Volunteers and Work Experience Privacy Notice

Service being provided

Facilitation and administration of volunteering and work‑experience opportunities within Worcester City Council and affiliated volunteering programmes and projects (for example, Trees for Cities). This includes placement coordination, safeguarding, and ongoing support.

Categories of personal data we collect

• Name
• Address
• Contact details
• Date of birth
• Financial information for processing expenses payments (where required)
• Emergency contact details
• Identification documents (such as passport or driving licence, where required)
• National Insurance number (where required)
• Parental consent (where required)

Special Category or Criminal Offence data we collect

• Equality monitoring (where necessary)
• Disability or medical information (where necessary to support reasonable adjustments, health and safety, or welfare)
• Criminal offence data (where roles require suitability checks, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks)

Criminal offence data is processed in accordance with Article 10 UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, with appropriate safeguards in place.

Consequences of failing to provide personal data

If required personal data is not provided, we may be unable to offer or continue a volunteering or work‑experience placement, particularly where safeguarding, health and safety, or insurance requirements apply.

Data Controller and Processors

The Data Controller is Worcester City Council. 

The Data Protection Officer for Worcester City Council can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Malvern Hills District Council is a Data Processor when processing payments.

Purpose of Processing

• Coordinate volunteering and work‑experience opportunities
• Carry out safeguarding and suitability checks where required 
• Meet health and safety obligations 
• Ensure accessibility and reasonable adjustments
• Liaise with placement partners, schools, or educational institutions
• Manage participation and provide appropriate support
• Process and verify volunteer expenses, including audit and financial control.

Lawful basis for processing personal data

• Article 6(1)(e) UK GDPR – Public task, where processing is necessary to deliver community engagement, volunteering, and educational functions; and 
• Article 6(1)(c) UK GDPR – Legal obligation, where required for safeguarding, health and safety, or regulatory duties.

Lawful basis for processing special and criminal offence category data

• Article 9(2)(b) UK GDPR – employment and social‑protection‑style processing (applied appropriately to volunteers), and/or
• Article 9(2)(g) UK GDPR, supported by Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018 (safeguarding and protection of individuals); and
• Article 10 UK GDPR for criminal offence data.

Source of data

• The individual 
• Parents or guardians (where the individual is under 18) 
• Schools, colleges, or universities 
• Voluntary‑sector partners or project organisations

Who we share the information with

Personal data may be shared where necessary and lawful, including with:

• project partners supporting volunteering placements
• schools or educational institutions (for work experience)
• safeguarding partners or DBS service providers
• Malvern Hills District Council (for processing expenses payments for volunteers)

Information is shared only where required to support placement delivery, safeguarding, or legal duties.

Details of data transfers outside the UK and safeguards in place

We do not routinely transfer data outside of the UK. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or approved contractual clauses.

Automated decision-making

We do not carry out automated decision-making or profiling in relation to this processing.

How long we hold your information

The information outlined in this privacy notice will be kept for a minimum of 6 years in accordance with our retention schedule taking into account safeguarding and audit requirements. All information will be held securely and destroyed under confidential conditions.

Your rights

You have rights under UK GDPR, including the right to:

• access your personal information
• ask us to correct incorrect or incomplete information
• ask for your information to be deleted (in certain circumstances)
• restrict how your information is used
• object to certain uses of your information
• request your information in a commonly used format (data portability)
• understand and challenge automated decisions and profiling.

Some rights may be limited where processing is required for safeguarding or legal obligations.

Individual’s right to withdraw consent at any time

Where your personal information is processed on the basis of consent (e.g. audio or video recordings), you have the right to withdraw this consent at any time.

Complaints and further information

If you have questions or concerns about how your information is used, please contact the Data Protection Officer:

Email:        This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
Phone:      01905 722233

Postal address:  

Data Protection Officer
Worcester City Council
The Guildhall
High Street
Worcester
WR1 2EY

If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Website:   https://www.ico.org.uk 

Phone:      0303 123 1113

Postal address:   

Information Commissioner's Office,
Wycliffe House,
Water Lane,
Wilmslow,
Cheshire,
SK9 5AF

Changes to this notice

We may update this privacy notice from time to time. The latest version will always be available on our website.