The Charities Security Forum is considering the creation of a mentoring scheme to give smaller charities access to the security expertise of larger organisations.

Chairing the Forum’s latest meeting in April, Brian Shorten agreed to look into the logistics of such a scheme after receiving a broadly positive reaction. Shorten described the idea as “a big charity being available to smaller charities to share ideas and to say ‘this is happening’”.

Also under discussion at the meeting was the news earlier this year that the Alzheimer’s Society had been publicly reprimanded for breaching the Data Protection Act three times.

One attendee warned: “The Information Commissioner’s Office has just been given these powers and is keen to show its teeth.”

Created by Shorten, IS BCP, risk & security manager at Cancer Research UK, and Martyn Croft, director of strategic information at Salvation Army, the Forum now has 55 members ranging from large charities such as NSPCC and Oxfam to small hospices.