Applying for a job or to be a Witness Service volunteer - our privacy policy

This page only applies to people who apply to work for:

  • the National Citizens Advice Service - this doesn't include local Citizens Advice

  • the Citizens Advice Witness Service

If you apply to work or volunteer at a local Citizens Advice, they'll have their own policy about how they collect, use and store your information. Contact your local Citizens Advice and ask to see their policy - or check their website.

When you apply, we collect your personal information through your application form, interview or references so we can process your application. 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 need to use your personal information to recruit people and make sure our recruitment processes are inclusive.

If you applied for a job at National Citizens Advice, we collect your details through a third party online recruitment system called Jobtrain. Jobtrain is the ‘data processor’ but Citizens Advice is responsible for keeping your personal information safe and making sure we follow data protection law. This means we're the ‘data controller' for your personal information. You can find more information about how we process your personal information on the Citizens Advice Jobtrain privacy notice.

If you're offered a role, where applicable, we may ask you to to fill out a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) form as part of mandatory background checks. A DBS form does ask for some personal information as part of the background check process. These forms are stored and processed securely and confidentially by Citizens Advice and DBS. You can read more about DBS checks and processes on the GOV.UK website.

What information we ask for

We'll collect personal information such as name, address, telephone number and email address, previous job history and experience, qualifications, and any support needs you may have.

We'll also ask for diversity information like your gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation. You don't have to tell us this.

We might collect other information depending on whether you've applied for a staff or volunteer role.

You've applied for a staff role

If we offer you a position, we'll ask for:

  • references for your previous and current work

  • proof of your right to work in the UK, like a valid UK passport or visa

  • your national insurance number and P45

  • your bank details, so we can pay you

  • details of your student loan if you’re paying one back

On rare occasions, where it's needed for the role, we might contact the DBS for a criminal record check. Once the DBS check is completed and you've received your certificate, we'd expect you to share this information with us as part of the the background check process.

This information would include your name, date of birth, place of birth, gender, position applied for and anything else disclosed on your DBS check.

You've applied for a Witness Service volunteer role

If we offer you a volunteering position, we'll ask your referees about your previous and current work and experience.

We might contact the DBS for a criminal record check, if relevant. Once the DBS check is completed and you've received your certificate, we'd expect you to share this information with us as part of the background check process.

This information would include name, date of birth, place of birth, gender, position applied for and anything else disclosed on your DBS check.

How we use your information

The main reasons we ask for your personal information are to:

  • send you job alerts if you sign up for them

  • check you’ve got the right skills for a role when you apply

  • arrange an interview

  • contact you to tell you the result of your application

  • do checks when we make an offer, for example contacting your references or checking your right to work in the UK

  • send you an offer letter or contract

We'll only access your information for other reasons if we need to and we have a legitimate interest to do this under data protection law, for example to:

  • investigate complaints

  • send you copies of the information we have about you if you make a ‘subject access request’ - find out more about subject access requests  on the Information Commissioner’s Office website

  • get feedback from you about our services

  • help us improve our services

We’ll treat any diversity information you give us as strictly confidential. We’ll anonymise this information and only use it to look at trends. This means we won't look at your information individually or compare it to other people and we won’t use it as part of the recruitment selection process.

We run a guaranteed interview scheme for people with disabilities. The hiring manager and the recruitment team will see on your application if you applied using this scheme. They will treat this information as strictly confidential and they won’t be able to see the rest of your diversity information.

Sharing your information

If you accept an offer to work for us we’ll:

  • get your permission to share your information with your references

  • share your contact information with our occupational health provider, Health Management

  • add your information to our human resources and technology systems

We have contracts with Health Management and the providers of our human resources and technology systems - they’ve confirmed they store data securely and follow data protection laws. We’re still responsible for keeping your personal information safe and making sure we follow data protection law. This means we're the ‘data controller' for your personal information.

We won’t usually share your personal information with anyone else in a way that could identify you. In some rare situations we have to share your information, for example if:

  • we’re investigating a safeguarding issue

  • the police ask for the information to help them investigate a crime

  • a court orders us to share the information

We sometimes share anonymous statistics with organisations we trust so they can analyse the information.

Storing your information

We keep your information securely on our internal systems.

If you apply online for a staff role at Citizens Advice, your information is stored securely on a third party system called Jobtrain. We’ll only store your information for 12 months after you’ve made an application.

Contact us about your data

You can contact us at any time and ask us:

  • what information we've stored about you

  • to change or update your details

  • to delete your details from our records

For staff roles at Citizens Advice, send us a message at Jobinfo@citizensadvice.org.uk.

For Witness Service volunteer roles, contact us at ws-volunteering@citizensadvice.org.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 through our website.