| Record | Retention period | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Recruitment & volunteer records | ||
| Volunteer application form | End of involvement + 6 years | |
| Self-disclosure declaration | End of involvement + 6 years | |
| References received | End of involvement + 6 years | |
| ID verification record (the log, not the documents) | End of involvement + 6 years | |
| Copies of ID documents | Do not retain | Verification is logged; documents not kept |
| DBS | ||
| DBS log entry (number, date, level — metadata only) | End of involvement + 6 years | DBS Code of Practice |
| DBS certificate (if physically received) | Maximum 6 months | Then destroy; in most cases never retained |
| Risk assessment for positive disclosure | End of involvement + 6 years (longer if concern arose) | Restricted access |
| Update Service status check log | End of involvement + 6 years | |
| Conduct & training | ||
| Signed Code of Conduct | Current + prior 2 years | Re-signed annually |
| Training record | End of involvement + 6 years | |
| Induction record | End of involvement + 6 years | |
| Participant consent & event records | ||
| Event-specific parental consent | End of event + 3 years | Longer if incident |
| Standing parental consent | Validity period + 3 years after expiry | |
| Media consent | Whilst media in use + 3 years after withdrawal/removal | |
| Attendance registers / sign-in-out (in-person & online) | 3 years | |
| Visitor log | 3 years | |
| Headcount log (residentials) | 3 years | |
| Volunteer attendance register (per event) | 3 years | |
| Online session saved chat | 1 year | Longer if concern raised in chat |
| Online session recordings | 30 days from session | Longer only with documented purpose + consent |
| Risk assessments (programme or event) | 3 years | Longer if incident |
| Pre-event documentation (briefing pack, ratios calc, contingency plan) | 3 years | |
| Sleeping plan / room allocation (residentials) | 3 years | Longer if incident |
| Night supervision rota (residentials) | 3 years | Longer if incident |
| Day debrief notes (residentials) | 3 years | Longer if incident |
| Medication administration log (named) | End of event + 7 years | Longer if incident |
| Aggregated medical/dietary list (working copy) | Destroy at event end | Named records to incident file only if needed |
| Post-event summary report | 6 years | |
| Volunteer debrief notes | 3 years | |
| ID document copies (any kind) | Do not retain | Verification logged numerically only |
| Passport details (international trips — numbers/expiry) | End of trip + 3 years | Documents themselves not retained |
| Incidents & concerns | ||
| Incident report (no allegation) | 6 years from incident | |
| Low-level concerns log | Until volunteer leaves + 6 years | Patterns matter |
| Safeguarding allegation / investigation | Until subject reaches age 100 | IICSA expectation |
| Records relating to a concern about a child | Until child reaches 25 (minimum) | Often longer |
| Volunteers removed for safeguarding reasons | Until subject reaches 100 | Restricted access |
| Governance | ||
| Trustee minutes referencing safeguarding | Permanent | |
| Annual safeguarding report to trustees | Permanent | |
| Policy versions (this handbook, procedures) | Permanent | |
| ROPA, DPIA, breach register | Permanent | |
| Privacy notices (each version) | Permanent |
Section 14
Retention Schedule
How long each type of record is retained before destruction.