Using our Debt Relief Order (DRO) service - our privacy policy

This content applies to England and Wales. See content for Northern Ireland, Scotland.

When you contact us, we collect personal information about you so we can find out if you're eligible for a Debt Relief Order (DRO), and apply for one on your behalf. We’re able to do this under a legal basis called 'public task'. This means it lets us carry out a task which is in the public interest or part of our official functions, and which has a clear basis in law. We’re authorised by the Insolvency Service to draft and send DRO applications for our clients.

We get your information:

  • by talking with you by phone, video call or chat

  • from records on our case management system - if you've got advice from us before

  • from credit reference agencies - with your permission

We have a ‘legitimate interest’ to do this under data protection law. This means it lets us carry out our aims and goals as an organisation. We’ll always ask your permission before representing you or sharing your information.

We’ll always ask for your consent to store information about your:

  • health conditions

  • ethnic origin

  • religion

  • trade union membership

  • sexual orientation

You don’t have to tell us this information if you don’t want to.

If you need to contact us about your information

If you need more details about how we process your information please contact the DRO Unit.

DRO Unit

Armstrong House, Abbeywoods Business Park, Pity Me, Durham, DH1 5GH

Email: masdrounit@citizensadvicecd.org.uk

Telephone: 0191 372 6696 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm

Calls usually cost up to 55p a minute from mobiles and up to 13p a minute from landlines. It should be free if you have a contract that includes calls to landlines - check with your supplier if you're not sure.

What information we ask for

We only record information that will help us assess your eligibility for a DRO and complete your DRO application. This includes your name, contact details and information about your financial situation such as debts, income and expenditure.

With your permission we'll contact credit reference agencies on your behalf. They'll give us your credit report which tells us what debts and credit you have.

We might ask for demographic information like your gender or ethnicity.

How we use your information

The main reason we need your information is to complete your DRO application. We'll only access your information for other reasons if we really need to and we have a legitimate interest to do this under data protection law. This means it lets us carry out our aims and goals as an organisation. For example, we might access your information:

  • for training and quality purposes

  • to investigate complaints

  • to get feedback from you about our services

  • to help us improve our services

We use some information to create statistics about who we're helping and what problems are the most common. This information is always anonymised - you can't be identified. We share these with the Money and Pensions Service, our funder.

When we share your information with other organisations

Sometimes we share your personal information with other organisations - we only do this to help you with your application, or to monitor the quality of our services. We'll get your permission before doing this.

Organisations we share your data with must store and use it in line with data protection law - they can't pass it on or sell it without your permission. You can check the privacy notices on their websites for more information about how they’ll use your personal data.

Who we share your information with

We share your DRO application with an official receiver at the Insolvency Service so they can process your application.

With your permission, we might need to share your details with:

  • creditors - to get more information about your debts

  • credit reference agencies - to get a copy of your credit report

  • employers or benefits offices - to get details about your income

  • our trusted research partners, Optimisa, PWC Research and 2CV, to get your feedback on our service

  • The Single Financial Guidance Body (SFGB), our funders - so they can check the quality of our advice

The Single Financial Guidance Body (SFGB) is the organisation formed from the Money Advisory Service, Pension Wise and The Pensions Advisory service. Previously, with your permission, we shared some of your details with the Money and Pensions Service so they could check the quality of our advice - you can check the Money and Pensions Service’s privacy notice on their website.

Storing your information

Your information is stored securely on our internal systems. All volunteers and staff who access your data have had data protection training to make sure your information is handled sensitively and securely.

Your DRO adviser will log all your DRO details into our secure case management system.

We keep your information for 6 years. If your case has been subject to a serious complaint, insurance claim or other dispute we keep the data for 16 years.

Our case management systems are hosted within the European Economic Area (EEA) and wherever possible, the UK.

If you want to make a complaint

If you're not happy with how we've handled your data, you can make a complaint.