The Data Protection Responsibilities in a Nutshell leaflet is now available to download from TMCP’s website. This plain language guidance note is to accompany the suite of policies, guidelines, schedules, templates, detailed guidance and training (the Data Protection Toolkit) being provided by the Data Protection Working Party (Working Party).
The Data Protection Responsibilities in a Nutshell leaflet summarises the steps that volunteers, ministers and staff within the Church need to take to protect each other’s privacy and keep personal information safe.
The Methodist Church cares about the people whose data it holds and as a Connexional Church we need to work together to protect privacy. Please circulate a link to this leaflet around those within your Local Church, Circuit or District who handle personal information so that they can access a copy on TMCP’s website. Alternatively, please print out copies and encourage those who handle personal information to read it. It is important that everybody is aware of what they need to do to keep personal information safe and the resources that the Working Party has (and is) making available to help them do that.
Data Protection Responsibilities in a Nutshell provides an overview of the responsibilities of those who handle personal information – see the “Code of Practice” on the centre pages of the leaflet. The code comprises a list of your data protection responsibilities with examples of how to apply these in practice drawn from the Data Protection Policy to be released shortly.
The leaflet also includes details of the Data Protection Toolkit, flow charts illustrating the responsibilities at different stages and what to do in the event of breach, a practical guide to applying the code to Directories, Circuit Plans and Pastoral Records and information on where to get help.
Managing Trustees can rest assured that the Working Party has identified which General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements the Methodist Church needs to address as a priority before the 25th May 2018. The complete Data Protection Toolkit including all the tools you need to fulfil your responsibilities will be available before that date.
If Managing Trustees have any queries then please contact TMCP (dataprotection@tmcp.org.uk) for further assistance regarding general data protection matters and the Conference Office for queries specifically relating to safeguarding or complaints and discipline matters (dataprotection@methodistchurch.org.uk).