Privacy policy

Who we are

We Are The Shield is a community safety organisation registered in England. We operate the Shield Hub member platform on the web and as a mobile app. We are the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. You can contact us at privacy@newbeginningsnetwork.co.uk.

Who this policy covers

Shield Hub is a members-only platform. It is used by applicants, members, volunteers, coordinators, managers and safeguarding staff. This policy covers everyone who signs in on the web or through the Shield Hub app.

What we collect

• Account and identity: name, preferred name, email address, phone number, profile photo, region, area and team.
• Membership record: membership type, role, status, start date, emergency contact and availability.
• Training and compliance: course progress, assessment scores, certificates, renewal dates and vetting status such as DBS expiry dates (we do not store DBS certificate contents).
• Operational activity: patrol assignments, attendance, patrol reports, incident reports, photographs you upload and form responses.
• Community and messaging: posts, comments, reactions, private messages and any images or files you attach.
• Safeguarding records: concerns raised, case notes and outcomes. These may include information about third parties, including children and adults at risk, and are treated as special category data.
• Moderation records: content you report, members you block, and the outcome of any review.
• Device and technical data: sign-in events, audit records of actions taken in the platform, and — in the app — a device token so we can send you alerts, plus camera access only when you choose to take a photo.

We do not sell personal data, we do not use it for advertising, and we do not run third-party advertising trackers in Shield Hub.

Why we use it, and our lawful basis

• To run your membership — contract and legitimate interests: account access, placement, communications and record keeping.
• To keep people safe on patrol — legitimate interests and, where relevant, legal obligation: patrol planning, attendance, incident recording and insurance.
• To meet safeguarding duties — legal obligation and substantial public interest (safeguarding of children and individuals at risk under UK GDPR Article 9(2)(b) and (g), and Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018).
• To evidence training and standards — legitimate interests and legal obligation.
• To keep the platform safe — legitimate interests: moderation, reporting, blocking, audit trails and fraud prevention.
• Push alerts on your phone — consent, which you give when you allow notifications and can withdraw in your device settings.

Who can see your data

Shield Hub uses strict permission tiers. Members see the community and their own records. Coordinators and managers see the members and patrols in their region, area or team. Safeguarding content is restricted to trained safeguarding staff. Private messages are visible only to the participants, and to a manager if a message is reported. Every access-controlled action is recorded in an audit trail.

We share data outside the organisation only where necessary: with our hosting and database provider, our email and push notification providers, and our payment provider for subscriptions. We also share information with the police, local authority safeguarding teams, or other statutory bodies where there is a safeguarding or legal duty to do so.

Where data is stored

Data is stored on secure cloud infrastructure with encryption in transit and at rest. Where a provider processes data outside the UK or EEA, we rely on approved transfer safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Addendum.

How long we keep it

• Membership and training records: for the duration of membership and six years after it ends.
• Patrol and incident records: six years from the date of the record.
• Safeguarding records: retained in line with statutory safeguarding guidance, which may be significantly longer.
• Community posts and messages: until deleted by the author or a moderator, or when your account is closed.
• Moderation reports: two years after the review is closed.

Your rights

You have the right to access your data, correct it, ask for erasure, restrict or object to processing, receive a copy in a portable format, and withdraw consent where consent is the basis. Some rights are limited where we must keep safeguarding or legal records. You can edit much of your own profile in Shield Hub at any time, and you can request account closure or a copy of your data by emailing us.

If you are unhappy with how we handle your data you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

Children

Shield Hub accounts are for people aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly create accounts for under-18s. Information about children may appear inside safeguarding records, which are restricted to trained safeguarding staff.

Reporting, blocking and moderation

Every post, comment, message and member profile can be reported from inside Shield Hub, and any member can block another member so they no longer see their posts or comments. Reports are reviewed by a manager or safeguarding officer within 24 hours, and content can be hidden, removed or escalated. Our code of conduct sets out what is and is not acceptable.

Changes to this policy

If we make a material change we will tell members in the platform and update the date at the top of this page.