Data Protection Policy
Data Protection Policy
Version: Final | Approved: June 2026 | Review: June 2027
1. What is this data protection policy
This Data Protection Policy describes the categories of personal data Suffolk County Scouts process and for what purposes. Suffolk County Scouts is committed to collecting and using such data fairly and in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), the regulations set by the European Union, and Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018), the UK law that encompasses the GDPR.
This Data Protection Policy applies to members, parents/guardians of youth members, volunteers, employees, contractors, suppliers, supporters, donors and members of the public who will make contact with Suffolk County Scouts.
2. Who we are
Suffolk County Scouts is a registered charity with the Charity Commission for England & Wales; charity number 305682.
The appointed data controllers for the County are as follows:
- County Lead Volunteer
- County Support Team - Operations Lead
A data protection officer has not been appointed; the data controllers will undertake these duties.
All enquiries related to data protection should be sent to
From this point on Suffolk County Scouts will be referred to as "we".
3. The data we may process
The majority of the personal information we hold is provided to us directly by you or by the parents or legal guardians of youth members verbally or in paper form, digital form or via our online membership systems.
In the case of adult members and volunteers, data may also be provided by third parties, such as the England & Wales - Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
Where a member is under the age of 18, this information will only be obtained from a parent or guardian and cannot be provided by the young person.
We may collect the following personal information:
- Personal contact details such as name, title, address, telephone numbers and personal email address – so that we can contact you.
- Date of birth – so that we can ensure young people are allocated to the appropriate Section for their age and that adults are old enough to take on an appointment with Scouting.
- Gender – so that we can address individuals correctly and accommodate for any specific needs.
- Emergency contact information – so that we are able to contact someone in the event of an emergency.
- Government identification numbers e.g. national insurance, driving licence, passport – to be able to process volunteer criminal record checks.
- Bank account details, payroll information and tax status information – so that we are able to pay any staff that might be employed by us and collect gift aid from HMRC where donations are made.
- Training records – so that members can track their progression through the Scout programme or adult training scheme.
- Race or ethnic origin – so that we can make suitable arrangements based on members' cultural needs.
- Health records – so that we can make suitable arrangements based on members' medical needs.
- Criminal records checks – to ensure Scouting is a safe space for young people and adults.
4. The lawful basis we process your data by
We comply with our obligations under the GDPR and DPA 2018 by keeping personal data up to date; by storing and destroying it securely; by not collecting or retaining excessive amounts of data; by protecting personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure; and by ensuring that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data.
In most cases the lawful basis for processing will be through the performance of a contract for personal data of our adult volunteers and legitimate interest for personal data of our youth members. Sensitive (special category) data for both adult volunteers and our youth members will mostly align to the lawful basis of legitimate activities of an association.
Explicit consent is requested from parents/guardians to take photographs of our members, where such photographs place the data subject as the focal point of the shot. On occasion we may use legitimate interest to process photographs where it is not practical to gather and maintain consent, such as large-scale events. On such occasions we will make it clear that this activity will take place and give individuals the opportunity to exercise their data subject rights.
We use personal data for the following purposes:
- to provide information about Scout meetings, activities, training courses and events to our members and other volunteers in Suffolk County Scouts
- to provide a voluntary service for the benefit of the public in a particular geographical area as specified in our constitution
- to administer membership records
- to fundraise and promote the interests of Scouting
- to manage our volunteers
- to maintain our own accounts and records (including the processing of gift aid applications)
- to inform you of news, events, activities and services being run or attended by Suffolk County Scouts
- to ensure and evidence your suitability if volunteering for a role in Scouting
- to contact your next of kin in the event of an emergency
- to ensure you have and maintain the correct qualifications and skills.
We use personal sensitive (special) data for the following purposes:
- for the protection of a person's health and safety whilst in the care of Suffolk County Scouts
- to respect a person's religious beliefs with regards to activities, food and holidays
- for equal opportunity monitoring and reporting.
5. Our retention periods
We retain information in line with The Scout Association's Data Retention Policy which can be found on The Scout Association website.
6. Joint control of membership data
The Scout Association and Suffolk County Scouts process the data of members, parents/guardians of youth members, and volunteers on our membership databases. Volunteer data is processed between the local Scout Groups, Suffolk County Scouts and The Scout Association.
Information held about volunteers may include the following:
- name and contact details
- length and periods of membership and volunteer service (and absence from membership and volunteer service)
- details of training received
- details of experience, qualifications, occupation, skills and awards received
- details of Scouting events and activities members have taken part in
- details of next of kin
- age/date of birth
- legal sex
- details of any health conditions
- details of disclosure checks
- any complaints we have received about the member
- details of any safeguarding concerns raised about or by the member
- details about role(s) in Scouting
- details about membership status
- diversity and inclusion data (including nationality, ethnicity, religion / belief, health information, gender, and sexual orientation)
Processing Activities
The following is a list of common data processing activities for members, parents/guardians of youth members and volunteers data on the membership systems. This includes an indication of which entity carries out this activity which is shared with the other.
| Processing Activity | Description | Processing Entity |
|---|---|---|
| Scout Member capture | Initial data load of a new Scout Member onto the membership database | Suffolk County Scouts |
| Scout Member disclosure check | Disclosure checks for any adult Scout Members that require them | Suffolk County Scouts initiate; The Scout Association complete the check |
| Scout Member operational administration | This may include:
|
Suffolk County Scouts and The Scout Association |
| Scout Member disciplinary | Scout Member disciplinary detail capturing where a Scout Member has breached POR or any other Scout policy | Suffolk County Scouts initiate; The Scout Association involved if severity meets a policy threshold |
| Scout Member leaving | The updating of an individual's membership status post leaving the association | Suffolk County Scouts |
| Scout Member data reporting | Reporting on trends and monitoring data to be able to demonstrate The Scouts' impact and to attract funding (this may include optional special category data of the Scout Members) | The Scout Association. Suffolk County Scouts may access special category data for Census and local Scouting delivery |
| Scout Member Training | The addition of mandatory training for Scout Members, where applicable | The Scout Association |
| Scout Member roles definition | The definition of Scout Member roles on the membership databases | The Scout Association |
7. Sharing your information
Young people and other data subjects
We will normally only share personal information with adult volunteers holding an appointment in the Suffolk County Scouts.
Adult volunteers
We will normally only share personal information with adult volunteers holding appropriate appointments within the line management structure of The Scout Association for the Suffolk County Scouts as well as with The Scout Association Headquarters as independent data controllers.
All data subjects
We will however share your personal information with others outside of Suffolk County Scouts where we need to meet a legal obligation. This may include The Scout Association and its insurance subsidiary (Unity Insurance Services), local authority services and law enforcement. We will only share your personal information to the extent needed for those purposes.
We will only share your data with third parties outside of the organisation where there is a legitimate reason to do so.
We will never sell your personal information to any third party.
Sometimes we may nominate a member for national awards (such as Scouting awards or Duke of Edinburgh awards); such nominations may require us to provide contact details and award nomination details, such as citations, to that organisation. We may also share data on award nominees for National Honours Awards, including the same data as above.
Where personal data is shared with third parties we will seek assurances that your personal data will be kept confidential and that the third party fully complies with the GDPR and DPA 2018.
8. How we store your personal data
We generally store personal information in the following ways:
The Scout Association Online Membership System – this is used for the collection and storage of adult volunteer personal data.
Online Scout Manager – is the online membership system of Online Youth Manager; this system is used for the collection and storage of youth member personal data.
Microsoft Office 365 – is the system put in place for members of Suffolk Scouts to carry out administrative and management functions for data we hold.
Microsoft Azure – provides the hosting and database services used for providing the Suffolk Scouts website and membership tools and systems.
Eventbrite – system for managing training courses.
EVBOO – Event Management System used for County-run events e.g. Suffolk Punch.
In addition, adult volunteers may hold some personal data on local spreadsheets/databases.
Printed records and data held while attending events – paper is sometimes used to capture and retain some data, for example:
- Gift Aid administration
- Event registration
- Health and contact records forms (for events)
- Events coordination with event organisers
Paper records for events are used rather than relying on secure digital systems, as often the events are held where internet and digital access will not be available. We will minimise the use of paper to only what is required for the event.
9. Further processing
If we wish to use your personal data for a new purpose, not covered by this Data Protection Policy, then we will provide you with new information or an updated Policy explaining this new use prior to commencing the processing and setting out the relevant purposes and processing conditions. Where and whenever necessary, we will seek your prior consent to the new processing.
10. How we provide this data protection policy
A link to this website page is provided to those whose data is being processed by us. A printed version is also available on request.
11. Your rights
As a Data Subject, you have the right to object to how we process your personal information. You also have the right to access, correct, sometimes delete and restrict the personal information we use. In addition, you have a right to complain to us and to the Information Commissioner's Office (www.ico.org.uk).
Unless subject to an exemption under the GDPR and DPA 2018, you have the following rights with respect to your personal data:
- The right to be informed – you have a right to know how your data will be used by us.
- The right to access your personal data – you can ask us to share with you the data we have about you. This is a Data Subject Access Request.
- The right to rectification – this means you can update your data if it's inaccurate or if something is missing. Adult members will be able to edit and update some information directly on The Scout Association's online membership system.
- The right to erasure – this means that you have the right to request that we delete any personal data we have about you. There are some exceptions; for example, some information will be held for legal reasons.
- The right to restrict processing – if you think that we are not processing your data in line with this Data Protection Policy then you have the right to restrict any further use of that data until the issue is resolved.
- The right to data portability – this means that if you ask us we will have to share your data with you in a way that can be read digitally – such as a PDF. This makes it easier to share information with others.
- The right to object – you can object to the ways your data is being used.
- Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling – this protects you in cases where decisions are being made about you based entirely on automated processes rather than human input. It's highly unlikely that this will be used by us.
12. Website cookies
For details on website cookies, please refer to the Privacy Policy.
13. Who to contact
If you have any queries relating to this Data Protection Policy or our use of your personal data, please contact the Data Controller at Suffolk Scouts, County Office, Hallowtree Scout Activity Centre, Alnesbourne Priory, Nacton, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP10 0JP or via email at