Changes to the managing information policy and procedure

In January you sent feedback on this policy and its procedure - thanks to all who responded.

We've taken your feedback on board and have simplified both policy and the procedure.

We know that keeping data safe can seem daunting, not least because of the law.

This policy was first introduced after these legal requirements came into force. But since then we've learnt a lot about what and what isn't required. We've updated the policy to reflect this.

It's important you read the policy and procedure, because everyone in Girlguiding - no matter what the role - may manage data.

This might sound quite technical, but it's as simple as storing someone's phone number or email address. 

By using the policy and the procedure, you can be confident that not only are you following the law, you’re protecting people’s privacy.

There’s no changes to what you need to follow in the policy, but we’ve changed the way it’s presented so it’s easier to follow. We’ve clarified what we expect of anyone who uses data, as well as how Girlguiding uses and keeps data safe.

There were lots of pages on the website about data protection and what you need to do. But they weren’t always easy to find or understand. We’ve deleted a lot of these pages and moved the information that’s still up to date to our new, expanded procedure.

We’ve added new pages all about:

• Collecting, using and destroying personal data
• Photos and videos
• Contacting volunteers, parents and carers
• Sharing personal data

And we’ve kept the procedure pages on personal data requests and reporting data breaches.

The contacting volunteers, parents and carers  page has new guidance on which email account to use when volunteering. And we’ve updated the retention schedule so that you know how long you can keep different things.

The photos and videos page has brought together information from lots of pages on the website. It also includes some new guidance about non-Girlguiding members taking photos, and photos and videos at large-scale events. We’ve added some new text to the information and consent form about large-scale events as well.

If you need help with anything about data protection, email the data protection team.