Social Worker Home Office clearance

Dear Sir or Madam,

Can you please advise how many social workers, including managers,
you have in your Team for Unaccompanied Minors (Refugee Children)?
How many of these social workers are agency workers and how many of
these staff work on a rota basis at the Home Office facility called
Lunar House? Please advise what process these staff have to go
through to be able to work at Lunar House on a col-located basis
for and on behalf of your Team that works with Unaccompanied Minors
(Refugee Children)? Please also confirm that one or more of your
agency social worker or direct Council employees have not been
given clearance, by the Home Office, to work at Lunar House to work
on such a col-located basis? Please advise me what information the
Home Office usually provides to Croydon Council to confirm social
workers have or have not been given clearance to work on a
col-located basis at Lunar House? Please provide copies of
information you hold that explains which social workers are
selected to work at Lunar House to work on such a Co-located basis
and what your procedures are for social workers who refuse or do
not with to work at Lunar House but already work with your Team for
Unaccompanied Minors (Refugee Children)? Please provide copies of
your policies and procedures for social workers who are refused
clearance by the Home Office to work at Lunar House on a
col-located basis on behalf of Croydon Council's Team for
Unaccompanied Minors (Refugee Children)?

Yours faithfully,
Cassidy J

Dear Sir or Madam,

Clarification

This information request is not concerned with Enhanced Disclosures
from the Criminal Records Bureau, which all of your social workers
must already hold.

This request is concerned with the additional clearance the Home
Office conducts for your social workers who work on a col-located
basis at the Home Office Lunar House Asylum Screening facility,
concerned with the social workers who work for Croydon Council's
Team for Unaccompanied Minors (Refugee Children). I understand the
social workers who are given this extra clearance are also given a
Home Office issued photo access pass (ID card) to enable them to
work from within Lunar House. Please also confirm that these social
workers not only have a Croydon Council ID card but a Home Office
issued card to work at Lunar House?

Web information of your social work Lunar House services

Where are we?

The assessment service is based at Taberner House, with a part of
the service being based in the Asylum Screening Unit of the Home
Office (ASU), where social workers assess what services each
individual is entitled to.
http://www.croydon.gov.uk/healthsocial/f...
Yours faithfully,

Cassidy, J

Dear Morris, Valerie,

Please advise why I have not been sent a response after your letter
of 20 November 2009? You can see your correspondence and my request
at:

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/so...

I note you never gave any reference in your original response, I do
not expect your omission to act as a further delay.

Yours sincerely,

Cassidy, J

Your email:

Morris, Valerie
Croydon Borough Council

20 November 2009

Dear Sir/Madam

Thank you for your email dated 17 November 2009 in which you have
requested, among other things, information regarding the number of
social workers, including managers that in the Unaccompanied Minors
Team.

We are considering your request under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000, and hope to respond within the statutory 20
working days.

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case,
either myself or a colleague will let you know the likely charges
before proceeding.

If you have any queries about this email, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future
communications.

Yours sincerely

Valerie Morris
Contract Monitoring Officer
Chief Executive's Office
Democratic & Legal Services Division
5th Floor South Side
Taberner House
Park Lane Croydon
CR9 3JS
Tel: 0208 686 4433 ext. 62676
Fax: 0208 760 5679

Dear Croydon Borough Council,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of
Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Croydon Borough
Council's handling of my FOI request 'Social Worker Home Office
clearance'.

You have not given any reason for not disclosing any information or
requested any more time to complete your search for it. You have
did not provide any advice or assistance with this request or ask
for any further clarification.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/so...

Yours faithfully,

Cassidy, J

Dear Morris, Valerie,

Can you please advise when Croydon Borough Council
will be providing a response to a request for information made more
that 40 working days ago? I requested an Internal Review for this
request about 20 days ago.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/so...

Yours sincerely,

Cassidy, J

Dear Morris, Valerie,

Please find below a copy of ICO letter I got today.

A request for an internal review was made on 18 December 2009.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/so...

Yours sincerely,

Cassidy, J

1st February 2010
 
Case Reference Number FS50290166
 
Dear Ms Allen
 
Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act)
Complaint from J Cassidy
                                                                    
I am writing to confirm that the Information Commissioner has
received a complaint from J Cassidy stating that no response has
been sent to an information request submitted to your organisation
on 18/11/09, which you have acknowledged as having been received.
We enclose a copy of this request for your information.
 
Any public authority in receipt of such a request is under a duty
to respond within 20 working days of receipt. As it is the case
that you have not responded but acknowledged receipt of the
request, we would ask that you now respond within 10 working days
of receipt of this letter. We should be grateful if you could also
provide a copy of your response to this office.
 
You should state whether or not the information is held in a
recorded form. If it is held, you should either provide the
information or issue a refusal notice in accordance with the
requirements of section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act or
regulation 14 of the Environmental Information Regulations as
appropriate. You can find more information on refusal notices
contained in the guidance issued by the Commissioner which is
available at:
 
http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/l...
 
http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/l...
 
Finally you should be aware that the Information Commissioner often
receives requests for copies of the letters we send and receive
when dealing with casework. Not only are we obliged to deal with
these in accordance with the access provisions of the Data
Protection Act 1998 (the DPA) and the Freedom of Information Act
2000 (the FOIA), it is in the public interest that we are open,
transparent and accountable for the work that we do.
 
However, whilst we want to disclose as much information as we
reasonably can, there will be occasions where full disclosure would
be wrong. It is also important that the disclosures we make do not
undermine the confidence and trust in the Commissioner of those who
correspond with him.   
 
When you reply to this letter, I would be grateful if you would
indicate whether any of the information you provide in connection
with this matter is confidential, or for any other reason should
not be disclosed to anyone who requests it. I should make clear
that simply preferring that the information is withheld may not be
enough to prevent disclosure. You should have a good reason why
this information should not be disclosed to anyone else and explain
this to us clearly and fully.
 
For further advice on how to deal with freedom of information
requests, please visit our website at www.ico.gov.uk or call our
helpline on 08456 306060, or 01625 545745 if you prefer to use a
National Rate number.
 
If you need to contact us about this matter, please quote the case
reference number from the top of this letter.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
 
 
Jim Dunn
FoI Case Officer
FoI Case Reception Unit
The Information Commissioner’s Office
 
Copy of request

Cassidy, J

18 November 2009

Dear Sir or Madam,

Can you please advise how many social workers, including managers,
you have in your Team for Unaccompanied Minors (Refugee Children)?
How many of these social workers are agency workers and how many of
these staff work on a rota basis at the Home Office facility called
Lunar House? Please advise what process these staff have to go
through to be able to work at Lunar House on a col-located basis
for and on behalf of your Team that works with Unaccompanied Minors
(Refugee Children)? Please also confirm that one or more of your
agency social worker or direct Council employees have not been
given clearance, by the Home Office, to work at Lunar House to work
on such a col-located basis? Please advise me what information the
Home Office usually provides to Croydon Council to confirm social
workers have or have not been given clearance to work on a
col-located basis at Lunar House? Please provide copies of
information you hold that explains which social workers are
selected to work at Lunar House to work on such a Co-located basis
and what your procedures are for social workers who refuse or do
not with to work at Lunar House but already work with your Team for
Unaccompanied Minors (Refugee Children)? Please provide copies of
your policies and procedures for social workers who are refused
clearance by the Home Office to work at Lunar House on a
col-located basis on behalf of Croydon Council's Team for
Unaccompanied Minors (Refugee Children)?

Yours faithfully,
Cassidy J

 

Dear Derby, James,

You have not provided any information concerning these parts of the
request:

"Please also confirm that one or more of your
agency social worker or direct Council employees have not been
given clearance, by the Home Office, to work at Lunar House to work
on such a col-located basis? Please advise me what information the
Home Office usually provides to Croydon Council to confirm social
workers have or have not been given clearance to work on a
col-located basis at Lunar House?"

You confirm that you do not have any policy or procedure for social
workers who have failed the specific Home Office vetting checks,
for issuing of a Home Office pass, to work directly with children
at Lunar House.

Due to your delays and failure to provide all the information
requested. I am writing to request an internal review of Croydon
Borough
Council's handling of my FOI request 'Social Worker Home Office
clearance'.

You have not given any reason for not disclosing any information or
requested any more time to complete your search for it. You have
did not provide any advice or assistance with this request or ask
for any further clarification.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/so...

Yours sincerely,

Cassidy, J

Copy to ICO