Volunteering Development Privacy Notice

Who are we and what do we do

The Volunteering Development team is part of the Communities, Health and Wellbeing team and the Public Health & Wellbeing directorate at Gateshead Council. We are based at the Civic Centre, Gateshead. We provide the following services:    

• work with local communities, other services and other partners to help improve the well-being of Gateshead communities through promoting and supporting volunteers and volunteering across the borough  
• we work to reduce inequalities and help everyone thrive   

We help the Council and partners to maximise the effective use of their resources through:  

• maintaining relationships   
• supporting people into volunteering by removing barriers that may exist
• supporting council services and VCSE groups to successfully recruit and manage volunteers 
• provide a brokerage service between residents of Gateshead looking for volunteer opportunities and voluntary groups looking for volunteers through the main digital tool of OurGateshead
• providing a peer support network for Volunteer Coordinators across Gateshead sharing best practice, knowledge and skills, resources and contacts across the Voluntary and Community Service, and public sector provision.
• Provide guidance and documentation to enable all council services to develop quality volunteer roles and projects that add value to Gateshead Council Service provision.
• Provide a robust volunteer recruitment and management process and procedures for all council lead volunteer roles and projects across all services.   This is to ensure that all volunteer roles are approved be relevant services, have adequate training and volunteers and services users are operating in a safe environment while developing a volunteers wellbeing, skills and experience.
• Identifying Group volunteer days across Gateshead for corporate organisations who want to donate their employee's time and invest into a community project. This involves corporate organisations from the private sector sending groups of employees to take part in a volunteer day. For example Highways agency recently delivered a community litter pick day in the South of Gateshead with 40 + employee volunteers. The team ensure that this investment is ringfenced to the most suitable projects to ensure maximum impact and value for money.

We work out of the Civic Centre and in locations across Gateshead's communities to enable wide promotion and access to our services. We do this through:  

• community engagement and development   
• identifying gaps within the community around volunteering and ensuring that the volunteer offer for Gateshead reflects the needs of the local communities.
• brokerage and offering advice  
• support and guidance to local community groups and the wider voluntary sector  
• sharing of best practice and resources
• signposting to national and regional legislation including regulations around volunteer DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) Checks
• ensuring all council lead volunteer roles incorporate all necessary partners across different services and have the relevant approval from HR, Legal and Insurance services.
• Ensuring that all volunteering adds value to roles delivered by employees of an organisations and does not replace or reduce an employees position.

We work closely with other Council and partner services to help ensure residents receive the services they require and identify areas where improvements could be made.  

Gateshead Council works with Connected Voice to support volunteering across Gateshead via the delivery Gateshead Volunteer Centre. GVC is a joint partnership funded through Gateshead Council and managed by Connected Voice providing a project equally invested by both organisations.  Gateshead Volunteer Centre isn't a central location but is a culture and set of officers who locate themselves within the key Locality areas in each of the Gateshead Neighbourhood areas including; Central, West, West and South.

This privacy notice provides specific information about how we process your personal data. It is an addition to the information contained in our Corporate.

What type of information is collected about you  

There are two main purposes that Gateshead Council & Gateshead Volunteer Centre capture personal information which includes:

• From individuals or groups wanting to volunteer
• Voluntary groups and their coordinators promoting available volunteer roles

There are also for two main purposes that this information is collected:

• To pass over to the relevant voluntary group that is delivering a specific volunteer role that a volunteer has been matched to
• To go through the council's volunteer recruitment process to become a registered volunteer and deliver a council lead volunteer role.
• To join an environmental volunteering group, supported by the Council.

Depending on your circumstances, the type of information we collect about you may include:   

• name   
• address  
• date of birth  
• disability/ medical data  
• details of references including any restrictions on working with children or young people, or vulnerable adults
• Contact details

This information may be collected if you:   

• Expressed an interest to become involved in a council lead volunteer role, or have previously been involved in a council managed volunteer role.
• Are part of an environmental volunteering group undertaking tasks on Council owned land.

Volunteering for Other Organisations

If you have asked to be passed over to a volunteer coordinator for a particular volunteer role you have seen advertised through Gateshead Volunteer Centre on OurGateshead you will only be asked to supply the following basic information. You will ALWAYS be prompted each time you declare an interest in a volunteer role from OurGateshead to give permission for your contact details to be shared with the relevant Volunteer Coordinator:

• Name
• Email address/telephone number
• If you require additional support

Supported Volunteering

If you require "Support into Volunteering" which is a project through Gateshead Volunteer Centre you will be asked the above but also may be asked for the following:

• Any medical information that needs to be considered when placing a volunteer
• Specific barriers that have been previously identified
• Any support services you are already receiving

VCSE Organisations

If you are a voluntary organisation and are the main Volunteer Coordinator for a project, you will be asked to register on OurGateshead as a user which has its own privacy policy. 

You will also be invited to become a member of the Gateshead Volunteer Coordinators Network and will be asked to provide:

• Name
• Job title
• Contact information

You will be asked for your permission to share your name and details ONLY with other members from the group.  As a named contact you will be provided with any interested volunteers for you to then contact direct.

Environmental Volunteering

If you are part of a voluntary group undertaking tasks on Council land, your details will be shared with Technical Services who deliver environmental volunteering support and the Council's legal department if your group opts for Council insurance cover.

Details that may be shared can include:

• Name
• Contact information
• Medical information

Generally, the information we hold will have been provided by you, but we may also collect information when we receive a referral from an external agency or other Council department.   

We also collect information about you in the following ways:  

• face to face  
• by email  
• by post   
• by telephone
• by online form  

You can enquire or apply to be a volunteer by visiting Our Gateshead website or for environmental volunteering groups, filling in the online Expression of Interest form.    

Upon visiting our website, cookies are used to collect information about website usage. You can see more information on how we collection web usage information on our cookies page.  

Why we need your information  

We need information from you so that we can respond to your interest in being a volunteer in Gateshead.   

Our lawful basis for processing your personal data for the above purposes (Article 6) are:   

• you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose   
• task in a public interest or in exercise of public authority   

Our lawful basis for processing your special category personal data (Article 9) are: -   

• for reasons of substantial public interest (with a basis in law)  
• vital interests

Who your information can be shared with  

Our Corporate Privacy notice explains information sharing the Council carries out. This sharing fulfils statutory obligations, legal requirements and service delivery.   

When sharing information, the Communities, Health & Wellbeing Team will comply with all aspects of the Data Protection Act 2018 / the GDPR. Where necessary or required, we may share your personal information as follows:  

• the volunteer coordinators will be notified that there is a volunteer interested in their role through an email sent from Gateshead Volunteer Centre officers through the information supplied on OurGateshead by the volunteer.   
• with Connected Voice as part of their coordination of the Gateshead Volunteer Centre. 
• with internal Council departments such as Technical Services and Legal Services for environmental groups.

If we wish to share your information with other council services or third parties for purposes outside of those listed above, we will ask for your permission.  

For any volunteer roles that are being directly delivered by Gateshead Council, all volunteers (regardless of the role) will follow the approved Gateshead Council Volunteer Recruitment process which is an initial Individual Expression of Interest or Group Expression of Interest form.  Both forms have set agreements around data and the information linked to the Council's data privacy statement.

How long we will keep your information   

We keep your information for as long as we need to provide services to you. We may also need to keep your information in accordance with legal or other obligations. Where we have no need to keep your data it will be securely destroyed. We keep a Record of Processing Activity (a requirement under the GDPR). This sets out the specific retention periods applicable in different circumstances. For more information please contact 0191 433 3000 or email volunteering@gateshead.gov.uk 

Where your information is held  

Volunteer data is held on Lamplight which is a secure system managed by Connected Voice.  

Your personal data and information about your environmental volunteering group is also held on Council shared internal drives.  All of these are either password protected, or access approvals are in place. Photographs are also held on Council mobile phones and iPads, which are password protected.  

How you can update your information  

Our delivery of efficient services depends on the accuracy of your information.  

Please inform us of any changes to the following:  

• email address  
• personal circumstances  
• postal address  
• any of the other information we hold 

For environmental volunteers please also inform us of any changes to:

• medical information
• volunteers taking part in your group

Please contact 0191 433 3000 or email  volunteering@gateshead.gov.uk  

Your information rights 

Please see the relevant section of our corporate privacy notice.   

Marketing and e-newsletters 

Please see our email marketing privacy notice.      

Business intelligence, profiling and automated-decision making 

Please see the relevant section of our corporate privacy notice.   

Protecting your information 

Please see the relevant section of our corporate privacy notice.   

Data Protection Officer  

Data Protection Officer

Civic Centre

Regent Street

Gateshead

NE8 1HH 

DPOcouncil@gateshead.gov.uk  

0191 433 3000  

Information Commissioner's Office

The Information Commissioner is the UK's independent body for upholding information rights. Visit their website to find out more about your rights under Data Protection law, and what to expect from us.