October 2025 updates to our policies and procedures

We’ve recently updated some of our policies and procedures.

Read on to find out more about changes to the:

• Managing information policy.
• Managing information procedures.
• Complaints policy.
• Complaints procedure.
• Speaking up policy (previously whistleblowing policy).
• Whistleblowing procedure.
• Managing concerns about adult volunteers procedure.

Managing information policy and procedures

What are the policy and procedures used for?

The managing information policy and procedures are all about how we keep personal data safe, and how we collect and use it fairly and responsibly. The policy explains our commitment to protecting personal information and our expectations for volunteers and members of staff.

Key changes

• We’ve added more information in the policy about the key principles of data protection, how we use personal data in line with what the law says, and how we respect the rights of people whose data we have.
• We’ve made the policy expectations more specific, so it’s clearer what you need to do and when. We hope this makes it easier to understand and follow.
• We’ve refreshed and restructured procedure pages, including moving our guidance on sharing personal data into the collecting, using and destroying personal data page, and renaming the personal data requests page to subject access and other rights requests.
• We’ve included more information in the procedures on archives, data retention, joint events with other organisations, using third party platforms and taking photos for advertising and marketing.

What do I need to do?

We know that data protection can be quite technical. But it’s important that you read the policy and procedure, as we all have a legal obligation to keep data safe and only use it in ways that we’re allowed. It’s a bit like health and safety, but for data. The policy and procedures explain how to keep data safe, and why and when you can keep or use it.

Complaints policy and procedure

What’s this policy and procedure used for?

The complaints policy sets out how Girlguiding manages, addresses, and learns from complaints. It explains how complaints should be made, and our expectations for volunteers and members of staff who receive or manage complaints. The procedure explains how you can go about resolving a complaint locally, and how to report to Girlguiding HQ if needed.

Key changes

• We’ve clarified that the majority of complaints can be managed and resolved locally. In the procedure, we’ve given some more guidance on raising your concerns or complaints locally.
• We no longer refer to ‘formal’ or ‘informal’ complaints. Instead, we’ve made it clearer what kinds of complaints can usually be resolved locally, and when a complaint should be reported to the Girlguiding HQ complaints and compliance team to be investigated following our investigation procedure.

What do I need to do?

Take a look at the updated policy and procedure so that you know what to do if someone raises a concern or complaint with you locally.

Speaking up policy and whistleblowing procedure

What’s this policy and procedure used for?

We’ve changed the name of the whistleblowing policy to the speaking up policy.

This policy now focuses on what Girlguiding does to encourage a culture where people can feel confident and empowered to speak up. This relates to anything that might concern them, no matter how big or small, and no matter who they are.

The policy still covers whistleblowing, and the whistleblowing procedure explains the process for making a whistleblowing report.

Key changes

• The policy has been renamed the speaking up policy.
• To support volunteers to feel confident in raising a concern, we’ve created a new interactive way to show you where to report different types of concerns.

What do I need to do?

Take a look at the updated policy and procedure, and don’t be afraid to speak up if something concerns you.

Managing concerns about adult volunteers procedure

What’s this procedure used for?

The managing concerns about adult volunteers procedure explains the process by which Girlguiding HQ manages concerns about adult volunteers.

Key changes

• We’ve updated the resolutions used when managing concerns about adult volunteers.
• Advice is a support and training outcome which may be guidance or recommendations to make sure something similar doesn’t happen in future.
• A written warning is a sanction used to record any learning or guidance that a volunteer must follow, usually issued by Girlguiding HQ after the findings of an investigation.

What do I need to do?

Commissioners should read the updated version of the procedure to make sure they’re up to date with this process.