Bowline Compliance

Self HelpComing soon

The documents, written for your business

Self Help is coming soon. Answer questions about how your business works to prepare twelve documents for you to review, approve and use.

£20 + VAT per month. An initial 12-month commitment, then rolling monthly at the same price.

Take the Health CheckArrange an initial conversation

Privacy Notice

Staff Privacy Notice

Internal Data Protection Policy

Information Security Policy

Core business documentsCovering essential cyber security and data protection needs

What you get

Your twelve documents

One pack for straightforward UK businesses, covering everyday cyber security and data protection responsibilities.

  • Notice

    Privacy Notice

    What you do with customer and enquirer data, in language a member of the public can read.

  • Notice

    Staff Privacy Notice

    The same for the people who work for you, including recruitment and payroll.

  • Policy

    Internal Data Protection Policy

    How the organisation handles personal data, and who is accountable for it.

  • Policy

    Information Security Policy

    The security rules that apply to your systems, devices and accounts.

  • Policy

    Acceptable Use Policy

    What staff may and may not do with company systems, email and devices.

  • Record

    Record of Processing Activities

    The register of what data you hold, why, where it lives and how long you keep it.

  • Record

    Data Retention Policy & Schedule

    How long each type of record is kept, with the reason behind each period.

  • Record

    Supplier / Sub-Processor Register

    Who else touches your data, what they do with it, and what you agreed.

  • Procedure

    Subject Access Request Procedure

    The steps to follow when someone asks for the data you hold on them.

  • Procedure

    Data Breach Response Procedure

    What happens in the first 72 hours, and who decides whether to notify the ICO.

  • Notice

    Cookie Policy

    The website technologies you use, their purposes and the choices visitors have.

  • Procedure

    Data Protection Complaints Procedure

    How to acknowledge, investigate and respond when someone raises a concern about their information.

See the documents before you buy. Your answers supply the owners, working arrangements and review dates. You remain responsible for checking the facts and putting the documents into practice.

Blank template vs tailored document

From your answers to a completed document

The example below shows how your answers replace generic placeholders with instructions your team can follow.

Illustration showing guided questions at a laptop moving through document selection to a tailored pack that is reviewed and filed.
Guided answers narrow a broad set of questions into a focused document pack, ready to review and adopt.

Generic template

Downloaded templateUnowned

Data protection policy

Organisation
[INSERT COMPANY NAME]
Owner
[INSERT ROLE]
Effective
[DATE]
Systems
[LIST SYSTEMS]

The Company shall implement appropriate technical and organisational measures as required by applicable law.

Illustrative example: fictional organisation and findings.

A Self Help document

Data protection policyBowline

Data protection policy

Organisation
34 staff, two sites
Owner
Operations Lead
Effective
Set at issue, review in 12 months
Systems
The tools you told us you use

The named owner reviews access at the agreed interval and records removals in the access register. Any facts needing confirmation are clearly marked for approval.

Illustrative example: fictional organisation and findings.

What happens next year

Changes explained, updated versions kept visible

Updates to Bowline-maintained document content are included while your subscription remains active. When a relevant change affects an output, Bowline will explain what changed and make an updated version available through your Bowline account.

  • Bowline identifies a relevant change and notifies you
  • You confirm changed organisational facts where necessary
  • An updated version becomes available for you to review and adopt
  • Previous versions remain identifiable within the version history
  • Your active subscription keeps core document preparation and updates available
Version historyBowline Self Help

Privacy notice

Included
  1. v2.3Current

    Transparency guidance changed and the affected wording was reissued.

  2. v2.2

    The organisation changed supplier and confirmed the affected factual details.

  3. v2.1

    The organisation corrected its contact route and approved a replacement version.

Previous versions remain identifiableIncluded while active
Illustrative example: fictional organisation and findings.

Optional add-on

The Guidance Pack

The optional pack provides a fuller explanation of each output: when it should be used, who should own and approve it, common implementation mistakes, examples of suitable evidence and a more detailed implementation walkthrough.

£60 + VAT once. Optional at checkout or later, with no recurring charge. Plain-English steps, examples and a glossary for all 12 documents.

Example core documentBowline

Data breach response procedure

Report any suspected breach to the named owner immediately. The owner records the facts and assesses the risk. Where notification is required, notify the ICO without undue delay and, where feasible, within 72 hours of awareness.

  1. 1

    ReportTell the named owner immediately

  2. 2

    RecordAdd the facts and actions to the breach log

  3. 3

    AssessAssess promptly and meet the applicable notification deadline

Part of your tailored core packIncluded
Illustrative example: fictional organisation and findings.
Guidance packBowline

How to use this procedure

Companion to the data breach response procedure

What it is and when to use it
The steps your team follows when something goes wrong with personal data: a lost laptop, an email to the wrong person, a system someone got into.
Ownership and approval
The fuller guide explains who should own the procedure, who approves it and how to keep those responsibilities visible.
Mistakes and evidence
It highlights common implementation mistakes, gives examples of suitable evidence and provides a more detailed walkthrough than the standard output.
Fuller optional guidance for each outputOptional add-on
Illustrative example: fictional organisation and findings.

Choosing the right service

Is Self Help the right level of support?

Self Help is designed for businesses that can provide accurate facts and put tailored documents into practice. If you need hands-on review, verification or complex analysis, Bowline Review & Support or specialist advice is the better route.

Self Help may be a good fit

You need practical documents and can put them into practice

  • The organisation is relatively straightforward and responsibilities are understood
  • You can give accurate answers about how data is used in the organisation
  • You are willing to approve, implement and maintain the documents
  • Your needs are suited to practical operational guidance
  • You value guided, organisation-specific documents

Choose more support when

You need review, verification or specialist analysis

  • Bespoke legal contracts, complex DPIAs or international-transfer assessments are needed
  • Complex criminal-offence or special-category analysis is required
  • The need is a technical cyber-security audit or incident response
  • Comprehensive school, healthcare or other regulated-sector compliance is required
  • You need verification that controls have been implemented
  • You want a human-led review of practice, documents and evidence
Explore Review & Support →

Start safely

Find the right starting point while Self Help is being prepared

Start with the public Health Check and receive an immediate route suggestion for the level of support that fits your organisation.

Take the Health Check