Volunteer privacy policy

Information for Cancer Card volunteers on what information we store on you, how and why.

It is necessary for us to hold information about you, in line with legislation (the General Data Protection Regulations), for the purpose of you volunteering with us. We want to make sure that you are completely clear about what information we hold and that you are reassured that we keep this information safe and only for legitimate purposes. You are entitled to know what information we hold, why we hold it, how long we will hold it and how we store it; and you also have rights to see this information, or have it corrected if it is inaccurate. The information below sets out these details for you. We would also encourage you to speak to our CEO and Data Protection Officer, Ian Pirrie, if you have any queries at all.

Data Controller: Cancer Card Data Protection Officer: Ian Pirrie – i.pirrie@cancercard.org.uk

Cancer Card collects and processes personal data relating to its volunteers to manage the volunteer relationship. We are committed to being transparent about how we collect and use that data and to meeting our data protection obligations.

What information do we collect?

Cancer Card collects and processes a range of information about you. This can include:

We may collect this information in a variety of ways. For example, data might be collected through application forms, CVs; obtained from your passport or other identity documents such as your driving licence or other forms completed by you at the start of or during volunteering; from correspondence with you; or through interviews, meetings or other assessments.

In some cases, Cancer Card may collect personal data about you from third parties, such as references supplied by (former) employers, information from employment background check providers, information from credit reference agencies and information from criminal records checks permitted by law. However, we would only ever do this with your prior knowledge.

Why does the organisation process personal data?

Cancer Card needs to process data to enter into a volunteering relationship with you and to meet our obligations.

In some cases, Cancer Card needs to process data to ensure that it is complying with its legal obligations. For example, we are required to run a PVG check to ensure your suitability for working with children and vulnerable groups if your volunteer remit involves this.

In other cases, Cancer Card has a legitimate interest in processing personal data before, during and after the end of the volunteering relationship. Processing your data allows us to:

Some special categories of personal data, such as information about health or medical conditions, is processed to carry out legal obligations (such as those in relation to volunteers with disabilities).

Where Cancer Card processes other special categories of personal data, such as information about ethnic origin, sexual orientation or religion or belief, this is done for the purposes of equal opportunities monitoring. Data that the organisation uses for these purposes is anonymised or is collected with the express consent of volunteers, which can be withdrawn at any time. Volunteers are entirely free to decide whether or not to provide such data and there are no consequences of failing to do so.

Who has access to data?

Your information may be shared internally, including with members of Cancer Card staff and key volunteers if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles.

Data will be stored in a range of different places, including in your volunteer file, in Cancer Card’s contact management systems and in other IT systems (including the Cancer Card email system).

Cancer Card shares your data where appropriate with third parties in order to obtain necessary criminal records checks from Disclosure Scotland via the organisation Volunteer Development Scotland. In those circumstances the data will be subject to confidentiality arrangements.

Cancer Card will not transfer your data to countries outside the European Economic Area.

How does Cancer Card protect data?

Cancer Card takes the security of your data seriously. Cancer Card has internal policies and controls in place to try to ensure that your data is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused or disclosed, and is not accessed except by relevant employees in the performance of their duties. Where Cancer Card engages third parties to process personal data on its behalf, they do so on the basis of written instructions, are under a duty of confidentiality and are obliged to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure the security of data.

For how long does Cancer Card keep data?

Cancer Card will hold your personal data for the duration of your volunteering. The periods for which your data is held after the end of volunteering, for relevant statutory retention periods, is set out for you below:

Photographs

For the effective performance of its charitable business, Cancer Card has used photographs and/or films which may include volunteers both within internal and external media all with a view to promoting its activities and events or to allow patients, their families or external partners to recognise staff they are in contact with. The photographs/films represent “personal data” under legislation and you are therefore asked to provide specific consent for this purpose on the final page of this document. In giving such consent, you will retain the right to inform Cancer Card not to include you in any specific photographs/films where you so wish.

Your rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights. You can:

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact Ian Pirrie – i.pirrie@cancercard.org.uk

If you believe that Cancer Card has not complied with your data protection rights, you can complain to the Information Commissioner.

What if you do not provide personal data?

You have some obligations to provide Cancer Card with data. Certain information, such as contact details, have to be provided to enable us to enter into a volunteering relationship with you. If you do not provide other information, this will hinder our ability to administer the relationship efficiently.