General Guidance

The SPF Website - To find out what's where download the SPF Website Guide below for an overview of what's contained on this website and where, as well as an overview of the SPF.

The 'Admin Area' - Online Entry area of this website is for Club Main Contacts and Competition Secretaries only at this time. Please visit the Competitions Guidance page (click here) for full details and Illustrated Guidance Notes for help in completing your Club's entry online using this area. Please Contact Libby if you require any assistance.

The SPF have had a number of enquires from SPF Member Clubs trying to gain access to download PAGB Recorded Lectures for their Clubs.

Info for SPF Club Members and Clubs Gaining Access to the PAGB’s CES Website Including gaining PAGB Recorded Lecture Service

The PAGB’ Competition Entries System (CES); amongst other things allows all PAGB affiliated Clubs (including all SPF Clubs) access to the PAGB’s Recorded Lecture Service (More details about the PAGB RLS from PAGB e-news 264 extract below). Clubs may also use this access to enter PAGB Competitions such as the PAGB GB Cup and Trophy, or access their records for past events.

Following on from our previous guidance there has been a recent change to the way log-in access to the PAGB's CES Website works.

The enquiries the SPF have received recently from SPF Club Committee Members ask why they can’t gain access to this PAGB site even although they are a PAGB affiliated Club via their SPF membership and have SPF website access. To clarify, the SPF administers its own SPF website, and that is what every SPF Club is set up to access by the SPF, currently for entry to the SPF Admin area for competition entry (by Libby), this website log-in access is only for this SPF website.

NEW - Although all SPF Member Clubs are listed on the PAGB CES website by the SPF, it is up to Individuals to make their own registration on the PAGB Competition Entry System (CES) site to gain access for the access they require.

NEW - You can now register once and upgrade your registration to all of the following using the one log-in - 'Club Member', 'Speaker' (Judge or Lecturer) and as a 'Club' or 'Federation Officer'. This means you can create an Individual Log-In and then request or change the registration as your requirements for access to the site changes. You no longer require a different log-in for each different purpose. All registrations will require subsequent approval by the relevant Data Manager.

NEW - All Log-ins now require to be made using a personal email address this is to improve security and increase simplicity of use, the system now only accepts personal logins, so anonymous or shared accounts are no longer permitted e.g. secretary@ type email addresses cannot be used, and you should not give your log-in details to anyone else in your Club.

For full details please see the PDF available below for details as at Jan 2022

This section should be read in conjunction with the Data Protection downloads available below ('Data Protection and the SPF Guidance Document' contains all documents in one)

As there was new Data Protection legislation that came in to force in May 2018, the SPF had to put certain things in place to comply with the new legislation. And; following new documentation laid out by the PAGB in Feb 2018 (updated Apr 18), the SPF have put a Data Protection Policy in place and amended our Competition Rules for all events in line with the new requirements. 

This information is advisory and does not set out a policy for anyone to follow. It is intended only as guidelines for Clubs to construct their own policy. Whilst this information has been researched and we believe it to be accurate, the SPF and/or PAGB can accept no responsibility for any errors or incorrect statements and cannot be held liable for any consequent actions which may arise.

Clubs should particularly check the Guidance Summary given by the PAGB in their PAGB Advice Document;

Extract from PAGB Advice – The new legislation adds a requirement for all data controllers to demonstrate their compliance Federations/Clubs need to inform volunteers about the requirements for holding and using personal data. Federations/Clubs do not need explicit consent to collect personal data, but implied consent is only valid within a published policy. The data controllers of Inter-Club and similar events will need to ensure they have consent from individual photographers whose work is entered via a third party.

The main areas where some changes may be required by your Club, in addition to what you already do, are shown in the Summary List of Actions -

• Federations/Clubs will need to prepare and publish a data protection policy containing an adequate description of what personal data will be collected and for what purposes. – This is required so that implied consent is valid for competition secretaries entering member’s work in Inter-Club/SPF/PAGB events (SPF Draft Club Policy available to download above)
• Federations/Clubs will need to review and document their compliance with their own policy.
• Federations/Clubs will need to inform their volunteer officials about maintaining a separation between personal data from different data controllers, and between controlled and domestic use of personal data – i.e. that data can only be used for Club business (inc SPF Directory lists etc..)
• Organisers of inter-Club and similar events will need to review their entry conditions to ensure that any third party entrant confirms explicit consent for the organiser to hold personal data about the photographers entered to the event – e.g. To cover a Club Photographer’s work entered by a Competition Secretary into an Inter-Club/SPF/PAGB competition (and that the SPF may also re –enter into a PAGB/Celtic Challenge event)
• Federations/Clubs must not make their membership contact information available for electronic marketing. Clubs must refuse any request to cascade marketing material to members by electronic messages - For clarification and as an example of what’s allowed; the e-flash, e-news and e-salon contain details about SPF events etc; this is not classed as electronic marketing so you are free to disseminate it to your members, although you are wise to get permission to send any such information to their email address. Extract from PAGB Advice; Marketing material would not include information to members about events directly related to a Federations/Club’s activities.

SPF Additional Note - This Covid-19 Guidance is as supplied by the PAGB, but requires an amended statement by the SPF, for SPF Clubs, to update the supplied Covid Government links to those for the Scottish Government. Please note that the link for Community centres, village halls, and other multi-use community facilities in particular does not currently apply to Scotland.

The PAGB is aware that several Federations and Clubs are considering the possibility of resuming normal meetings and that some form of guidance has been requested.

This document is designed to provide basic information which is essentially that current Government Guidance MUST be followed.

The Covid-19 situation continues to evolve rapidly, and there are varying rules in different parts of the UK, including down to very localised levels when “spikes” of cases occur. Therefore, the PAGB is unable to issue detailed guidance which could rapidly become superseded and outdated.

Due to the current levels of risk posed by the COVID-19 virus, we are actively encouraging the use of video conferencing technology to carry out meetings and club events.

Any Federation or Club considering holding a face to face meeting should produce an adequate Risk Assessment to ensure the protection of their officers and members as well as those who might also use the premises in which the meeting will be held.

Risk Assessment Guidance

• Guidance on producing Risk Assessments is available from the following link: (click Here) **
• Prior to holding a meeting, the organiser must also check the specific Covid-19 precautions required by the venue where the meeting is to be held.

Government Guidance

• Government Guidance for Covid-19 is available from the following links:
• Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance and support **
• COVID-19: Guidance for the safe use of multi-purpose community facilities **

Insurance

The PAGB is also aware that several questions have been raised about Public Liability and Management Liability Insurance regarding Covid-19. Our brokers, Darwin Clayton, have been requested to liaise with our Insurers to produce information which will be circulated to Federations and Clubs shortly.

A PDF of this article is available to download below.

** SPF Additional Note - Please visit the following Scottish Goverment website for all relevant details for Scotland (click here) 

As there is not yet one area that covers everything, we have highlighted the following areas of this website to get you started but this is ever changing (NB – some updated 21st Aug some not valid until 14th Sept)

• Phase 3 Staying Safe and Protecting Others (click here)
• Guidance on Sport and Leisure Facilities (click here) 
• Covid Risk Assessment Guidance (click here)