Data protection Social Work Privacy Notice

Privacy Notice – BSc Hons Social Work Privacy Notice

This Privacy Notice explains how Ulster University (University) collects, uses and processes participants’ personal data as a data controller and explains participants’ rights in relation to the personal data that the University processes during specifically relating to the BSc Hons Social Work course.

The University actively seeks to preserve the privacy rights of those individuals that share information with the University.  The personal data which you provide to the University will be processed in accordance with UK data protection legislation, specifically UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

What is the purpose and legal basis of processing?

Situations in which we will use your personal information

We need all the categories of information in the list above primarily to allow us to perform our contract with you and to enable us to comply with legal obligations. In some cases we may use your personal information to pursue legitimate interests provided your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. Examples of the situations in which we will process your personal information are listed below.

• Supporting admissions (occupational health screening and Access NI, criminal convictions panels), registration and enrolment,
• Confirmation of Understanding – showing awareness of professional issues and fitness to practice areas including health related or safeguarding concerns;
• Complying with Ulster University, Fitness to Practice Ordinance XLII: Policy and procedures for ensuring student’s fitness to practice on professional courses
• Liaising with NI SCC – in cases whereby Fitness to Practice concerns arise relating to student conduct or Fitness to Practice matters that come to attention of relevant personnel at Ulster University
• Ulster University, Quality Enhancement Department – for the management of student complaints and issues related to Fitness to Practice
• Recording assessment results, academic progress and awards, and organising graduations.
• Preparation for practice learning opportunities;
• Providing student support services, for example in relation to disability, health, counselling;
• Providing facilities such as IT and Library services;
• Monitoring equal opportunities and providing management statistics;
• Processing student academic appeals and student discipline cases.

Some of the above grounds for processing will overlap and there may be several grounds which justify our use of your personal information.

Legal Basis for data processing:

UK GDPR Article 6.1(a) – the data subject has given consent to the processing of their personal data for specific purposes.

UK GDPR Article 6.1(e) – processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.

For processing special category data, our legal basis for processing is:

UK GDPR Article 9(h) – Health or social care (with a basis in law).

Data Protection Act 2018, Schedule 1, Part 1, Paragraph 2 – Health or social care purposes

How the University collects your personal data

The University shall collect the personal data directly from you. We also collect information from local education authorities, UCAS, NI SCC (Fitness to Practice), Access NI, other Higher Education Institutions, Practice Learning Opportunity Providers, and individuals who have provided character references.

Change of Purpose

The University will only use your personal data for the purposes for which it collected in, unless the University reasonable considers that it needs to use the personal data for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose.  If the University needs to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose it shall notify you and explain the legal basis for which allows the University to do so.

How long does the University hold your personal data?

The University will only retain your personal information for no longer than is necessary. Please see the University’s retention schedule for more information Ulster University Retention and disposal schedule

Categories of personal data processed by the University

Personal Data

• The University may collect, use, store and transfer the following types of personal data as part of this processing:
• Personal contact details such as name, title, address (home and term), telephone numbers, and personal email addresses;
• Date of birth;
• Gender;
• Marital status and dependants;
• Next of kin and emergency contact information;
• Financial details;
• Registers of attendance at University and on placements;
• Assessment scores and outcomes;
• Your disciplinary record, any Fitness to Practice/Study or complaints processes you have been concerned in;
• Character references relating to your suitability to study social work;
• Responses to surveys;
• [Photographs.]

Special Category Data

“Special Categories” or particularly sensitive personal information, such as information about your health, racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation require higher levels of protection.  The following categories of special category data will be processed:

• Information relating to criminal convictions and offences, namely; Access NI checks, including Enhanced Access NI disclosure checks and Enhanced disclosure certificates;
• Information about your health, including any medical condition, disability and health and sickness records.

Who does the University share data with

The University shares personal data with third parties where necessary for the purposes of the processing and where there is a legal basis to do so.  Where information is shared with such third parties, the University will seek to share the minimum amount necessary.

We share data with the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) as the professional social work regulatory body.

We share data with other Higher Education Institutions where students wish to transfer their prior studies from or to the Ulster University BSc Hons Social Work course.

We share data with Practice Learning Opportunity Providers who provide placement opportunities for students.

We share data with the Northern Ireland Social Work Degree Partnership Office (via the Regional Practice Learning Committee), who manage regional placement allocation in Northern Ireland, and who process student information on individual circumstances relating to health, wellbeing, social services involvement or conflicts of interests between students and placement providers.

Information about Criminal Conviction

We may only use information relating to criminal convictions where the law allows us to do so. This will usually be where such processing is necessary to carry out our obligations and provided we do so in line with our data protection policy.

We will collect information about criminal convictions. In particular, Access NI checks, including Enhanced Access NI disclosure checks and Enhanced disclosure certificates.

We will collect information about criminal convictions as part of the admissions process and prior to students availing of a Practice Learning Opportunity (PLO). We may also be notified of such information directly by you in the course of your studies with us. We will use information about criminal convictions and offences in the following ways:

• To assess your suitability to take up a place on the BSc Hons Social Work course; 5
• To liaise with the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) regarding your registration;
• To assess your suitability to proceed to a Practice Learning Opportunity (PLO).
• To address any Fitness to Practice concerns that arise in the course of your social work education

We are allowed to use your personal information in this way to prevent or detect unlawful acts, protect the public against dishonesty, to comply with regulatory requirements relating to unlawful acts and dishonesty and to safeguard children and individuals at risk.

We have in place an appropriate policy and safeguards which we are required by law to maintain when processing such data.

International Transfers

The University will transfer your personal data to the following countries outside of the United Kingdom:

• Republic of Ireland

In these circumstances your personal data is being transferred on the basis that the Secretary of State has made an adequacy regulation in respect of said countries.  This means that countries are deemed to provide equivalent protection to personal data as provided by the UK data protection regime.

Your rights as a Data Subject

As a University data subject you have the right to:

• Access and obtain a copy of your personal data on request;
• Require the University to change incorrect or incomplete personal data;
• Require the University to delete or remove your personal data, for example where the data is no longer necessary for the purposes of processing.  Note, however that the University may not always be able to comply with your request of erasure for specific legal reasons which will be notified to you, if applicable, at the time of your request;
• Object to the processing of your personal data where the University is relying on its legitimate interests as a legal ground for processing;
• Where the University is relying upon consent to process your personal data, you may withdraw your consent at any time; and ask the University to stop processing personal data for a period if the personal data is inaccurate or there is a dispute about whether or not your interests override the University’s legitimate grounds for processing the personal data.

Further information and  your right  to complain

Get further information in respect of the University’s practice in respect of data protection and our Data Protection Policy.

If you want to review, verify, correct or request erasure of your personal information, object to the processing of your personal data, or request the University transfer a copy of your personal information to another party, please contact the University’s Data Protection Officer,

Eoin Coyle at: c/o Ulster University, Room L132, Coleraine, BT52 1SA, 02871 675525, Gdpr@ulster.ac.uk

If you are not satisfied with how the University is processing your personal data, you can make a complaint to the ICO.  Further information about your data privacy rights are available on the ICO website.