy or delete it according to our retention schedule.