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Privacy Policy


North Berwick Coastal Community Connections (Community Connections) is a Data Controller under the General Data Protection Regulation.
The Data Protection Officer (responsible for data storage and processing data requests) is Fay Gourlay. Please contact her if you wish to discuss anything relating to privacy and data protection.

1. CLIENTS

We collect personal information from our clients directly, and we receive written and verbal client referrals from other sources where permission has been gained for sharing client data.

1.1 Data sharing within Community Connections

We use client information to assess how we can best support clients safely and effectively.
Where we receive referrals from health professionals or other referral sources, we will share relevant client information with the volunteer, to enable the volunteer to negotiate and agreed level of support with the client. The volunteer is responsible for submitting regular reports to The NBCCC staff member regarding client wellbeing.

1.2 Data sharing with Others

We are accountable to the bodies that fund us and are required to report on how funds have been disbursed, and the impact the funds have made. We invite clients to contribute to the impact assessment in terms of how they have received and benefited from the service. We will seek consent from the client to publish a selection of client comments within our published reports, ensuring anonymity to ensure a balanced perspective. Reports to funders will be published on our website.
Where we produce publicity material and post content on our website or on social media, we will seek the consent of clients and volunteers before publishing first names and photographs.

1.3 Sharing Contact Information

Please note that volunteers are not required by Community Connections to share their contact details with clients and are advised to keep their number private when making calls to clients. An informal agreement may be made between client and volunteer regarding this, but we will then require a record of verbal consent from both parties. We will ask for and record clients’ verbal or written consent before sharing their contact details with volunteers or outwith Community Connections.

1.4 Storage of Information

The NBCCC staff member has access to client records and staff and volunteer details filed in a secure and confidential storage place. Where The NBCCC staff member / DPO is not available, a named member of the Community Connections Management Group will undertake the role of Data Protection Officer for the duration of her absence. All client and volunteer information is stored electronically and is password-protected and encrypted to a high standard.

1.6 Consent

Consent must be freely given, specific, informed and revocable.

1.7 Complaints

If you have a complaint about our use of your information (or any other aspect of our service), please contact us using the contact details given below.

2. VOLUNTEERS

Specifically, we will retain the Application form, reference forms, PVG application form, Risk Assessment and Consent Forms.

Please note that you have the right to share your telephone number with clients you support, but that there is no requirement or expectation to do so from Community Connections. We provide guidance on how to keep your number private when you make calls to clients. We will ask for and record your verbal or written consent before sharing your contact details with clients or outwith Community Connections.

We use your information to make recruitment decisions and to ensure we can provide our services safely and effectively. We will ask your referees for information about you. As legally required, we will share your PVG application information with Disclosure Services and (through them) Disclosure Scotland. However, we will not retain the information provided in your PVG application form or the information we receive in your PVG Scheme Record (apart from your Scheme & Record Number and the date it was issued).

Data Retention
Under the current General Data Protection Regulations, we will retain personal information until we have no further use for it or until you request that we delete it. However, documentation pertaining to your initial engagement as a volunteer, and to your ongoing engagement as a volunteer, such as performance reviews, will be retained for 6 years.

3. WEBSITE USERS

Our website is a way of reaching potential clients and their carers, potential volunteers and anyone who wants to find out more about us or contact us. It also gives funders and potential funders easy access to our evaluation material and enables existing clients and volunteers to view any material we have produced together.

Our website does not use cookies, collect any personal data about visitors or share information with any third-party services. However, our web hosting company collects anonymous data about the numbers of visitors to the site.

4. THIRD PARTIES

Personal data may be shared with third parties (such as Disclosure Services and payroll agents) if:

  • Sharing the personal data is compatible with the privacy notice provided to the data subject and, if required, the data subject’s consent has been obtained.
  • They have a need to know the information for the purposes of providing their service.
  • They have informed us that they will use the personal data in accordance with the GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

5. SUBJECT ACCESS REQUESTS

You have the right to see what personal information we hold about you. You are entitled to be given confirmation as to whether we hold or process your personal information, and if so
you are entitled to access all your personal information as well as details of:

  • The purposes for which we process your personal data.
  • The categories of your personal data we process.
  • The recipients, or categories or recipient to whom personal data has been or will be disclosed.
  • How long we expect to store your data.
  • Where you did not give us the personal data, the source from which we collected the personal data; and
  • Whether we use any automated decision making in relation to the processing of your
    personal data.

You are entitled to have any mistakes in your personal data rectified, and to have the data deleted if you would no longer like us to store or process your personal data, or to request restriction of our processing of your personal data.

If you wish to discuss anything relating to privacy and data protection, please contact:

North Berwick Coastal Community Connections
Email: admin@nbc-communityconnections.org

CS v5, June 2024