Don’t Panic - Plan
I wonder how your second week of online practice has been? NCS Registrant Suzie Mosson, a director of Online Training for Counsellors, has some expert advice for practitioners making this move. Whethe...
Just like the millennium hype the introduction of GDPR has come and gone without a hitch.
Pre the GDPR deadline our inboxes were bombarded by privacy policies and opt in options for everything from your shopping to your TV provider… but has this reduced the amount of emails you are receiving?
If like me then probably not. My inbox is still full of things I don’t want and don’t remember signing up for, but on a good note I haven’t had a call to say I’m due compensation for a car accident I haven’t had.
As an individual the great thing is your rights. You can now get free of charge a Subject Access Request Form which will allows you to request and receive the data a company holds on you. From this you then have further rights including rectifying any inaccurate data or even to have it erased. Companies have already seen an uplift of requests from individuals and this is likely to remain high as people take control of data being held on them.
But as a member are you compliant? If not then let’s start now, download the ICO self-assessment form https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/resources-and-support/data-protection-self-assessment/. which will help you decide what your next steps are.
File Storing
For queries regarding the length of time that you should hold data/files for. We advise that all members check with their insurance company who can guide them.
The National Counselling Society have been in contact with Howden Professional who advise their members to hold Adult’s documents for 7 years and for children, until they reach the age of 25.
If you are still baffled by what you need to be doing The National Counselling Society is here to support you with any concerns. Although we cannot provide bespoke advice on GDPR compliance we do recommend contacting the ICO directly https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/advice-service-for-small-organisations/.
