Privacy and Cookies Policy

Voluntary Support North Surrey (VSNS) is a registered UK charity working in North Surrey to promote and support voluntary and faith organisations. We offer many free services to local groups including funding advice, help with business planning and marketing, volunteer recruitment, corporate engagement and access to training.

(1)  Our commitment to your privacy

VSNS respects your privacy and is committed to keeping your personal data safe.  No information given to VSNS will be shared with any other organisation or individual without the user’s expressed permission.

All personal data will be dealt with sensitively and in the strictest confidence internally and externally.

(2)  The personal data we collect from you, how we collect it and how we use it

2a. The people who use our befriending services

What personal data do we collect?

VSNS holds personal data about you which may include your name, date of birth, email address, telephone number, address, age, sex, gender, religion, language, ethnicity, sexual orientation and whether you have a disability.

We will also ask for emergency contact details and ensure that these are regularly updated.

How do we collect your personal data?

You may be referred to our befriending services by another organisation or you may self-refer. Your personal data is collected at the point of referral and also at our first client meeting.

Why do we collect your personal data?

We collect your personal data in order to provide a service to you, to ensure your safety and that of our staff and volunteers, and to make sure our services meet your needs.

We process your data in accordance with our legitimate interests in providing high quality, safe and efficient services.

2b. Organisations that we support

What personal data do we collect?

VSNS holds personal data about employees and/or volunteers at your organisation which may include: name, contact details, date of birth, job title and organisation details.

We collect this from:

• sign ups at event
• when you contact us for advice, support or training
• when you need to advertise for a volunteer
• when you sign up to our newsletters
• when you give permission to other organisations to share or it is publicly available such as:
  • when you ‘like’ or comment on our Facebook or Twitter account
  • when you are referred to us for a service by another organisation
  • when information is found on the Charities Commission or Companies House website

Why do we collect your personal data?

We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with an appropriate service, and for:

• internal record keeping
• using information provided to provide our services appropriately
• ensuring we can deliver or signpost you to an appropriate support service
• sending you emails about our services, events, important policy changes or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided

2c. Volunteers and employees

What personal data do we collect?

VSNS collects and processes a range of information about you that is appropriate to the role you perform with us or with other organisations. This will vary depending on the role and may include your name, date of birth, email address, telephone number, address, age, gender, information about medical or health conditions and whether you have a disability, information about your criminal record, information about your nationality and entitlement to work in the UK,

For volunteers, data is gathered in the following ways:

• Volunteer Plus recruitment software via website (online application form)
• VSNS application form
• Do-it website

We will also ask for emergency contact details and ensure that these are regularly updated.

Why do we collect your personal data?

VSNS needs to process your data in order to enter into a working relationship with you and to meet our contractual obligations under any agreement with you. For example, if you are an employee, we need to process your data to provide you with an employment contract, to pay you in accordance with that contract and to administer any benefits.

In some cases, VSNS needs to process data to ensure that we are complying with our legal obligations. For example, it is required to check a worker’s right to work in the UK, to deduct tax, to comply with health and safety laws and to enable employees to take periods of leave to which they are entitled. For certain positions, it’s necessary to carry out criminal records checks to ensure that individuals are permitted to carry out the role in question.

2d. Website users

We may collect, store and use the following kinds of personal data:

(a) information about your computer and about your visits to and use of this website, such as your IP address, geographical location, browser type, referral source, length of visit and number of page views;

(b) information that you provide to us when you complete our online forms

(f) any other information that you choose to send to us.

(2) Cookies

We use cookies on this website. A cookie is a text file sent by a web server to a web browser, and stored by the browser. The text file is then sent back to the server each time the browser requests a page from the server. This enables the web server to identify and track the web browser.

We may send a cookie which may be stored on by your browser on your computer’s hard drive. We may use the information we obtain from the cookie in the administration of this website, to improve the website’s usability and for marketing purposes.  We may also use that information to recognise your computer when you visit our website, and to personalise our website for you.

All browsers allow you to refuse to accept cookies. For example in Chrome you can adjust your cookie settings by clicking the 3 vertical dots in the top right of your browser screen. From the drop down menu select ‘Settings’, ‘Privacy and security’, ‘Cookies and other site data’ and then allow or block cookies using the on/off slider to the right of the option.

Blocking cookies does have a negative impact on the useability of this website and others.

We use Google Analytics to analyse the use of this website.  Google Analytics generates statistical and other information about website use by means of cookies, which are stored on users’ computers.  The information generated relating to our website is used to create reports about the use of the website.  Google will store this information.  Google’s privacy policy is available at: www.google.com/privacypolicy.html.

(3) Using your personal data

Personal data submitted on this website will be used for the purposes specified in this privacy policy or in relevant parts of the website.

We may use your personal information to:

(a) administer the website;

(b) improve your browsing experience by personalising the website;

(c) enable your use of the services available on the website such as registering to be a volunteer or nominating a volunteer for an award;

(d) contact details of voluntary organisations may be shared with our trusted partners such as the Citizens Advice Bureau

(e) send you email notifications which you have specifically requested such as our funding or e-bulletin;

(f) provide third parties with statistical information about our users – but this information will not be used to identify any individual user;

(g) deal with enquiries and complaints made by or about you relating to the website using our contact form.

We will not without your express consent provide your personal information to any third parties.

(4)  Other disclosures

In addition to the disclosures reasonably necessary for the purposes identified elsewhere in this privacy policy, we may disclose information about you:

(a) to the extent that we are required to do so by law;

(b) in connection with any legal proceedings or prospective legal proceedings;

(c) in order to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights (including providing information to others for the purposes of fraud prevention and reducing credit risk).

Except as provided in this privacy policy, we will not provide your information to third parties.

(5) Security of your personal data

We will take reasonable technical and organisational precautions to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of your personal information.

Of course, data transmission over the internet is inherently insecure, and we cannot guarantee the security of data sent over the internet.

You are responsible for keeping your password and user details confidential. We will not ask you for your password.

(6) Policy amendments

We may update this privacy policy from time-to-time by posting a new version on our website. You should check this page occasionally to ensure you are happy with any changes.

(7) Your rights

In relation to our processing of your personal data, you have the right to:

(a) be informed by us about the reasons for collection and use of your information;

(b) instruct us to provide you with any personal data we hold about you;

(c) instruct us to provide you with your own data to be used across different services;

(d) instruct us to rectify your inaccurate personal data;

(e) instruct us to restrict the processing of your personal data;

(f) object to us processing your personal data

(g) instruct us to erase your personal data

To discuss any of these rights please email or write to us at the following address:

Unit 6, The Sainsbury’s Centre, CHERTSEY KT16 9AG

(8) Third party websites

The website contains links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy policies or practices of third party websites.

(9)  Contact

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or our treatment of your personal data, please please email or write to us at the following address:

Unit 6, The Sainsbury’s Centre, CHERTSEY KT16 9AG

This privacy policy is based on a template created and distributed by www.website-law.co.uk