JTA Apply – Recruitment and Candidate Privacy Notice

1. Introduction

JTA Residential Care is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality and personal information of everyone applying to work with us.

This Recruitment Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, store, protect and retain personal information submitted through JTA Apply, our online recruitment application portal.

As an Ofsted-regulated provider of residential children's care services, we have particular responsibilities to ensure that individuals recruited to work with children are suitable, appropriately qualified and safely recruited.

We process recruitment information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and applicable employment and safeguarding legislation.

J T A Health Care Limited, trading through its JTA Residential Care service, is the data controller responsible for personal information collected through JTA Apply.

Contact details:

• Email: info@jtaresidentialcare.co.uk
• HR: jta-hr@jtaresidentialcare.co.uk
• Telephone: 0333 335 6268
• Website: www.jtaresidentialcare.co.uk

2. What personal information we collect

Depending on the position applied for and the recruitment stage, we may collect:

• Personal details: Full legal name, previous names, date of birth, address, contact details and National Insurance number where necessary.
• Application information: Position applied for, employment preferences, availability, experience and responses to role-specific questions.
• Education and employment history: Qualifications, professional training, previous employers, employment dates, career breaks and explanations for gaps in employment.
• Professional references: Details of referees, employment verification and information received from previous employers.
• Right-to-work information: Immigration or visa status and evidence necessary to establish eligibility to work in the United Kingdom.
• Safeguarding and DBS information: Relevant declarations, DBS certificate and Update Service details, regulatory history and information necessary for lawful safeguarding checks.
• Reasonable adjustments: Information voluntarily provided to help us make appropriate adjustments during recruitment.
• Supporting documents: CVs, qualification certificates and other evidence relevant to the application.
• Technical information: Application reference numbers, submission dates, limited technical logs and information necessary to keep the portal secure.

We only request information that is relevant and proportionate to recruitment or the applicable stage of employment.

3. Why we use your personal information

We process personal information to:

• Receive, assess and administer employment applications.
• Communicate with applicants about recruitment.
• Assess qualifications, employment experience and professional suitability.
• Obtain and verify references.
• Carry out necessary safer-recruitment and safeguarding checks.
• Verify eligibility to work in the UK.
• Meet our responsibilities under the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and other applicable legislation.
• Make reasonable adjustments during recruitment.
• Maintain appropriate recruitment records and respond to lawful queries, complaints or regulatory requirements.
• Protect the security and integrity of the JTA Apply platform.

Completing an application does not constitute an offer of employment or confirmation that an applicant has passed the necessary safer-recruitment checks.

4. Our lawful basis for processing information

We do not rely on general consent as the legal basis for all recruitment processing.

Depending on the purpose, we rely on the following provisions of Article 6 of the UK GDPR.

Article 6(1)(b) – Steps before entering into a contract

We process information necessary to assess applications and take steps requested by individuals before entering into a potential employment contract.

Article 6(1)(c) – Compliance with a legal obligation

We process information where necessary to meet our legal responsibilities, including applicable employment, immigration, safeguarding and safer-recruitment obligations.

These include relevant duties under the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015.

Article 6(1)(f) – Legitimate interests

Where appropriate, we process information for our legitimate interests in administering recruitment effectively, maintaining accurate records, protecting our systems, preventing misuse and establishing, exercising or defending legal claims.

We balance these interests against the rights and freedoms of applicants.

5. Special category information

In limited circumstances, recruitment information may contain special category personal data, such as information about health or disability.

We only process this information where necessary and where both an Article 6 lawful basis and an additional Article 9 condition apply.

For information necessary to fulfil employment-law obligations or provide reasonable adjustments, the relevant condition may be Article 9(2)(b) of the UK GDPR, supported by Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

Such information will be handled confidentially, with access restricted to those who genuinely need it.

We do not routinely require applicants to disclose their general medical history during the initial application.

6. DBS, criminal-record and safeguarding information

Some JTA positions involve regulated activity with children and are subject to enhanced DBS and other safeguarding checks, where legally applicable.

Where processing criminal-offence information is necessary, JTA relies on an appropriate Article 6 lawful basis together with legal authority under Article 10 of the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

For necessary employment-law safeguarding obligations, our identified condition is Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018, where its requirements are satisfied.

Such processing is subject to an Appropriate Policy Document setting out how we protect the information, comply with data protection principles and manage retention and deletion.

We will:

• Request relevant criminal-record information only where legally permitted and necessary.
• Apply the relevant rehabilitation-of-offenders and DBS filtering rules.
• Restrict access to authorised personnel.
• Undertake appropriate verification and safeguarding checks.
• Avoid retaining full DBS certificate information longer than necessary.
• Record the outcome of checks where appropriate without unnecessarily retaining sensitive certificate contents.

Disclosure of relevant information does not automatically prevent an applicant from being considered. Any assessment will take account of the applicable legal requirements, circumstances and safeguarding risks.

7. Who can access your information

Recruitment information is accessible only to authorised JTA personnel who require it for recruitment or related legal responsibilities.

This may include designated HR staff, appropriate senior management and authorised individuals involved in recruitment decisions.

Where necessary and lawful, information may also be shared with referees, DBS and identity-check providers, professional or regulatory bodies, relevant authorities, and contracted technology providers acting under appropriate data-protection arrangements.

We do not sell applicants' personal information.

National Insurance numbers and sensitive DBS or safeguarding disclosures will not be included in routine application notification emails.

8. How we protect your information

JTA takes appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect recruitment information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

Access to confidential application records is restricted according to authorised responsibilities.

Candidates using JTA Apply do not gain access to JTA's internal staff applications, operational records or children's information.

Applications are subject to appropriate access controls, secure transmission and storage, and record-access auditing.

Where technology suppliers process information on our behalf, we require appropriate contractual and security safeguards.

If information is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that an applicable legal transfer mechanism or adequacy arrangement is in place.

9. How long we keep recruitment information

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary for recruitment, safeguarding, regulatory and legitimate record-keeping purposes.

Our proposed retention arrangements are:

• Unsuccessful applications: Normally up to 12 months after the final recruitment decision, unless a longer period is justified.
• Incomplete applications: Normally deleted after 30 days of inactivity, subject to appropriate reminders.
• Successful applicants: Necessary information may be retained within the employee personnel record in accordance with our employment-record retention policy. Successful applications are retained for 7 years.
• DBS certificate information: Retained only for the necessary period, normally no longer than six months after the recruitment decision, unless exceptional circumstances justify longer retention.

Where a legal dispute, safeguarding concern or regulatory obligation requires longer retention, we may retain necessary information for an appropriate additional period.

Information no longer required will be securely deleted or anonymised.

10. Your rights

Subject to applicable legal conditions and exemptions, you may have the right to:

• Request access to your personal information.
• Request correction of inaccurate information.
• Request deletion of information in appropriate circumstances.
• Request restriction of processing.
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Request data portability where applicable.
• Withdraw consent where consent is the lawful basis for an optional processing activity.

To exercise your rights, contact info@jtaresidentialcare.co.uk.

You may also raise a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office at www.ico.org.uk.

11. Automated decision-making

JTA does not use JTA Apply to make recruitment decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

The portal may check whether application sections are complete or highlight missing employment-history information, but recruitment decisions are made by authorised people.

12. Providing your information

Certain information is necessary to process your application. Other fields are optional and will be clearly identified.

If essential information is not provided, JTA may be unable to progress an application or confirm an appointment.

We will explain any additional information required at the appropriate recruitment stage.

13. Changes to this notice

We may update this notice to reflect changes in legislation, recruitment procedures or technology.

The current version will be available through JTA Apply and the JTA Residential Care website.

For further information, contact:

• Data Protection Lead
• JTA Residential Care
• Email: info@jtaresidentialcare.co.uk
• Telephone: 0333 335 6268