Data Privacy & Security
Ensures robust protection of stakeholder data and compliance with regulations.
Standard
The center implements and maintains robust policies, procedures, and technical/physical measures to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of stakeholder data (trainee, staff, client), complying with relevant national and international data protection regulations.
Rationale
Protecting sensitive data is critical for maintaining trust, ensuring legal compliance, mitigating risks, and safeguarding the privacy and rights of individuals.
Evidence/Indicators
- Documented Data Privacy Policy, communicated to stakeholders.
- Documented Information Security Policy and procedures.
- Evidence of compliance with relevant regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, local laws – self-assessment or audit reports).
- Staff training records on data privacy and security responsibilities.
- Technical security measures documentation (e.g., encryption, firewalls, access controls, two-factor authentication).
- Physical security measures for data/servers.
- Data backup and disaster recovery plan and testing results.
- Incident response plan for data breaches.
- Checklist items confirmation: Compliance confirmed with relevant laws? Robust security infrastructure (encryption, 2FA, pen testing, backups)? Clear data governance policies? Role-based access control & audit trails? Regular security training & updates?
Metrics
- % of staff completing mandatory data privacy/security training annually.
- Frequency of security audits (internal/external).
- Number of documented data security incidents/breaches (target should be zero).
- Time to recovery (RTO) / Recovery Point Objective (RPO) met during disaster recovery tests.
- Compliance score against internal security checklists/external standards.
Performance Levels
- Non-Compliant: Lacks clear policies or adequate security measures; fails to comply with relevant regulations; high risk of data breach.
- Developing: Basic policies exist, but implementation, staff awareness, or technical/physical measures are weak; compliance may be partial or undocumented.
- Meets Standard: Implements documented privacy and security policies and appropriate technical/physical measures; generally complies with relevant regulations; staff receive basic training.
- Exceeds Standard: Maintains comprehensive, regularly updated privacy and security policies, state-of-the-art safeguards (technical & physical), conducts regular audits & penetration testing, provides ongoing staff training, demonstrably exceeds baseline compliance requirements, and fosters a strong security culture.
