Dear George Pappas,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002 – REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Thank you for your information request received on 08/02/2024 08:28 our ref FCIR: 50470 relating to Information Management Training. This is being dealt with in terms of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

We are presently assessing your request and may be in touch soon to ask for further clarification or to offer advice and assistance if we are not able to fulfil your request in its present form.

The legislation allows us up to 20 working days from the date that we receive a valid request, including any clarification we require, to make a final response. We will be in touch within 20 working days of receipt of your initial request to provide our response or to seek clarification where necessary. We hope to provide you with the information you are looking for at an earlier date where possible.

Yours sincerely,

James Brand
Fife Council

Dear George Pappas,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002 – REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION

I refer to your information request received on 08/02/2024 08:28 our ref FCIR: 50470 relating to Information Management Training.

CLARIFICATION REQUESTED:

Can you please calrify what is meant by “poor records management practices” as we are taking that to be the storage/retention/disposal and use of records/information. However, it could be the practice of people to keep a poor record of information e.g. filling in their timesheet wrong, the fire book record is not completed, etc.

If you are not satisfied with the way we have handled your request, you have the right to request a review of the decision. Please write to: Head of Legal & Democratic Services, Finance & Corporate Services, Fife House, North Street, Glenrothes, KY7 5LT or e-mail to [email address]. The law provides for you to make this request up to 60 workings days from when we received your enquiry or 40 working days from when you receive this correspondence whichever is the later date. Where the outcome of the review fails to resolve the matter to your complete satisfaction you have the right to apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner for a decision.www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal

Fife Council will consider and seek to resolve any request to the Head of Legal & Democratic Services that falls outside these timescales.

Yours sincerely

James Brand
Fife Council

Dear George Pappas,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002 – REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION

I refer to your information request received on 08/02/2024 08:28 our ref FCIR: 50470 relating to Information Management Training.

Would you be able to clarify the information you have requested for point 3 of your request,

3. Could you provide a copy of the information management training procedures (if any)

What you would mean by procedures?

If you are not satisfied with the way we have handled your request, you have the right to request a review of the decision. Please write to: Head of Legal & Democratic Services, Finance & Corporate Services, Fife House, North Street, Glenrothes, KY7 5LT or e-mail to [email address]. The law provides for you to make this request up to 60 workings days from when we received your enquiry or 40 working days from when you receive this correspondence whichever is the later date. Where the outcome of the review fails to resolve the matter to your complete satisfaction you have the right to apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner for a decision.www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal

Fife Council will consider and seek to resolve any request to the Head of Legal & Democratic Services that falls outside these timescales.

Yours sincerely

P Norcross

Dear George Pappas,

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002 – REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

 

I refer to your information request received on 08/02/2024, our ref FCIR:
50470. 

 

 

I have detailed the information you requested below and attached
information requested, I trust that it meets your requirements.

 

Request/Response

 

I would be grateful if you could answer the following questions, regarding
records management in your Council:

 

1.What kind of training do all employees receive (not the records
managers/specialists), regarding information management?

 

Induction – During induction new starts are required to complete the
e-learning courses named below.

 

This includes training and awareness of:

 

Information Requests

Data Protection

Information Security

 

Currently Mandatory Training includes –

 

DPA eLearning

Information Security eLearning

 

Other training

 

Information requests eLearning

Information Request ad hoc sessions to staff – rolling programme.
Information requests Specialists provide direct training.

DPA ad hoc sessions to staff on request – DPO and Data Protection
Specialists provide direct training.

 

 

2.Are there information management specialists involved in the training,
such as records management professionals and/or archivists?

 

Please see response above.

 

 

3.Could you provide a copy of the information management training
procedures (if any)? -

 

Please find the information requested in response to question 1

 

 

4.Is this training mandatory and if yes, do the employees have to repeat
the training after a specific amount of time e.g., every 6 months/year? -

 

DPA & Information Security e- learning are Mandatory – required to be
completed every 2 years

 

 

5.Does your organisation have staff with enhanced Records Management
responsibilities, other than the Records Manager (e.g., champions,
super-users, etc.)?

 

Responsibility for information ownership in the Services sits with the
Information Asset Owner (typically the Service Manager). Records
management duties are carried out by various staff. There is not currently
a ‘super user’ network. There is however a network of ‘SharePoint
champions’ who are responsible for managing SharePoint within their
business area. This includes liaising with the Records Manager and IT
about IRM issues.

 

6.What kind of special/specific training do you provide to staff that
cover Records Management, Freedom of Information and
anonymisation/redaction of documents?

 

There is no special/specific training offered. Staff can contact the
Council Records Manager directly for advice. A limited number of guidance
documents notes on specific topics are available on the Intranet.

 

Information Requests:

 

Please find Information Requests e-learning, an example of service
training and a link to staff and customer guidance in question 7 below.

 

Requests received by Fife Council are managed by a centralised team. 
Staff in the team are trained to Practitioner Level in both Freedom of
Information and Data Protection.

 

 

7.Could you provide a copy of the Records Management training, Freedom of
Information and anonymisation/reduction training documents (if any)?

 

eLearning

 

Appendix 1 – Information Requests

Appendix 2 – Information Security

Appendix 3 – Data Protection

 

Service Ad-Hoc Training

 

Appendix 4 – IMRT Ad-hoc Service Training

 

Other relevant documents

 

Appendix 5 – Information and Records Management Policy

Appendix 6 – Information and Records Management strategy

Appendix 7 – BTS Security and Compliance IRM Strategy

Appendix 8 – Information Security Incident Management Policy

Appendix 9 – IM51 Induction Checklist February 2024

 

 

Information Requests Guidance for staff and the public can be found
[1]here

8. Did you had any data breaches in 2023? If yes, how many there were?

 

Fife Council recorded a total of 270 breaches in 2023.

 

9. How do you classify your data breaches and which categories of data
breaches did you experience in 2023?

 

Fife Council categorise breaches as being major or minor.  In 2023, all
270 breaches were categorised as minor breaches.  We further categorise
breaches in respect of the type of breach.  In 2023, the following was the
breakdown by type of breach:

 

Personal data accessed inappropriately:                        6

Personal data
lost:                                                                        
6

Personal data shared inappropriately:                              244

Personal data stored inappropriately:                                9

Personal data used inappropriately:                                   5

 

 

10. Is there a Human Resources policy for disciplinary actions against
poor Records Management practices?

 

Yes Fife Council has disciplinary policies in place for SJC Local
Government Employees, Craft Operatives, Teachers and Chief Officials.
There is no disciplinary policy specifically on poor records management.

 

11. Were there any instances of disciplinary actions taken because of poor
Records Management practices in the year 2023? Gordon Walker

 

The information you have requested is subject to an exemption in terms of
section 38(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002  -
Third Party Data  - as disclosure of this information would breach
Principle 1 of the Data Protection Act.

 

Under our duty to provide advice and assistance in terms of Section 15 of
the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, the Service have advised
the following.

 

Due to the low number of cases involved, I am unable to disclose the exact
total. I can however confirm over the 2023 calendar year less than 5
employees were disciplined for 'Inappropriate Use of Systems and
Information'.

 

12. How many departments/directorates does your council have and how many
staff?

 

Fife Council has 5 Directorates and a current employee headcount of
18,379. Please see attached a copy of the council's management structure
which details the services contained in each directorate across the
council.

 

13. If possible, could you provide me with your most recently published
Records Management Plan? Linda Docherty

 

Please see Records Management Plan attached.

 

 

I would like to draw your attention to the copyright situation in relation
to the material.

 

The council holds the copyright for all of the material provided and it
may be reproduced free of charge in any format or media without requiring
specific permission. This is subject to the material not being used in a
derogatory manner or in a misleading context. The source of the material
must be acknowledged as Fife Council and the title of the document must be
included when being reproduced as part of another publication or service.

 

If you are dissatisfied with this response, you can ask us to carry out a
review of the decision.  You must do this in writing (or other permanent
form) within 40 working days of the date of this email.  Your review
should explain why you are dissatisfied with our response and we will
respond to you within 20 working days of receipt.  A review should be made
to the Head of Legal & Democratic Services:

 

Post: Head of Legal & Democratic Services

Finance & Corporate Services

Fife House

North Street

Glenrothes

KY7 5LY

Email: [2][email address]

 

If you remain dissatisfied following the review stage, you have the right
to appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner for a decision. Please
refer to the following guidance on how to make a valid appeal:
[3]www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Patricia Norcross

Information Specialist

Information Management & Request Team

Communities

1st Floor (West)

Fife House

Glenrothes

KY7 5LT

 

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References

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3. http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal
4. http://www.fife.gov.uk/privacy