Branch: A local working group of Sexpression:UK.
Branch Child Protection Officer: A member of a local Sexpression:UK branch tasked with the responsibility for Child Protection.
Disclosure and Barring Service: A government service responsible for background criminal record checks in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
National Child Protection Director: A member of a Sexpression:UK National Committee tasked with the responsibility for Child Protection.
Protecting Vulnerable Groups: The Scottish equivalent of the Disclosure and Barring Service (see above).
Volunteer: A member of Sexpression:UK involved in lesson/workshop delivery.
Sexpression:UK is a student-led charity that provides Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) to various education centres across the UK. Our branches work predominantly in secondary schools but have been invited to work in other locations such as homeless hostels, women’s refuges, youth clubs, and community centres.
As an organisation centred around working with young people, understanding that we have a fundamental duty of care towards those young people, we must ensure that all of volunteers have no existing criminal record that may put those young people at risk. This is in line with our Child Protection Policy.
As an organisation using the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checking service and Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme to help assess the suitability of applicants for positions of trust, Sexpression:UK complies fully with the Code of Practice regarding the correct handling, use, storage, retention and disposal of certificates and certificate information. It also complies fully with its obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other relevant legislation pertaining to the safe handling, use, storage, retention and disposal of certificate information, and has a written policy on these matters, which is available to those who wish to see it on request.
Certificate information should be kept securely, in secure online databases, with access strictly controlled and limited to those who are entitled to see it as part of their duties. These people are namely the Branch Child Protection Officers of each branch, and the National Child Protection Director. Physical copies of certificate information are not sought after or stored. Sexpression:UK reserves the right to use the DBS Update Service to request a Status check, with the consent of the individual in question, while they are a volunteer for the organisation.
In accordance with section 124 of the Police Act 1997, certificate information is only passed to those who are authorised to receive it in the course of their duties. We maintain a record of all those to whom certificates or certificate information has been revealed and it is a criminal offence to pass this information to anyone who is not entitled to receive it.
Certificate information is only used for the specific purpose for which it was requested and for which the applicant’s full consent has been given.
Once a recruitment (or other relevant) decision has been made, we keep a record of certificate information* for at least the duration of the academic year to allow for the consideration and resolution of any disputes or complaints. It is in the interests of the charity to continue to store this information on our secure database in the event of child protection concerns being raised about a volunteer in later years, and generally to keep a record of Child Protection Policy compliance.