Keep important records accessible and secure

Could you find an insurer's contact details or a document reference if your phone were lost? Start with a few records you would need to contact an organisation, arrange help or begin recovery. You don't need to copy every piece of paperwork.

Emergency-kit guidance from Northern Ireland includes copies of important documents. Think about which copies would help in your circumstances, where they could be kept securely and who genuinely needs access. A contact list and a record of where originals are held can be useful without circulating the originals themselves.

1. Identify the records you would need first, such as insurance information and essential household contacts. Separate useful reference details from sensitive material that should not be shared widely.
2. Make appropriate copies and keep them securely. If you use digital copies, back them up separately from the device holding the originals.
3. Check that a backup can actually be opened or restored. Finding a file name is not the same as being able to read the document when you need it.
4. Plan how authorised people would locate the information if you were unavailable. Give access deliberately rather than leaving personal records in an open shared folder.

The National Cyber Security Centre describes both cloud services and removable storage as backup options. A cloud copy may help if a device is lost, but online access still needs a connection and a working account. A removable copy needs a secure place and a routine for updating it.

Protect removable storage containing sensitive information, and disconnect it when it is not in use. Keep the backup separate from the original device. Check your backup after important changes rather than assuming the first copy remains current.

Your email account often helps you recover access to other services. Use a strong, separate password for it. The NCSC recommends password managers as a way to manage different passwords, rather than repeatedly using one password across accounts.

Turn on two-step verification where available, especially for email and other important accounts. This adds a second check when you sign in. Follow the provider's instructions for recovery options so losing a phone does not leave you unsure what to do.

Keep devices and software updated. A secure document folder cannot compensate for an account or device whose protection has been neglected.

Use the boxes while you read, or tick them on a printed copy. This site doesn't save your ticks.

• You can locate the small set of records needed for essential contacts and recovery.
• Important digital files have a separate backup you have checked.
• Account protection and recovery arrangements are understood, rather than stored only on the device they protect.
• Paper copies and removable storage are kept securely.
• The household plan says where appropriate information is held without reproducing private credentials.

Use the household plan to record who holds the necessary information and how to reach them. Keep the detailed records in their proper place. That makes the plan shorter and avoids maintaining several competing copies of personal information.