Further to our article of 10th February 2023 which reminded you of the deadline for the Data Protection Annual Returns, we are now approaching that deadline of 31st May 2023 for submission to your Districts.  As you know all members of the Methodist Church have a legal responsibility to protect the personal data of individuals and we appreciate the hard work and commitment by those Managing Trustees involved in this process.  

TMCP, as Data Controller, has always promoted data protection as ‘People Protection’ and we urge all Managing Trustees to see this once-a-year project as demonstration of your commitment to safeguarding everyone associated with your Local Church, Circuit and District in the best way possible.

By way of a quick recap the guidance which should have been shared with you by your District, the Checklist can be completed in the following ways:

Using the online version of the 2023 Data Protection Annual Checklist:

  1. Your District has a unique link to access the online version of the 2023 Annual Checklist.
  2. You simply need to complete each question before moving onto the next section.  
  3. The results will automatically be sent to your District and included in the District’s submission to TMCP.

Using the Manual Word version of the 2023 Data Protection Annual Checklist:

  1. For Managing Trustees who are not able to complete the online version of the Checklist, please complete the Word Document which can be found by following the link along with the associated guidance: Data Protection Annual Checklist and Guidance - Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes (tmcp.org.uk)
  2. Please return the completed Checklist to your District Office.

Your District Data Champion is on hand to help you complete the Annual Checklist. TMCP will also be here to help and assist.  Please do not see this as a daunting task, once you have completed the data mapping and the remainder of the checklist once, then in the following years the Checklists will  almost be a tick-box exercise simply confirming your continued compliance and commitment to protecting the data which individuals have entrusted the Church to store and process appropriately.

If you are unsure who your District Data Champion is, then please ask your District Chair or contact us and we will provide their details. You can also contact TMCP at any time with your data protection queries at dataprotection@tmcp.org.uk

 

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