 the latest within one calendar month of receiving the request. NB Consider whether the request can be treated as complex, if so – you will have a further two calendar months (three calendar months in total) to complete your response. The ICO provides guidance on what may add to the complexity of a request. • If the local authority is not able to meet this requirement, it must ensure it informs the individual of the new deadline, in any case within a month of receiving their request, giving reasons and the timescale when the records will be available; • The care leaver will need to produce proof of their identity before the organisation can disclose any personal information however, if the person is already known the proof of formal ID is not required; • If the records cannot be located, the care leaver needs to be informed as soon as possible with information about the steps that will be taken to try to locate them. If records have been transferred to another local authority, perhaps as the result of boundary changes, the individual should be put in touch with the relevant organisation if this can be done. When records have been destroyed or mislaid 4.34. Sometimes, organisations may not have retained records relating to all the children who have been in their care and there will be situations where the care leaver has to be informed that no records exist due to having been destroyed or mislaid. The 41 distress this may cause should not be underestimated. It may have taken the care leaver a lot of courage to apply for information and it can then be deeply upsetting and frustrating when they are told that records have been destroyed or mislaid. A prompt response informing the care leaver of this will reduce the harm caused. It is also important in these circumstances to