GDPR Support for Schools and Multi Academy Trusts

DSARs are often complex, consisting of many hundreds of pages of documents – this can be a real drain on resources. Failure to deliver these on time can easily lead to complaints to the ICO.

Our specialist team members, who have experience completing DSARs for both students and staff members, will ensure that DSARs are processed swiftly, accurately, and in full compliance with GDPR. We have systems and processes that make even the biggest and most complex DSARs manageable in the lawful timescales.

In addition to this, we are able to assist and provide guidance for other rights requests, such as FOI (Freedom of Information) and data deletion requests.

Outsource your rights requests to PRIVACY HELPER, and you’ll be amazed how swiftly they are completed by our experts, leaving you free to focus on your daily operations.

As a public authority, all schools and multi-academy trusts are required, by law, to appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO).

The DPO plays a important role in helping the School or Multi Academy Trust ensure you comply with the GDPR, and having someone in that role that only has basic knowledge presents a huge risk.

Outsourcing your Data Protection Officer needs to PRIVACY HELPER (even in a supporting role) enables your Multi-Academy Trust to benefit from expert, sector specific guidance without the expense of appointing someone full-time with the same level of expertise we can offer.

What if you already have an appointed DPO?

In cases where you already have an appointed DPO, PRIVACY HELPER can provide the required support, guidance and training to ensure that they are carrying out their responsibilities in the best way possible.

By partnering with us, you gain access to trusted data protection professionals who seamlessly integrate with your trust, giving you peace of mind and the confidence that your data protection practices are in safe hands.

To learn more about how PRIVACY HELPER can benefit your business, take a look at our Outsourced DPO and DPO Support pages.

Staff training is critical to reducing the risk of data breaches, which are most often caused by human error. The ICO have frequently emphasised the importance of regular staff training.

PRIVACY HELPER offer bespoke face-to-face training for staff, run by our internal team, for yours. Our experts are well versed in a wide range of areas, meaning we can provide the best training courses for your business.

If bespoke training is not suitable, then the PRIVACY HELPER Training Platform offers video training courses your staff can watch, with built in progress tracking and reporting tools.

Our training platform has over 60 courses, each designed in a way to make the content as easy to follow as possible, meaning the information in there will stick. These courses don’t just cover GDPR and data protection matters, but a whole range of topics, such as workplace health and safety, and identifying malware and viruses.

Click here to learn more about the products we have on offer and the benefits they can have for your whole business.

A PRIVACY HELPER Gap Analysis is a detailed comparison between your current data protection practices and requirements as stipulated by the GDPR and enforced by the Information Commissioner’s Office (the ICO).

A Gap Analysis measures levels of Compliance as well as risk associated with complaints, investigations and even substantial fines.

A Gap Analysis takes into account your people, your processes and your technology, identifying areas of non-compliance which once addressed, reduce or even eliminate GDPR-related Risk.

During a Gap Analysis, PRIVACY HELPER will:

• Conduct a detailed review of your existing data protection framework

• Compare the findings with the requirements of the GDPR and the expectations of the Information Commissioner’s Office (the ICO).

• Produce a comprehensive compliance and risk-based report that highlights areas of concern.

• Agree an Action Plan – the steps you can take to achieve Compliance and reduce Risk.

A PRIVACY HELPER Gap Analysis Report will show how your organisation complies (or should comply) with all elements of data protection ranging from the GDPR’s Principles to how individuals’ rights are supported to how staff are trained and how awareness of responsibilities is maintained.

If you engage with us for remediation or ongoing guidance, will devise a complete compliance plan with tasks and milestones for each project – this will be created in line with the required tasks and your budget.

Take a look at our Gap Analysis page to learn more about how this process is undertaken and the key benefits of having one completed by PRIVACY HELPER.

Weather it be sending an email to the wrong person, or an unauthorised individual gaining access to your company systems, all businesses, at some point, will suffer a data breach. The nature and severity of this will depend upon the type of personal data the business processes, but also how well prepared you are to act upon breaches.

GDPR requires you, by law, to investigate and act on a breach within 72 hours of it being discovered. This includes weekends and overnight. PRIVACY HELPER can assist with this process, including assessing if a breach is reportable to the ICO. We can also provide guidance on what remediation steps need to be taken to reduce the likelihood of a repeat incident.

In addition to this, under GDPR, your business is required to establish a process for handling data breaches, often known as an Incident & Breach Management Procedure. If you don’t have one, this should be an urgent task for completion and is something our specialist consultants can provide guidance on and draft for you. This will outline, in detail, your process for reacting to a data breach incident, which should be followed step-by-step. Under the accountability principle of the GDPR, If the ICO get involved with a breach as part of an investigation, this will be one of the first documents they will ask to see. If you’re not able to produce this, you’re going to be in for a very difficult conversation.

To learn more about what is considered a data breach, and how PRIVACY HELPER can assist with the investigation and reporting process, take a look at our Data Breach page.