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Gittisham Parish Hall – Safeguarding Policy

Introduction

Safeguarding is the action taken to promote the welfare of children or other vulnerable groups and protect them from harm.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

This policy promotes good practise in safe guarding for those using Gittisham Parish Hall facilities. The committee will review the policy annually.

1. Purpose 

• Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk from abuse or neglect. 
• This policy defines how Gittisham Parish Hall operates to safeguard children, young people, and adults at risk of abuse or neglect.  
• We have a duty of care and are committed to the protection and safety of everyone who enters our premises including children, young people and adults at risk involved as visitors and/or as participants in all activities and events. We also have a duty to safeguard and support our trustees, volunteers, and staff. 

2. Definitions 

Children and young people are defined as those persons aged under 18 years old. This policy will apply to all staff, contractors and volunteers and will be used to support their work.  

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:  

• protecting children from maltreatment 
• preventing impairment of children’s health and development 
• ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care  
• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

Adult at risk of abuse or neglect  

For the purposes of this policy, adult at risk refers to someone over 18 years old who, 

according to Section 42 of the Care Act 2014: 

• has care and support needs 
• is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect 
• as a result of their care and support needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it. 

If someone has care and support needs but is not currently receiving care or support from a 

health or care service, they may still be an adult at risk. 

Persons affected 

• All trustees, volunteers, and staff. 
• All those attending any activity or service that is being delivered from the village hall charity property. 
• All visitors and contractors. 

3. Policy principles 

There can be no excuses for not taking all reasonable action to protect children and adults 

at risk from abuse or neglect. All citizens of the United Kingdom have their rights enshrined 

within the Human Rights Act 1998. People who are eligible to receive health and community 

care services may be additionally vulnerable to the violation of these rights by reason of 

disability, impairment, age, or illness. 

• Gittisham Parish Hall charity has a zero-tolerance approach to abuse.  
• Gittisham Parish Hall charity recognises that under the Care Act 2014, it has a 

duty for the care and protection of adults who are at risk of abuse. It also recognises its responsibilities for the safety and care of children under the Children Act 1989 and 2004.

• Gittisham Parish Hall charity is committed to promoting wellbeing, harm 

prevention and to responding effectively if concerns are raised.  

• Gittisham Parish Hall charity is aware of the work of their local safeguarding Board/Partnership and other support organisations on the development and implementation of procedures for the protection of children and adults at risk. The policy is about stopping abuse where it is happening and preventing abuse where there is a risk that it may occur. 

Gittisham Parish Hall Committee is committed to the following principles:  

• The welfare of the child, young person or adult at risk is paramount. 
• All children, young people and adults at risk have the right to protection from abuse. 
• Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility: for services to be effective each professional and organisation should play their full part; and  
• All suspicions and allegations of abuse must be properly reported to the relevant internal and external authorities and dealt with swiftly and appropriately. 

4. Procedures 

1. All members of the committee will sign the Declaration of Acceptance of Office for 

trustees which includes a declaration that they have no convictions in relation to abuse. 

2. All members of the committee will familiarise themselves with safeguarding responsibilities, undertake training where appropriate on safeguarding issues including whistleblowing where it is available and offered by their local safeguarding board/partnership or other local support organisation and ensure that they understand the principles set out in this policy at 3 above. 

3. All members of the committee will work together to promote a culture that enables issues about safeguarding and promoting welfare to be addressed.  

4. All members of the committee, helpers or other volunteers will not have unsupervised

access to children or adults at risk unless appropriately vetted. 

5. The hall committee will follow safe recruitment practices. 

6. A member of the committee will be appointed to be responsible for child and adult at risk safeguarding matters. This person will have responsibility for reporting concerns that arise, as a matter of urgency, to the relevant safeguarding agency. 

7. The named person is Stella Adamson until  May 2026   

8. All suspicions or allegations of abuse against a child or adult at risk will be taken seriously and dealt with speedily and appropriately. The appointed person will know who to contact and where to go for support and advice in relation to an allegation, a concern about the quality of care or practice or a complaint. An allegation may relate to a person who works with children or adults at risk who has:  

• Behaved in a way that has harmed a child or adult at risk or may have harmed a child or adult at risk. 

• Possibly committed a criminal offence against, or related to, a child or adult at risk; or

• Behaved towards a child (or children) or adult at risk in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children or adults at risk.  

9. The hall committee will ensure that all hirers of the hall have signed a hiring agreement or agreed with the terms and conditions of hiring. This will require all hirers who wish to use the hall for activities which include children and adults at risk, other than for hire for private parties arranged for invited friends and family, to either produce a copy of their Safeguarding Policy and evidence that they have carried out relevant checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) when requested to do so or, confirm that they have understood and will adhere to the hall’s principles and procedures with regard to safeguarding.  

10. The village hall management committee will carry out an annual review of this policy.

Gittisham Parish Hall

Procurement policy

Registered Charity: 308107

1. OVERVIEW

1.1 Gittisham Parish Hall was established to meet the needs of local people in Gittisham and the surrounding area.  We hold land and buildings to benefit the community and have a responsibility to manage our finances and assets effectively and transparently.

1.2 The procedures laid out in this document establish standards and guidelines for the procurement of supplies, equipment, construction and services, through open and competitive processes, and for managing contracts using good administrative practices and sound business judgement.

2. CODE OF CONDUCT
   1. The code of conduct set out below governs performance, behaviour and actions of Gittisham Parish Hall, including trustees, employees, volunteers and agents who are engaged in any aspect of procurement including, but not limited to, the purchase of goods and services, the awarding of contracts, or the administration and supervision of contracts.  
   2. No trustee, employee, volunteer and agent acting on behalf of Gittisham Parish Hall shall participate in the selection, award or administration of a bid or contract if there is a conflict of interest, real or apparent to a reasonable person. Conflicts of interest may arise when any board member, employee, volunteer and agent acting on behalf of Gittisham Parish Hall has a financial, family or any other beneficial interest in a firm considered or selected. 
   3. No trustee, employee, volunteer and agent acting on behalf of Gittisham Parish Hall shall do business with, award contracts to, or show favouritism toward a member of their immediate family, spouse’s family, or to any company or concern that employs or has any relationship to a family member. We have adopted the definition of related parties set out in the Statement of Recommended Practice for Charities (FRS 102)
   4. No trustee, employee, volunteer and agent acting on behalf of Gittisham Parish Hall shall solicit, accept gratuities, gifts, consulting fees, trips, or financial favours from a company, an employee or an individual seeking to do business with us, or from members of their family or from any party with a sub-agreement or ancillary contract.
   5. As permitted by law, Gittisham Parish Hall shall pursue appropriate legal, administrative or disciplinary action against any trustee, employee, volunteer and agent acting on behalf of Gittisham Parish Hall, who is alleged to have committed or has been convicted of a procurement related infraction.

3. SOLICITATION AND COMPETITION
   1. All procurement transactions should deliver value for money.
   2. Gittisham Parish Hall must identify and clearly specify standards for the goods and services it requires.
   3. The procurement requirements for different levels of expenditure are set out in the table below.

AMOUNT	PROCUREMENT – MINIMUM PROCEDURE
£0 – £2,499	A direct award can be made
£2,500 – £24,999	Three written quotes or prices must be obtained from relevant suppliers of goods, works and/or services
£25,000 or over	A formal tender process is required

4. There may be situations where a more formal bidding process is required for goods or services at values below £25,000. This should take into account the balance between the process and the size of contract and should not be onerous or complex.
5. Decisions will not be solely based on cost but will take account of quality and service. Examples of criteria other than cost include:

• Quality of the goods or service
• Quality of customer service
• Use of local labour 
• Sustainability
• Equality and diversity
• Affirmative efforts to utilise local companies and small businesses
• Guarantees, warranties and insurance cover

6. In relation to procurements of £2,500-£24,999, the procurement files will include copies of the three quotes and a brief written rationale for contractor selection. 
7. For procurement of £25,000 and above, selection will be through a tender process based on a written specification of the goods and/or services required. Where appropriate, we will use a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ). Selection criteria will be agreed in advance and made explicit to prospective suppliers. Criteria may be absolute hurdles or given as a weighting. The balance between cost and other criteria will be decided in advance. Examples of criteria other than cost are set out in 3.6. Clarification may be sought from prospective suppliers where a PQQ is incomplete, or a tender may be disregarded if the PQQ is substantially incomplete.
8. In relation to tenders, procurement files will include:

• A written record of the basis for contractor selection

• Justification for lack of competition if competitive bids could not be obtained
• Copies of the tender documentation and bids received. 

4. ROLLING CONTRACTS
   1. Service providers will be selected using the procurement principles outlined. Each contract will be different and will be considered against the following guidelines:

• An ideal contract period for many services is three years. This allows partnership working to blossom and gives the contractor a level of security when tendering, particularly if the service has up-front costs
• Costs may be fixed over the three years or may be varied annually, with an opt-out clause if costs increase by greater than inflation.
• The contract should be reviewed bi-annually, and may be extended, should both parties be in agreement
• The contract should be regularly retendered, at least every five years.

5. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION
   1. Gittisham Parish Hall Village Hall has a system of contract administration to ensure the proper oversight and management or procurement activities.
   2. Gittisham Parish Hall is responsible for evaluating contractor performance and documenting, as appropriate, whether contractors have met the terms, conditions and specifications of the contract. This may include progress inspections, interim products, inspection of goods delivered, and any other methods, suitably documented, that provide assurance that the goods and services are being delivered within the scope of the contract.
   3. Gittisham Parish Halls contract administration system will ensure that the method of procurement is documented, and records maintained for five years after final payment is made.

Policy		Procurement Policy
Adopted		*********2025
Date Reviewed		********* 2025
Next Review Date		********* 2026

Gittisham Parish Hall – Equality Opportunities Policy

The Gittisham Parish Hall Committee acknowledges that the United Kingdom is diverse in culture, race beliefs and religion and believes that no individual or group of people should receive less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, colour, race, nationality, racial or national origins, cultural heritage, disability, marital status, social background, sexual orientation or geographical location.  The committee acknowledges that members of these groups are often under-represented, exposed to prejudice and stereotyping, and suffer various disadvantages within our society.

Purpose 

The purpose of this statement is to set out clearly and fully the positive action that Gittisham Parish Hall Committee intends to take to combat direct and indirect discrimination in employment policy, management of the organisation, relationships with other bodies, and the services it provides to the community, community organisations and individuals.

Gittisham Parish Hall Committee is committed to providing equality of opportunity in all areas of its work. It aims to overcome discrimination on the grounds mentioned above. 

The Equal Opportunities Policy will be implemented ensuring equality of provision in representation, service provision, appointment of staff and their conditions of service and access.

 The Aims of the Committee

Our aims are to ensure that all hirers and volunteers are given equal opportunity and that our organisation is representative of our society. We will also ensure that we become aware of discrimination and the problem it causes.

Gittisham Parish Hall Committee will challenge practices, legislation and institutions, which seek to discriminate against or deny the rights of individuals or groups in any form.

Gittisham Parish Hall Committee will seek to take positive action to address the inequalities in our society.

Gittisham Parish Hall Committee is committed to the equal opportunities policy set out in this document and will work to develop, improve and monitor it.

The Equal Opportunities Policy and Code of Practice

Gittisham Parish Hall Committee acknowledges the definitions of various groups of people who are vulnerable to discrimination as set out in the Equality Act 2010. 

The committee will support and implement the legislation and will work to ensure that no person protected by the legislation is discriminated against unlawfully, and that any positive obligations and duties are performed.

 The committee gives the following specific commitments.

The Gittisham Parish Hall Committee will:

 • where reasonably practical widen accessibility by removing barriers which make it difficult for people with disabilities to use the hall.

 • provide facilities for people with disabilities to enable them to participate in activities e.g. the installation of an induction loop.

 • ensure that the design of publicity and information take account of the needs of people with disabilities e.g. language used, print size.

 • deal with any complaints of discrimination promptly, impartially, thoroughly and confidentially.

 • ensure all staff, hirers and committee members are aware of the hall’s policy on equality.

 • ensure that the equal opportunities policy is monitored and reviewed annually.

 • challenge racism in any form and encourage its users to do the same.

 • challenge sexist policies, practices and attitudes (including policies, practices and attitudes which may relate to sexual orientation and gender re-assignment) and encourage users to do the same.

 • challenge age discrimination in policies, procedures and attitudes

 • endorse the right of each individual to his or her own religious belief or the absence of a belief.

 • encourage people from under-represented groups to attend and participate in the activities of the hall.

 The Code of Conduct

1. People will be treated with dignity and respect regardless of the group to which they belong.

2. People’s feelings and views will be valued and respected.  Language or humour that people find offensive will not be used or tolerated, e.g. racist jokes or derogatory terminology.

 3. No one will be harassed, abused or intimidated on the grounds that they belong to a vulnerable group. Incidents of harassment will be taken seriously and the committee will undertake investigations of any complaints quickly, impartially, thoroughly and confidentially.

Gittisham Parish Hall – Environmental  Policy 

Gittisham Parish Hall (GPH) committee is committed to protecting and actively promoting the improvement of the local environment.

GPH committee will ensure that environmental priorities are integrated into the decisions it takes on all its services and will seek to:

1. Make the most efficient use of energy.  It will endeavour to use the minimum quantities of energy possible in accordance with the safe and efficient operation of its heating, lighting, plant, and machinery.  It will from time to time review its energy sources, energy using appliances and energy efficiency with a view to causing the least environmental impact.  It will monitor consumption and eliminate excessive or unnecessary use.  It will encourage hall users, volunteers and staff to use and operate the building correctly to conserve energy, and communicate to them how they can do this e.g. closing doors.

2. Encourage hall users, volunteers and staff to walk, cycle and use public or communal transport as alternatives to the private car.  It will seek to provide safe cycle/buggy storage and information about public transport on publicity materials.

3. Minimise and where possible eliminate all forms of pollution, using biodegradable chemicals where possible, and minimising use of solvents and lead-based paints.  Hall users, volunteers, and staff will be encouraged to avoid creating noise and light pollution, especially at night.

4. Use the minimum quantities of water possible in accordance with its activities and ensure that the water it uses is both supplied and disposed of, in the purest condition possible, meeting statutory requirements.  It will reduce leakage and eliminate excessive or unnecessary use, e.g. through avoiding unnecessary flushing of urinals when the hall is not in use.  It will communicate to hall users, volunteers, and staff the need to conserve water e.g. turning taps off after use.

5. Avoid waste and encourage the appropriate conservation, re-use, and recycling of resources.  It will re-use and recycle materials as far as possible and, if this is impractical, disposal by a means which will have the least impact on the environment and conforms to statutory requirements.  It will encourage hall users, volunteers, and staff to minimise waste, including the provision of separate disposal facilities for recycling glass, plastic, tins, and cardboard/paper.

6. Avoid the use of single use plastics at the hall and ensure the ban and restrictions on certain items provided by the hall is met. It will encourage hall users, volunteers, and staff to think about the resources they use and avoid single use plastics and food waste.

7. Promote a sense of responsibility and understanding for the environment and participation in environmental issues, by raising awareness of hall users, volunteers, and staff, by information provision and open consultation with the local community.

8. Ensure that the potential environmental impact of any building projects will be assessed and minimised.  This will include, where possible, methods of construction which make best use of resources; designs which result in low maintenance and high energy efficiency; and the use of building materials from sustainable sources such as timber.

9. Seek, where possible, to purchase from local or regional suppliers, to maximise input to the local community and minimise carbon emissions from transport.

10. Work to enhance its outside space where feasible to improve biodiversity e.g. planting trees/flowers/shrubs to provide pollen/berries/fruit for wildlife; providing bird boxes/hedging for nesting birds; giving a small area over to run wild; and log piles for bugs.

11. Protect the health and well-being of all hall users, volunteers and staff and improve and safeguard the quality of Gittisham Parish Hall.

12. Monitor, review and where possible improve performance each year with positive action on any areas of non-compliance.

Gittisham Parish Hall – 

Data Protection Policy and Procedures

Introduction 

We are committed to a policy of protecting the rights and privacy of individuals. We need to collect and use certain types of Data in order to carry on our work of managing Gittisham Parish Hall (GPH). This personal information must be collected and handled securely.  

The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) govern the use of information about people (personal data). Personal data can be held on computers, laptops and mobile devices, or in a manual file, and includes email, minutes of meetings, and photographs. 

The charity will remain the data controller for the information held. The trustees, staff and volunteers are personally responsible for processing and using personal information in accordance with the Data Protection Act and GDPR. Trustees, staff and volunteers who have access to personal information will therefore be expected to read and comply with this policy. 

Purpose 

The purpose of this policy is to set out the GPH commitment and procedures for protecting personal data. Trustees regard the lawful and correct treatment of personal information as very important to successful working, and to maintaining the confidence of those with whom we deal with. We recognise the risks to individuals of identity theft and financial loss if personal data is lost or stolen. 

The following are definitions of the terms used: 

Data Controller – the trustees who collectively decide what personal information GPH will hold and how it will be held or used. 

Act means the Data Protection Act 1998 and General Data Protection Regulations – the legislation that requires responsible behaviour by those using personal information. 

Data Protection Officer (DPO)– the person responsible for ensuring that GPH follows its data protection policy and complies with the Act. [Gitisham Parish Hall is not required to appoint a DPO]. 

Data Subject – the individual whose personal information is being held or processed by Gittisham Parish Hall for example a donor or hirer

‘Explicit’ consent – is a freely given, specific agreement by a Data Subject to the processing of personal information about her/him. 

Explicit consent is needed for processing “sensitive data”, which includes: 

(a) Racial or ethnic origin of the data subject 

(b) Political opinions 

(c) Religious beliefs or other beliefs of a similar nature 

(d) Trade union membership 

(e) Physical or mental health or condition 

(f)  Sexual orientation 

(g) Criminal record 

(h) Proceedings for any offence committed or alleged to have been committed 

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) – the ICO is responsible for implementing and overseeing the Data Protection Act 1998. 

Processing – means collecting, amending, handling, storing or disclosing personal information. 

Personal Information – information about living individuals that enables them to be identified – e.g. names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses. It does not apply to information about organisations, companies and agencies but applies to named persons, such as individual volunteers. 

The Data Protection Act

This contains 8 principles for processing personal data with which we must comply. 

Personal data: 

1. Shall be processed fairly and lawfully and, in particular, shall not be processed unless specific conditions are met, 

2. Shall be obtained only for one or more of the purposes specified in the Act, and shall not be processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose or those purposes, 

3. Shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to those purpose(s), 

4. Shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date, 

5. Shall not be kept for longer than is necessary, 

6. Shall be processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects under the Act, 

7. Shall be kept secure by the Data Controller who takes appropriate technical and other measures to prevent unauthorised or unlawful processing or accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal information, 

8. Shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside the European Economic Area unless that country or territory ensures an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of data subjects in relation to the processing of personal information. 

Applying the Data Protection Act within the charity 

We will let people know why we are collecting their data, which is for the purpose of managing Gittisham Parish Hall, its hirings and finances. It is our responsibility to ensure the data is only used for this purpose. Access to personal information will be limited to trustees, staff and volunteers.

Correcting data 

Individuals have a right to make a Subject Access Request (SAR) to find out whether the charity holds their personal data, where, what it is used for and to have data corrected if it is wrong, to prevent use which is causing them damage or distress, or to stop marketing information being sent to them. Any SAR must be dealt with within 30 days. Steps must first be taken to confirm the identity of the individual before providing information, requiring both photo identification e.g. passport and confirmation of address e.g. recent utility bill, bank or credit card statement. 

Responsibilities 

Gittisham Parish Hall is the Data Controller under the Act, and is legally responsible for complying with Act, which means that it determines what purposes personal information held will be used for. 

The management committee will take into account legal requirements and ensure that it is properly implemented, and will through appropriate management, strict application of criteria and controls: 

a) Collection and use information fairly. 

b) Specify the purposes for which information is used. 

c) Collect and process appropriate information, and only to the extent that it is needed to fulfil its operational needs or to comply with any legal requirements. 

d) Ensure the quality of information used. 

e) Ensure the rights of people about whom information is held, can be exercised under the Act. These include: 

i) The right to be informed that processing is undertaken.

ii) The right of access to one’s personal information. 

iii) The right to prevent processing in certain circumstances, and 

iv) the right to correct, rectify, block or erase information which is regarded as wrong information.

f) Take appropriate technical and organisational security measures to safeguard personal information, 

g) Ensure that personal information is not transferred abroad without suitable safeguards, 

h) Treat people justly and fairly whatever their age, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation or ethnicity when dealing with requests for information, 

i) Set out clear procedures for responding to requests for information. 

All trustees, staff and volunteers are aware that a breach of the rules and procedures identified in this policy may lead to action being taken against them. 

[If appointed]: The Data Protection Officer on the management committee is: 

Name ______________________________________ 

Contact Details ______________________________ 

The Data Protection Officer will be responsible for ensuring that the policy is implemented and will have overall responsibility for: 

1. a) Everyone processing personal information understands that they are 
2. contractually responsible for following good data protection practice 
3. b) Everyone processing personal information is appropriately trained to do 
4. so 
5. c) Everyone processing personal information is appropriately supervised 
6. d) Anybody wanting to make enquiries about handling personal 
7. information knows what to do 
8. e) Dealing promptly and courteously with any enquiries about handling 
9. personal information 

f) Describe clearly how the charity handles personal information 

g) Will regularly review and audit the ways it holds, manages and uses 

personal information 

h) Will regularly assess and evaluate its methods and performance in 

relation to handling personal information. 

This policy will be updated as necessary to reflect best practice in data management, security and control and to ensure compliance with any changes or amendments made to the Data Protection Act 1998. 

In case of any queries or questions in relation to this policy please contact [the Data Protection Officer]. 

Procedures for Handling Data & Data Security 

GPH has a duty to ensure that appropriate technical and organisational measures and training are taken to prevent: 

• unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data 

• unauthorised disclosure of personal data 

• accidental loss of personal data 

All trustees, staff and volunteers must therefore ensure that personal data is dealt with properly no matter how it is collected, recorded or used. This applies whether or not the information is held on paper, in a computer or recorded by some other means e.g. tablet or mobile phone). 

Personal data relates to data of living individuals who can be identified from that data and use of that data could cause an individual damage or distress. This does not mean that mentioning someone’s name in a document comprises personal data; however, combining various data elements such as a person’s name and salary or religious beliefs etc. would be classed as personal data, and falls within the scope of the DPA.  It is therefore important that all staff consider any information (which is not otherwise in the public domain) that can be used to identify an individual as personal data and observe the guidance given below. 

Privacy Notice and Consent Policy

The private notice and consent policy are as follows:

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Consent forms will be stored by the Secretary in a securely held electronic or paper file.

Operational Guidance

Email: 

All trustees, staff and volunteers should consider whether an email (both incoming and outgoing) will need to be kept as an official record. If the email needs to be retained it should be saved into the appropriate folder or printed and stored securely. 

Remember, emails that contain personal information no longer required for operational use, should be deleted from the personal mailbox and any “deleted items” box. 

Copies of emails should be sent as BCC, thus protecting data.

Phone Calls: 

Phone calls can lead to unauthorised use or disclosure of personal information and 

the following precautions should be taken: 

• Personal information should not be given out over the telephone unless you have no doubts as the caller’s identity and the information requested is innocuous.
•  If you have any doubts, ask the caller to put their enquiry in writing. 
• If you receive a phone call asking for personal information to be checked or confirmed be aware that the call may come from someone impersonating someone with a right of access.

Laptops and Portable Devices: 

• All laptops and portable devices that hold data containing personal information must be protected with a suitable encryption program (password). 
• Ensure your laptop is locked (password protected) when left unattended, even for short periods of time. 
• When travelling in a car, make sure the laptop is out of sight, preferably in the boot. 
• If you have to leave your laptop in an unattended vehicle at any time, put it in the boot and ensure all doors are locked and any alarm set. 
• Never leave laptops or portable devices in your vehicle overnight. 
• Do not leave laptops or portable devices unattended in restaurants or bars, or any other venue. 
• When travelling on public transport, keep it with you at all times, do not leave it in luggage racks or even on the floor alongside you. 

Data Security and Storage: 

• Store as little personal data as possible on your computer or laptop; only keep those files that are essential. 
• Personal data received on disk or memory stick should be saved to the relevant file on the server or laptop. The disk or memory stick should then be securely returned (if applicable), safely stored or wiped and securely disposed of. 
• Always lock (password protect) your computer or laptop when left unattended.  

Passwords: 

Do not use passwords that are easy to guess. All your passwords should contain 

both upper and lower-case letters and preferably contain some numbers. Ideally 

passwords should be 6 characters or more in length. 

Protect Your Password: 

• Common sense rules for passwords are: do not give out your password 

• do not write your password somewhere on your laptop 

• do not keep it written on something stored in the laptop case 

Data Storage 

• Personal data will be stored securely and will only be accessible to authorised volunteers or staff. 
• Information will be stored for only as long as it is needed or required by statute and will be disposed of appropriately.  
• For financial records this will be up to 7 years. 
• For employee records see below.  
• Archival material such as minutes and legal documents will be stored indefinitely. Other
• Correspondence and emails will be disposed of when no longer required or when trustees, staff or volunteers retire.

All personal data held for the organisation must be non-recoverable from any computer which has been passed on/sold to a third party. 

Information Regarding Employees or Former Employees 

Information regarding an employee or a former employee, will be kept indefinitely. If something occurs years later it might be necessary to refer back to a job application or other document to check what was disclosed earlier, in order that trustees comply with their obligations eg regarding employment law, taxation, pensions or insurance. 

Accident Book

This will be checked regularly. Any page which has been completed will be removed, appropriate action taken and the page filed securely.

Photos

Gittisham Parish Hall may use general photographs of events with groups of adults at the hall for publicity purposes in accordance with its lawful basis for using personal data. 

• Photos of children must not be used without the written consent of the parent or guardian. 

However, Gittisham Parish Hall is aware that for some individuals publicising their location could place them or their families at risk.

• Consequently, at large events at which publicity photos may be taken a notice should be posted at the entrance, or an announcement made, providing opportunity for people to refuse taking part in publicity photographs. 
• At small events the consent of individuals (verbal) should be obtained if their image will be clearly identifiable. Hirers are encouraged to comply with this policy. 

Data Subject Access Requests 

We may occasionally need to share data with other agencies such as the local authority, funding bodies and other voluntary agencies in circumstances which are not in furtherance of the management of the charity. The circumstances where the law allows the charity to disclose data (including sensitive data) without the data subject’s consent are: 

a) Carrying out a legal duty or as authorised by the Secretary of State Protecting vital interests of a Data Subject or other person (eg child protection)

b) The Data Subject has already made the information public 

c) Conducting any legal proceedings, obtaining legal advice or defending any legal rights 

d) Monitoring for equal opportunities purposes – i.e. race, disability or religion 

We regard the lawful and correct treatment of personal information as very important to successful working, and to maintaining the confidence of those with whom we deal. 

If an agency asks for personal data not in compliance with one of the above e.g. to obtain informaton about improving a service a consent form will need to be issued to the data subjects asking for their consent to pass their personal data on.

We intend to ensure that personal information is treated lawfully and correctly. 

Risk Management 

The consequences of breaching Data Protection can cause harm or distress to service users if their information is released to inappropriate people, or they could be denied a service to which they are entitled. 

Trustees, staff and volunteers should be aware that they can be personally liable if they use customers’ personal data inappropriately. 

This policy is designed to minimise the risks and to ensure that the reputation of the charity is not damaged through inappropriate or unauthorised access and sharing.