Cheshire Archives Volunteer Privacy Notice

This privacy notice explains how Cheshire West and Chester Council uses personal information when recruiting, supporting and managing volunteers within Cheshire Archives and Local Studies.

Cheshire Archives and Local Studies is a shared archive service delivered by Cheshire West and Chester Council and Cheshire East Council and provides archive services on behalf of Warrington and Halton. The service identifies, preserves and provides access to archives and local studies collections that document the history of Cheshire and its communities.

Our volunteer programme supports this work by providing opportunities for individuals to contribute to the preservation, accessibility and promotion of Cheshire's archival collections. Volunteers may support activities such as collections management, public engagement, visitor support, events and other archive-related activities.

This privacy notice applies to:

Individuals applying to volunteer with Cheshire Archives and Local Studies.
Current volunteers.
Former volunteers where information is retained in accordance with the Council's retention schedule.
Emergency contacts provided by volunteers for health, safety and welfare purposes.

What information we collect, use, and why

Whenever you contact us about volunteering, submit an application, attend an interview or participate in volunteering activities, we collect certain information to provide and manage the Cheshire Archives volunteer programme. This helps us identify you, communicate with you, assess suitability for volunteering opportunities and support you throughout your volunteering journey.

Personal Data

Name and contact details: To identify you, communicate with you about volunteering opportunities, training, events and volunteering-related activities.
Date of birth: To confirm eligibility for volunteering opportunities and verify minimum age requirements.
Postcode: To understand where volunteers are located, support service planning and help match volunteers to appropriate volunteering opportunities.
Availability, interests and volunteering preferences: To help allocate volunteering opportunities, manage rotas and support volunteer placement.
Emergency contact details: To enable us to contact someone on your behalf in the event of an emergency, welfare concern or health and safety incident.
Volunteer records: Including attendance, training completed, volunteering hours, start and end dates, communications, volunteer activities and reasons for leaving where applicable.
Case file information: To maintain an accurate record of volunteering activities, decisions, support provided and any issues raised during the volunteer relationship.

Special Category Data

Health or disability information: To identify and implement reasonable adjustments, support accessibility and ensure volunteers can participate safely in volunteering activities.
Equality monitoring information (such as ethnicity, gender and disability status): To monitor equality, diversity and inclusion, assess accessibility and improve volunteering opportunities. This information is voluntary and is normally used for statistical and reporting purposes.
Information relating to safeguarding, welfare or support needs: Where necessary to support volunteers, manage risks and maintain a safe volunteering environment.

Criminal Offence Data

Criminal conviction declarations: We may ask applicants to declare whether they have any unspent criminal convictions. This information is used to assess suitability for volunteering opportunities, support the safe placement of volunteers and identify any safeguarding risks. Any declaration is considered on a case-by-case basis by authorised staff and will not automatically prevent someone from volunteering.

This is much closer to the style, structure and tone of the Medical Needs notice whilst still reflecting the DPIA findings.

Sources of Information

We primarily collect information directly from volunteers throughout the recruitment, onboarding and volunteering process. Information is collected through volunteer applications, registration forms, interviews, induction activities, volunteer agreements, communications with staff and information provided through the TeamKinetic volunteer management platform.

To ensure we maintain accurate and up-to-date volunteer records, we may also receive information directly from volunteers during the course of their volunteering activities. This may include updates to contact details, volunteering preferences, availability, training records, emergency contact information and feedback about volunteering experiences.

Emergency contact information is provided directly by volunteers and is used only where necessary to protect the health, safety and welfare of volunteers or to respond to an emergency situation.

We may also receive information from Council services, health and safety representatives or emergency services where this is necessary to investigate incidents, support volunteer welfare, fulfil safeguarding responsibilities or comply with legal obligations.

What Your Personal Information Is Used For

Your personal information is used to:

Recruit, assess and manage volunteers who support the work of Cheshire Archives and Local Studies.
Communicate with volunteers about volunteering opportunities, training, events and other volunteering activities.
Maintain records of volunteer applications, volunteering activities, training and support provided.
Support the health, safety and welfare of volunteers, including making contact with emergency contacts where necessary.
Identify and implement reasonable adjustments to support volunteers.
Monitor and improve the quality and effectiveness of the volunteer programme.
Monitor equality, diversity and inclusion within volunteering activities.
Comply with legal, regulatory and health and safety requirements.
Respond to enquiries, concerns, complaints or incidents relating to volunteering activities.

We may also use information to produce statistical and management information to help us understand how the volunteer programme is used, monitor participation and diversity, demonstrate the value of volunteering and support future service planning.

Personal information is only used where it is relevant, necessary and lawful to support the recruitment, management and wellbeing of volunteers and to deliver the Cheshire Archives volunteer programme.

Who Do We Share Your Information With?

We share your personal information only when it is necessary, lawful and relevant to support the recruitment, management and wellbeing of volunteers.

Information may be shared with:

Authorised Cheshire Archives and Local Studies staff involved in recruiting, supporting and managing volunteers.
Emergency services, where it is necessary to protect the health, safety or welfare of a volunteer or another individual.
Other Council services, where this is necessary to investigate incidents, respond to safeguarding concerns, manage complaints, fulfil legal obligations or provide support to volunteers.
Regulatory, law enforcement or other public bodies, where we are required to do so by law or where disclosure is necessary to prevent or detect crime, protect individuals or comply with a legal obligation.

We do not routinely share volunteer information with external organisations for marketing purposes or unrelated activities.

Where emergency contact information has been provided, we may use this information to contact a nominated person in the event of an emergency, welfare concern, health and safety incident or other situation affecting a volunteer.

We only share information that is relevant and necessary for the purpose for which it is required and ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect personal information.

Data Processors

We use data processors to support the delivery of the Cheshire Archives volunteer programme and to ensure personal information is managed securely and efficiently. Data processors act on our instructions and are required to comply with data protection legislation.

Examples of data processors include:

TeamKinetic – our volunteer management platform, used to manage volunteer applications, volunteer records, communications, training records, volunteering activities and reporting. TeamKinetic processes personal data on our behalf in accordance with our instructions and contractual requirements.
Council-approved IT and cloud service providers – used to host, store and protect information and supporting records relating to the volunteer programme.
Secure communication platforms – used to communicate with volunteers, manage volunteering activities and share information with authorised staff involved in the administration of the volunteer programme.

All data processors are contractually required to keep personal information secure and may only use the information for the purposes specified by Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Data Controller

Cheshire West and Chester Council is the Data Controller for the personal information processed as part of the Cheshire Archives volunteer programme.

The Council is responsible for determining how and why personal information is used and for ensuring it is processed lawfully, fairly and securely in accordance with data protection legislation.

If you have any questions about how your information is used, or wish to exercise your data protection rights, you can contact the Council's Data Protection Officer using the details provided in the "Your Rights" section of this notice.

The Lawful Basis for Processing

Cheshire West and Chester Council does not rely on consent as the primary lawful basis for processing personal information for the administration of the Cheshire Archives volunteer programme.

We process personal data under:

UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e) – Public Task: Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest and as part of the Council's responsibility for delivering and supporting the Cheshire Archives and Local Studies service.
UK GDPR Article 6(1)(b) – Contract: Processing may also be necessary to manage the volunteer relationship, including administering volunteering opportunities, volunteer agreements, training, communications and associated volunteer activities.

We process special category data under:

UK GDPR Article 9(2)(g) – Substantial Public Interest, supported by:

Data Protection Act 2018 Schedule 1, Part 2, Paragraph 8 – Equality of Opportunity or Treatment, where equality monitoring information is collected to help us monitor diversity, inclusion and accessibility within our volunteer programme.

Where information relating to health conditions, disabilities or reasonable adjustments is provided, we process only the information necessary to support volunteers safely, identify appropriate adjustments and ensure volunteering opportunities remain accessible and inclusive.

We may also process limited criminal offence data in the form of a criminal conviction declaration where this is necessary to assess suitability for volunteering opportunities, support the safe placement of volunteers and manage safeguarding risks. Any declaration is considered on a case-by-case basis by authorised staff and is not used to make automated decisions.

The legislation we rely upon when processing personal information includes:

UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
Data Protection Act 2018
Equality Act 2010
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
Human Rights Act 1998

These laws govern how personal data, special category data and criminal offence data are collected, used, stored and protected.

International Data Transfers

Volunteer information is primarily stored and processed within the United Kingdom and European Economic Area (EEA).

We do not routinely transfer personal information outside the UK or EEA as part of the delivery of the Cheshire Archives volunteer programme.

Where an international transfer becomes necessary, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect personal information and comply with data protection legislation. These safeguards may include:

Transfers to countries recognised as providing an adequate level of data protection.
The use of approved contractual safeguards, such as the UK International Data Transfer Addendum or Standard Contractual Clauses.
Appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect personal information during transfer and storage.

Any international transfers will only take place where they are necessary, proportionate and lawful, and where suitable protections are in place to safeguard personal information.

We regularly review our suppliers, systems and contractual arrangements to ensure that appropriate data protection standards continue to be maintained.

Retention Period

We will only keep personal information for as long as is necessary to support the recruitment, management and administration of volunteers and to meet our legal, operational and accountability requirements.

In practice, this means:

Volunteer records are retained for the duration of the volunteering relationship and for up to 7 years from the date of last contact.
Unsuccessful volunteer applications are retained for up to 12 months from the conclusion of the recruitment process.
Emergency contact information is retained only whilst an individual remains an active volunteer and will be securely removed when it is no longer required.
Equality monitoring information is retained in anonymised form and may be used for statistical reporting, monitoring and service planning purposes.

Volunteer information held within TeamKinetic is managed in accordance with the Council's retention schedule and system retention controls. Records that reach the end of their retention period are securely deleted or anonymised where appropriate.

Paper records retained for business continuity and emergency planning purposes are reviewed regularly and securely destroyed when no longer required.

If information is used for reporting, research or service improvement purposes, it will be anonymised wherever possible. Anonymised information may be retained for statistical analysis, historical research or archive purposes where individuals can no longer be identified.

Your Rights

The UK GDPR provides you with a several rights to control what personal information is used by us and how it is used by us. You can request access, correction, deletion, or restriction of your data, and withdraw consent where applicable.

Further guidance about these rights can be accessed from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website

If you are not happy about the way your personal data is being used, or you require further information about how we process your personal data, you can contact Council’s Data Protection TTeam: -Online: Contact the DPO
By post: Data Protection Officer, The Portal, Wellington Road, Ellesmere Port, CH65 0BA

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office using the following details:

Website: Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Instant Message: Live Chat
By post: The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113