Our data protection policy

The General Data Protection Regulation or more commonly GDPR updates the Data Protection Act, bringing in new requirements and increasing the penalties for breaches. This law doesn’t only cover businesses, but sports clubs as well, since clubs, too, handle sensitive personal data their members trust them with, which of course means it is applicable to our Scout Group like all others.

GDPR imposes strict controls on how all organisations collect and process personal data within the EU and/or personal data of EU citizens. The UK is expected to enforce the full range of GDPR requirements. There are several aspects to GDPR, but can be summarised as follows:

• Removal of information from any source that is no longer needed and ensure it is securely destroyed

• Ensure the right data can only be accessed by the right people

• Ensure data is transferred in the most appropriate manner

• Ensure data is stored appropriately and securely

• Ensure data is only kept as long as it is needed

Concerning the last point, we will keep your information for as long as you have a live relationship with us. After it ends, we will delete your data held by our Scout Group. There may be circumstances where we will retain information where we may need it for our legitimate purposes e.g., to help us respond to outstanding queries or complaints, or, where we need to transfer it securely to another Scout Group if a young person moves. We will only be using your data for legitimate, Scout-related purposes permitted by law. In-line with GDPR, we will not be requesting your consent to communicate with you as this is an intrinsic aspect of enabling our Scout Group to deliver its core function.

Our formal fair processing statement is as follows:

The regulation outlines six key principles for organisations that process individuals' personal information. These are that data shall be:

1. Purpose

This Fair Processing Notice (or Privacy Notice) is issued in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. It covers all data processing activity undertaken within 8th Winchester Scout Group – “the Group”.

2. Data Controllers

The Data Controller for the Scout Group and the alternative contacts are available to upon request to members of the Scout Group and to those who have registered their details on the enquiry form via gdpr@8thwinchester.org.uk

3. Why are we processing your data?

So that we can safely deliver scouting within the Group, each section, i.e., Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts, Scouts and the Group Executive Committee will need to hold basic demographic information about the young people, their parents or carers and our adult volunteers, “the Data Subject(s)”. The Group also holds records for young people that have been registered wishing to join either when the reach the age six years – the register of interest, or, for those who already at a suitable age to join a section space permitting – the joining list.

We will use this information to contact you both routinely and in an emergency.

4. What data will we process?

The data we will process will include:

  • Names

  • Addresses

  • Telephone numbers

  • Email addresses

  • Health conditions

  • Dietary requirements

  • 3rd party contact information

  • Award requirements progress

5. Who will have access to this data?

The members of the leadership team and the Executive Committee will hold this information. The Executive Committee, the Group Scout Leader and Section Leaders may need to access this data in their role of Charity Trustees for the Group.

6. Who else will have access to the data we process?

The Group is part of Winchester District Scout Council, (the District), Hampshire County Scout Council, (the County) and The United Kingdom Scout Association (the Association). The Group will periodically join in events that are run by the District or the County. In these cases, data will be shared with the organisers for the purpose of the event only. Under certain circumstances such as a medical or a welfare related incident, data will be shared with the District, County, Association and where required by law, the Authorities.

Where we run events in the Group, we may share information with a “Home Contact.” They are usually volunteers in Scouting who will act as a go-between at camps for the leadership to contact parents in emergencies. During the activity they will be expected to keep the document secure – ordinarily electronically, but if physical, properly secured. After the activity has completed, they will be required to securely destroy the information including shredding of any printed materials.

The Group shares all members with The Association for the following purposes:

  1. So that the safeguarding team may access specific personal details (name/DOB/contact details) of members in Online Scout Manager (OSM) – see section 7 – as a last resort if the information cannot be obtained through the usual channels or in the event of an emergency. This is only accessible by the safeguarding team, used to protect children, and their access will be logged within OSM's audit trail.

  2. Gaining important real time insights into Scouting nationally that can be used to improve the support provided for local Scout Groups and increase external funding of Scouting. Authorised staff at The Association will be looking at anonymous data in OSM, which is not personally identifiable. This will be general membership data (numbers, ages, postcodes, genders, groups) to report on national trends and not at local group level.

  3. Sharing anonomised census data directly from OSM

The Group provides access to the register of interest (parents who have registered a child wishing to join the Group who are below six years of age) and the joining list (parents who have registered a child wishing to join the Group who are aged six years or over) and Beaver, Cub and Scout Sections with the Winchester Scout District Growth and Development officer and Hampshire County Scouts Growth and Development Manager for the purpose of determining available capacity. Both District and County officers may add new registrations to either list the registration of interest and/or joining list. The Beaver, Cub and Scout sections are read only and can not be electronically copied or transferred, personal details are not used for any other purpose.

The Group provides access to members of the Scouts Section with Explorer Units within Winchester for the purpose of determining the potential numbers who will need to be accommodated in Explorer Scouts. Details are read only and can not be electronically copied or transferred, personal details are not used for any other purpose.

When a member transfers to another Scout Group or Explorer Unit, the Group will transfer the members OSM record accordingly.

7. Where will the data be held?

Your data will be processed and stored in the following manner:

  • Using Online Scout Manager. This is a bespoke, secure online application for the management of Scout Groups.

  • Electronic documents will be held on encrypted, restricted access online storage.

  • Where required, temporarily by the leadership team on their own home computers but only when they incorporate secure and encrypted features.

  • Where required, on physical (paper) records held by the leadership, stored securely and destroyed securely when no longer required.

  • In Compass, the Scout Association’s membership secure online database used by every Scout Group in the UK.

8. How long do we retain the data for?

We will retain your data for as long as the Data Subject remains a part of the Group. When the Data Subject leaves, we will delete it. If a Data Subject moves to another Scout Group, we will ask you before we transfer any data with the new Group. This also applies to Scouts moving to Explorer Scouts as Explorer Units are operated by Winchester Scout District and not by individual Scout Groups. Transfers are typically done securely, electronically using OSM.

9. What is our Legal Basis for processing your data?

We must have a legal basis to process your personal data. Our legal basis is under Article 6 (1) (a): the data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data for one or more specific purposes.

We consider your consent to be given when you complete and return any documentation, we send to you. This can include data capture forms when a new member joins the Group, Nights Away Activity Information Forms, or One Day Activity Information Forms. It will also include verbal consent. Should you wish to withdraw your consent, it may be that this decision will prevent a data subject from being a member of the Scout Association as we cannot guarantee that we can comply with our rules on delivering safe Scouting.

10. Your rights

Should you have any questions relating to your data protection rights, please contact the persons listed in point 2.


Version 1.4 - 16th February 2021