Information management data classification maintenance overview
All forward-thinking social housing providers are seeking to realise the potential of the data they routinely store, particularly in relation to their tenants, and are therefore investing more time and resources into its analysis, thus informing the growth of more targeted services. The results of this analysis provide a solid platform for improving the holistic services available to all customers through the housing organisation, and the insight provides the necessary information to take the right course of action. As well as the data collected for internal processing, housing organisations regularly need to share data with other establishments and partner agencies. This can be in the normal course of business, such as the details required by a contractor to fulfil a repair works order, but can also relate to debt recovery and legal proceedings for, say, damage to property. Under the rules set out in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), individuals have the right to know what personal data is being held about them and also how that data is being shared with third parties. Within all housing organisations, the obligation for data controllers is to operate with complete transparency when conveying the legitimate purposes for processing each customer's personal information, stating unequivocally the retention period for the data that has been collected, and with whom it will be shared.
To support business managers in implementing a clear strategy for data collection, processing and sharing, a series of grouping elements - referred to as 'information tags' - can be defined within Civica Cx Housing, bringing together any subset of database columns, contact reference types and generic form fields that are pertinent to lawful and compatible data processing activities. As part of their configuration, these information tags are mapped to specific custom types, which serve to identify and characterise aspects of relevant data when seeking consent and monitoring reviews e.g. Personal Identifiers, Medical Identifiers, Tenancy Agreement Information, etc. When demonstrating compliance under the data regulation, or responding to a Subject Access Request from an individual customer, the use of these common tags ensures consistency and uniformity within the reporting mechanisms.
Separate help articles have been created for each key aspect of information management data classification maintenance, including: