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Privacy Policy

Dignity Alliance respects your privacy and aims to use as little personal information as reasonably necessary.

This Privacy Policy explains how personal information may be handled when you visit our website, contact Dignity Alliance, request community support, volunteer with us, participate in a community project, donate or offer practical support, work with us as a community partner, share a local improvement idea or otherwise communicate with Dignity Alliance.

Our approach is simple:

We do not aim to build unnecessary permanent case files or archives of personal documents.

We aim to collect and use only the information reasonably necessary for a specific purpose and to retain it only for as long as it is reasonably required.

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1. About Dignity Alliance

Dignity Alliance is an independent, volunteer-led, non-profit unincorporated association based in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom.

We are a community-led group providing free practical support to people facing hardship, homelessness, housing difficulties, problems involving public services, anti-social behaviour and other challenging situations.

Our work is built around four main areas:

• Practical Help & Crisis Support.

• Housing, Advice & Advocacy.

• Community Voice & Collective Support.

• Community Projects & Local Improvement.

Our activities may include practical assistance, communication support, general information, signposting, helping people organise difficult situations, working with charities and community organisations, coordinating appropriate donations or practical support, and supporting positive local initiatives.

For the purposes of applicable UK data protection law, Dignity Alliance is responsible for personal information that it determines how and why to collect and use in connection with its activities.

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2. Our Approach to Personal Information

Dignity Alliance follows a data-minimisation approach.

We do not want people to provide more personal information than is reasonably necessary.

We do not aim to maintain unnecessary permanent case files about people who contact us for support.

We do not intentionally collect personal documents for future or unrelated use.

Where information is provided for a particular purpose, we aim to use it only for that purpose or another compatible and lawful purpose.

We aim to delete, anonymise or securely dispose of information when it is no longer reasonably required, subject to any legal, safeguarding, administrative, financial or accountability reason for retaining limited information.

Personal information should be adequate, relevant and limited to what is reasonably necessary for the purpose concerned.

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3. The Type of Support We Provide

Dignity Alliance provides different forms of practical community support.

This may include support for people experiencing:

• hardship;

• homelessness or housing insecurity;

• housing problems;

• Homefinder or housing-allocation difficulties;

• anti-social behaviour;

• accessibility or disability-related barriers;

• difficulties involving councils or public services;

• complaints or unresolved communication;

• discrimination or fair-treatment concerns;

• difficulty accessing appropriate services; or

• other challenging situations where practical support may be appropriate.

Our involvement may also include helping people identify immediate needs, access essential support, organise information, understand correspondence, prepare communications or connect with another organisation.

We are not a general form-filling, secretarial or routine administrative service.

We do not normally complete standard applications from the beginning where no particular support need or problem has arisen.

Limiting our involvement to information that is genuinely relevant also helps us minimise the amount of personal information we receive and process.

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4. Practical Help & Crisis Support

Where someone contacts Dignity Alliance because they are experiencing hardship, homelessness or another difficult situation, we may receive information necessary to understand what practical support may be appropriate.

This could include:

• name and contact details;

• general location;

• information about current living circumstances;

• information about immediate practical needs;

• details of services or organisations already contacted;

• information relevant to homelessness or housing insecurity;

• details of essential items or support being requested; or

• other information reasonably necessary to understand the situation.

We do not need or want unnecessary personal information simply because someone is experiencing hardship.

Where practical help can be provided without collecting detailed personal information, we will aim to do so.

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5. Community Projects & Local Improvement

Dignity Alliance also supports community projects and local improvement initiatives.

If you contact us about a community idea or participate in a project, we may receive information such as:

• your name and contact details;

• your general location or neighbourhood;

• details of your suggestion or proposed project;

• information about a local area or public space;

• photographs you voluntarily provide;

• your views or responses to surveys or consultations;

• information about your availability to volunteer;

• details of skills, services or materials you may wish to contribute; or

• other information reasonably necessary to organise or consider the initiative.

We aim not to collect personal information where anonymous or non-identifying information is sufficient.

Participation in a community activity does not automatically require a person to provide more personal information than is reasonably necessary.

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6. Businesses, Sponsors, Donors and Community Partners

Where a business, organisation or individual contacts Dignity Alliance about sponsorship, partnership, donations, donated materials, professional services or other support, we may process information including:

• name;

• business or organisation name;

• role or position;

• email address;

• telephone number;

• details of the proposed contribution;

• correspondence about the donation, project or partnership; and

• information reasonably necessary to administer the relationship.

Where goods or practical support are donated for a particular appeal or purpose, we may also keep limited records reasonably necessary to record receipt and distribution.

We do not sell personal contact information to sponsors, partners or other organisations.

Providing support to Dignity Alliance does not automatically give a sponsor, donor or partner access to personal information about people who contact us for support.

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7. Information We May Receive

Depending on how you contact or interact with us, we may receive information such as:

• your name;

• email address;

• telephone number;

• general location or postcode;

• information entered into a website form;

• information contained in emails or messages;

• information about a situation you are experiencing;

• names of organisations you have already contacted;

• relevant reference numbers;

• information provided when volunteering;

• information provided when participating in community projects, surveys or consultations;

• information provided when offering sponsorship, donations, services or partnership support; and

• other information you voluntarily choose to provide.

We aim to request only information reasonably necessary for the purpose concerned.

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8. Information When You Request Support

If you contact Dignity Alliance for support, you may need to explain what has happened so that we can understand your situation.

Depending on the circumstances, this may involve information relating to:

• homelessness or hardship;

• housing;

• Homefinder or housing applications;

• anti-social behaviour;

• complaints;

• council or public services;

• disability or accessibility;

• discrimination;

• health circumstances relevant to the situation;

• household circumstances;

• correspondence with organisations;

• practical support needs; or

• other relevant personal circumstances.

Some of this information may be sensitive or treated as special category personal data.

Dignity Alliance aims to process only information genuinely relevant to the support requested.

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9. Documents

We do not encourage people to send large amounts of personal documentation.

Please do not send documents unless they are genuinely relevant to the situation you want us to understand.

In particular, please avoid sending unnecessary:

• passports;

• driving licences;

• bank statements;

• complete medical records;

• benefit records;

• identification documents;

• passwords;

• login details;

• financial account details; or

• personal information about unrelated third parties.

Sometimes limited identity, medical, housing or other documentation may be genuinely relevant to a particular support request.

Where this is the case, please provide only what is reasonably necessary.

Where a document is reviewed to help understand a specific issue, Dignity Alliance does not aim to retain a copy longer than reasonably necessary.

Individuals should normally retain their own original documents.

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10. How We Receive Information

Personal information may be provided when you:

• complete a form on our website;

• contact us by email;

• contact us by telephone or messaging service;

• communicate with us through social media;

• request practical support;

• volunteer or express an interest in volunteering;

• participate in a survey, consultation or community activity;

• submit a local project or improvement idea;

• offer sponsorship, funding, materials, services or other support;

• donate goods or practical assistance;

• communicate with an authorised Dignity Alliance volunteer; or

• otherwise provide information directly to us.

Our website and hosting providers may also process technical information relating to your device, browser, cookies and use of the website.

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11. How We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information to:

• respond to enquiries;

• understand a request for support;

• provide practical community support;

• identify immediate or practical needs;

• coordinate donated goods or other support where appropriate;

• help organise concerns or information;

• assist with preparation of correspondence or complaints;

• identify possible next steps;

• provide signposting;

• communicate with relevant organisations where appropriately authorised;

• administer volunteering;

• organise community projects and activities;

• consider local improvement suggestions;

• conduct surveys or consultations;

• communicate with project participants;

• communicate with businesses, sponsors, donors and partners;

• administer donations or support for specific activities;

• respond to complaints about Dignity Alliance;

• protect safety and prevent misuse;

• comply with applicable legal obligations; and

• improve our website and community activities.

We do not use information provided for a support request for unrelated commercial marketing purposes.

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12. Lawful Basis

Dignity Alliance will identify an appropriate lawful basis before processing personal information.

Depending on the particular activity, this may include:

• consent, where you have freely agreed to a specific use of your information;

• legitimate interests, where processing is reasonably necessary for the legitimate activities of Dignity Alliance and those interests are not overridden by your rights;

• legal obligation, where processing is necessary to meet an applicable legal requirement;

• vital interests, in exceptional situations involving protection of life; or

• another lawful basis where applicable.

The lawful basis may differ depending on why the information is being processed.

Where we process special category personal data, an additional lawful condition may also be required.

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13. Special Category Information

Some people contacting Dignity Alliance may voluntarily provide information concerning:

• health;

• disability;

• racial or ethnic origin;

• religion;

• political opinions;

• sexual orientation; or

• other information treated as special category personal data under UK data protection law.

We do not ask for such information unless it is genuinely relevant to the purpose concerned.

If it is not needed, please do not provide it.

Special category information requires additional care and protection.

We aim to limit its collection, access, use and retention to what is reasonably necessary.

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14. Criminal Allegations and Offence-Related Information

Some anti-social behaviour, harassment, safeguarding or community safety situations may involve information concerning alleged or actual criminal behaviour.

Please only provide this information where it is genuinely relevant to the support requested.

Dignity Alliance does not investigate criminal offences or maintain criminal intelligence databases.

Where criminal offence information is processed, additional legal requirements may apply.

We will aim to limit any processing to what is reasonably necessary for the particular purpose.

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15. Sharing Personal Information

Dignity Alliance does not sell personal information.

We do not routinely share identifiable personal information with other organisations.

Where signposting is appropriate, we will normally provide you with details of another organisation so that you can contact them yourself.

If you specifically ask Dignity Alliance to communicate identifiable information to another organisation on your behalf, we may do so where appropriate, lawful and suitably authorised.

Where a Letter of Authority, consent or another form of permission is required, we may ask for this before communicating personal information on your behalf.

We aim to share only the minimum information reasonably necessary.

Information may also be disclosed where required or permitted by law, or where a serious safeguarding or safety concern makes disclosure necessary and appropriate.

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16. Community Voice and Anonymous Information

Dignity Alliance may use general themes and anonymised information to identify recurring community issues.

For example, we may state that several residents have reported similar difficulties with a particular type of service or local issue.

We will not intentionally publish your name, identifiable personal story, private correspondence, photographs or other identifying information without appropriate permission or another lawful basis.

Where possible, information used for community reports, surveys, consultations or awareness activities will be anonymised.

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17. Photographs, Videos and Publicity

Dignity Alliance activities, community projects, donation handovers or events may sometimes involve photographs or video.

We will aim to make it clear where photography or recording is taking place.

We will not deliberately use identifiable images of individuals for promotional or publicity purposes without an appropriate lawful basis and, where appropriate, permission.

A person declining to appear in publicity should not normally lose access to support simply because they do not wish to be photographed.

Where appropriate, images may be anonymised, blurred, cropped or otherwise edited to protect someone's identity.

Additional care should be taken where children or vulnerable individuals may appear in photographs or videos.

Participation in a community activity should not automatically require agreement to promotional photography unless this is genuinely necessary for the activity.

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18. Information About People Experiencing Homelessness or Crisis

People experiencing homelessness, hardship or crisis may be particularly vulnerable to unnecessary exposure of personal information.

Dignity Alliance aims to take additional care when handling or publishing information about people receiving practical support.

We will aim not to publicly disclose information such as:

• precise sleeping locations;

• unnecessary details about identity documents;

• private financial circumstances;

• medical information;

• private contact details;

• information that could create an unnecessary safety risk; or

• other identifying information that is not needed for the public purpose concerned.

Where we share information about our community work publicly, we will aim to use anonymised, limited or appropriately authorised information wherever possible.

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19. CCTV and Surveillance Projects

Dignity Alliance may support discussions or proposals relating to lawful community safety measures, including CCTV.

This does not mean that Dignity Alliance will automatically operate or control a CCTV system.

If Dignity Alliance ever becomes responsible for operating surveillance equipment or determining how surveillance information is used, the relevant data protection, transparency, security and governance requirements would need to be assessed separately before operation.

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20. Serious Risk and Safeguarding

There may be exceptional situations where information cannot remain confidential.

This may include circumstances where:

• someone appears to be at immediate or serious risk of harm;

• a child or vulnerable person may be at serious risk;

• disclosure is required by law; or

• information is lawfully required by an appropriate authority.

Any disclosure should be limited to what is reasonably necessary in the circumstances.

Dignity Alliance is not an emergency or statutory safeguarding service.

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21. Children

Dignity Alliance does not aim to collect unnecessary personal information directly from children.

Where a support matter concerns a child, information should normally be provided by a parent, guardian or responsible adult unless there is an appropriate reason for another arrangement.

Community projects may include activities that benefit or involve children.

Where children participate in an activity, appropriate safeguarding, supervision, privacy and consent arrangements should be considered according to the nature of the project.

We aim to process only the minimum information reasonably necessary about children.

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22. Website and Cookies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies required for:

• website operation;

• security;

• functionality;

• analytics; and

• other website features.

Where legally required, visitors will be given appropriate choices before non-essential cookies are used.

Because our website is hosted using Wix, Wix and services connected to the website may process certain technical information.

Their own privacy terms may also apply.

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23. Email, Messaging and Social Media

If you contact Dignity Alliance through email, Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp or another third-party platform, that service provider may also process your information.

Those companies operate under their own privacy policies.

Please do not post sensitive personal information publicly on social media.

Where possible, use private communication channels for personal matters.

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24. Security

Dignity Alliance aims to take reasonable and proportionate steps to protect personal information against:

• unauthorised access;

• inappropriate disclosure;

• accidental loss;

• misuse;

• alteration; and

• destruction.

Access to personal information should be limited to people who reasonably need it for the specific purpose for which it was provided.

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25. How Long We Keep Information

Dignity Alliance does not aim to retain personal information longer than necessary.

Information connected with a support request should normally only be retained while reasonably needed for the relevant purpose.

Donation, project, volunteer, partnership, funding or administrative information may need to be retained for different periods depending on the nature of the activity and any legitimate legal, financial, safeguarding, accountability or operational requirement.

Once information is no longer reasonably required, we aim to delete, anonymise or securely dispose of it where appropriate.

We do not keep personal information indefinitely simply because it might become useful in the future.

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26. Website Forms

Information submitted through a Dignity Alliance website form should be limited to what is necessary for the enquiry.

Please do not upload or submit unnecessary sensitive documents.

Information submitted through the website may technically be processed or temporarily stored by our website hosting or service providers in order to deliver the information to us.

For this reason, we do not claim that information is never technically stored at any stage.

Our aim is to avoid retaining personal information ourselves once it is no longer reasonably required.

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27. Volunteers

Volunteers may only access personal information where it is reasonably necessary for an assigned and authorised role.

Volunteers are expected to treat personal information confidentially and responsibly.

Volunteers must not:

• access information unrelated to their assigned task;

• create private archives of residents' information;

• retain copies of documents for personal use;

• transfer personal information to unauthorised people;

• use personal information obtained through Dignity Alliance for unrelated purposes; or

• contact another person or organisation using personal information obtained through Dignity Alliance unless that contact is within their authorised role.

Where a volunteer is unsure whether they are authorised to access, use or share information, they must seek guidance before proceeding.

Additional volunteer privacy and confidentiality requirements may apply.

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28. Working With Other Organisations

Dignity Alliance may cooperate with charities, community groups, councils, housing providers, public bodies, businesses, volunteers, specialist services and other organisations.

Cooperation with another organisation does not automatically mean that personal information will be shared.

Where identifiable information needs to be shared, we will aim to ensure that there is an appropriate reason and lawful basis for doing so.

Where possible, individuals will be informed about or involved in decisions to share their personal information.

Independent organisations remain responsible for their own handling of personal information.

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29. Your Data Protection Rights

Depending on the circumstances, UK data protection law may give you rights including the right to:

• ask what personal information we hold about you;

• request correction of inaccurate information;

• request deletion in certain circumstances;

• request restriction of processing in certain circumstances;

• object to certain processing;

• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and

• raise concerns about how your information is used.

Not every right applies in every situation.

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30. Requesting Access, Correction or Deletion

If you want to know whether Dignity Alliance holds personal information about you, you can contact us using the details published on our website.

Where applicable, you may request access, correction, restriction or deletion.

We may need to take reasonable steps to verify your identity before disclosing personal information.

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31. Complaints About Personal Information

If you believe Dignity Alliance has handled your personal information incorrectly, please contact us so that we can consider the concern.

You may also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK's independent data protection regulator.

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32. External Websites and Services

Our website may contain links to councils, housing organisations, charities, government services, funders, businesses, social media platforms and other third-party websites.

Dignity Alliance is not responsible for how independent organisations collect or use personal information.

You should review their privacy information separately.

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33. Changes to This Privacy Policy

Dignity Alliance may update this Privacy Policy as our activities, practical support services, community projects, technology, organisational arrangements or legal requirements change.

The latest version will be published on our website.

We may also update this policy if the way we handle support requests, donations, volunteering, community activities or partnerships changes.

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34. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how Dignity Alliance handles personal information, please contact us through the details provided on our Contact page.

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Dignity Alliance
Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
Volunteer-led non-profit unincorporated association

Last updated: September 2026