A phone call from the referrer
A job centre work coach rings to ask how a participant is getting on. The adviser knows the participant well and is keen to help, but is not sure whether the participant agreed to progress being shared with the job centre. The consent form is in a filing cabinet in the other office. She says she will call back.
Later that week the funder asks for case studies with names and photos. A local employer offering placements asks for details of three trainees. The council's contract return needs participant-level data. Each time, someone has to check paper forms, some of which are older versions that did not include the funder or the employer at all.
Why consent is hard to keep track of
Social enterprises sit between participants and many other organisations, and data flows in several directions. Consent was usually collected once, on a form designed for one programme.
- Consent forms differ between programmes and have changed over the years.
- Participants agree to some purposes and not others, such as sharing progress with a referrer but not photos with a funder.
- Consent is on paper, so staff cannot check it at the moment they need to.
- Participants change their minds, and the change is noted on the file but not everywhere the data is used.
- Exports for funders, councils and partners are made from spreadsheets that do not know who agreed to what.
Which lawful basis applies to which sharing, and what your consent forms should say, is for your data protection lead and advisers. We do not give legal advice. We make the choices participants have made visible and applied.
What unclear consent costs
Trust is the main cost. Participants often come to a social enterprise after bad experiences with services. Sharing something they did not agree to can undo months of work.
There is also the organisation's exposure under data protection law, and the time spent checking paper forms before every request. Staff who are unsure tend to refuse, which frustrates partners, or to share anyway, which is worse.
Consent recorded by purpose and checked on use
What we build ties consent to each participant and each purpose, and puts it where it is used.
- Your consent form is set up as a set of purposes, such as sharing progress with the referrer, sharing outcomes with a funder, using photos or stories publicly, and passing details to a placement employer.
- At enrolment, the participant's choices are recorded against each purpose on a tablet, with a signature or recorded verbal agreement as your policy allows, and a copy the participant can keep.
- Existing paper forms are recorded into the same structure, with the form version noted, so older consents are clear about what they did and did not cover.
- The participant's record shows their current choices at a glance, so an adviser taking a call can check in seconds.
- Exports and reports for funders, councils and partners filter participants by the consent that purpose requires, and can remove identifying details where consent was not given.
- Changes of mind are recorded with the date, and take effect everywhere from then on. Consent due for review can be flagged.
| Purpose | Where consent is checked |
|---|---|
| Progress updates to referrer | Participant record, before a call or email |
| Funder case studies and photos | Case study request list |
| Participant-level contract returns | Export filter |
| Details to a placement employer | Placement referral form |
| Follow-up contact after leaving | Follow-up call list |
That phone call, next time
The work coach rings. The adviser opens the participant's record and sees consent to share progress with the referrer, given at enrolment. She answers the question. When the funder asks for case studies, the communications lead gets a list of participants who agreed to be featured, and asks them again in person, as your policy says.
When a participant decides she no longer wants photos used, the adviser records it, and she drops out of the photo list the same day.
Could this be your consent records?
- Consent is on paper forms in filing cabinets.
- Staff cannot check consent while on the phone.
- Forms have changed over the years and older ones do not cover current uses.
- Exports for funders are not filtered by consent.
- Changes of mind are not reflected everywhere.