Subject Access Request Workshop, 15 October 2026, 10:00 to 12:00, Central Birmingham
Subject access requests can be time-consuming and difficult to manage—particularly when they involve large volumes of information, workplace disputes, third-party data or potentially exempt material.
This practical, in-person workshop will take you through the subject access request process from receipt to response. Using a realistic case study, you will explore how to define the scope of a request, plan proportionate searches, identify personal data, apply redactions and exemptions, and make defensible disclosure decisions.
Who Should Attend
The event is suitable for data protection and information governance practitioners, HR professionals, managers and anyone responsible for handling subject access requests in businesses, charities, schools, healthcare organisations or other workplaces. You will leave with a clearer, repeatable approach, practical tools to use in your organisation and an opportunity to put your questions to an experienced data protection specialist.
This workshop will be particularly useful if you
- are a small organisation with limited resources to out toward people’s data rights
- deal with current or former employee subject access requests
- get requests about children or other vulnerable people
- handle sensitive personal data like medical information
- find it difficult to consistent hit statutory deadlines
- would benefit from advice about exemptions and exclusions, and what people are actually entitled to
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the workshop you will be able to:
- recognise and validate a subject access request;
- clarify what the individual is seeking without improperly narrowing their rights;
- calculate and manage the response deadline;
- plan proportionate searches across relevant systems;
- distinguish personal data from documents and general information;
- handle third-party information, exemptions and redaction;
- make and record defensible disclosure decisions; and
- identify weaknesses in their organisation’s SAR arrangements.
Workshop Structure
| Time | Session | Content and method |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00–10:05 | Welcome and orientation | Introductions, learning outcomes and explanation of the format. |
| 10:05–10:15 | What makes SARs difficult? | Short facilitated discussion on key challenges such as searches, deadlines, redaction, exemptions and difficult requesters. |
| 10:15–10:30 | The essential legal framework | A concise recap of recognition, validity, identity checks, clarification, timescales, fees and extensions. |
| 10:30–10:45 | The end-to-end SAR process | Walk through a practical process from receipt to closure |
| 10:45–11:10 | Main case-study exercise | Small groups work through a realistic SAR involving several systems, third parties and potentially exempt material. |
| 11:10–11:25 | Difficult decisions and common mistakes | Debrief the case and teach the principles exposed by it: personal data versus documents, mixed personal data, opinions, duplicates, deleted material, disproportionate searches, exemptions and redaction. |
| 11:25–11:30 | Commitments and close | Participants identify one immediate improvement, one process improvement and one issue requiring escalation. |
| 11:30 onward | Q&A clinic | Participant questions and open discussion |
Post Workshop
To help you apply your learning you will also receive a workshop pack containing:
- a SAR process checklist;
- a deadline calculator and timescale guide;
- suggested response wording templates;
- a supplementary information template
- one-page exemption prompt sheet and decision tool;
- personal organisational action plan; and
- the completed case study with explanatory answers.
Book Your Place
Places are limited so book your place now to avoid disappointment. If you change your mind you can have a full refund up to 24 hours before the event.
- £49 including VAT,
- £29 for Newsletter subscribers
- Free to past course attendees