Who We Are and What We Do

Early Break is a charity that provides support to children, young people, and families across the North West. Our services include:

• Specialist substance use support

• Emotional health and wellbeing services

• Family safeguarding and parenting support

We work hard to include parents and carers in our work while also respecting every young person’s right to confidentiality.

All Early Break staff wear ID badges and are DBS-checked to ensure your safety.

Why We Ask for Consent

In line with UK GDPR (2018), we need your consent to:

• Offer support and treatment

• Keep a record of the work we do with you

• Share information (only when necessary and appropriate)

• If you are 16 or over, you can give your own consent.

• If you are under 16, we usually need consent from a parent or carer, though in some cases, young people under 16 can consent themselves.
  Your Early Break worker will explain this clearly and answer any questions.

If you are receiving services through the Achieve partnership, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Trust may manage your data. If this applies to you, your worker will provide a separate leaflet explaining what it means.

Why We Collect Your Information

We collect data to:

• Keep an accurate record of the support we offer

• Show our commissioners and funders how services are used

• Help improve the quality of what we do

Your records are kept on a secure, encrypted system and are only seen by staff who need them to support you.

Any information we report to funders or national bodies (like NDTMS) is anonymous and cannot identify you.

Your Rights Around Your Data

You have the right to:

• Access the information we hold about you

• Correct any inaccurate data

• Withdraw your consent at any time

• Request that your records be deleted (in some cases)

To do any of this, speak with your Early Break worker or contact our Data Controller through info@earlybreak.co.uk

Confidentiality and Information Sharing

We want you to feel safe and supported when talking to us. That’s why we keep what you say private—unless there’s a serious risk to you or someone else.

We would only share information without your consent in the following circumstances:

• A child or young person is at risk of harm

• A serious crime has been committed (e.g. terrorism, abuse, carrying weapons)

• Someone discloses information about a specific crime or serious misconduct

• Not sharing the information could lead to serious harm to you or someone else

Wherever possible, we will talk to you (and your parent or carer if appropriate) before sharing any information, and we’ll keep you involved in what happens next.

If you're working with other services (like school, social care or CAMHS), we may ask for your permission to work with them too, so we can offer better, joined-up support.

If you have questions about confidentiality or consent, please use our online contact form or call us.