Evaluation of the Enabling Natural Resources and Wellbeing Grant:

Fieldwork with Funding Applicants

The Welsh Government has commissioned OB3 Research, in collaboration with BRO Partnership, to undertake an evaluation of the Enabling Natural Resources and Wellbeing (ENRaW) Grant. The aim of this evaluation is to assess if the programme has delivered against its aims and the objectives alongside the environmental, social, economic, and cultural outcomes achieved via the collaborative delivery approach. This will include reviewing the effectiveness of the grant scheme in delivering Welsh Government policies, strategies, and legislative requirements and the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme (RDP).

As part of this evaluation OB3 Research, in conjunction with BRO Partnership, will be gathering information from funding applicants, both successful and unsuccessful. This information will be gathered through the following methods:

·       a survey with all funding applicants

·       interviews with a sample of unsuccessful funding applicants

·       interviews and focus groups with all successful project leads and individuals involved in delivery at one of two time-points

·       a follow up survey with project leads and key individuals

The Welsh Government is the data controller for the research. However, OB3 Research and BRO Partnership will delete any personal data provided through the surveys, interviews and focus groups and anonymise the raw data, before it is shared with the Welsh Government.

The information collected during the project will be included in a report published on the Welsh Government website.

Your Participation in this research is completely voluntary. However your views and experiences are important in order to help inform Welsh Government policies.

The contact for this research at OB3 Research is Nia Bryer.

E-mail address: nia@ob3research.co.uk

Telephone number: 07792 609821

PRIVACY NOTICE

What personal data do we hold and where do we get this information?

Personal data is defined under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) as ‘any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified by reference to an identifier’.

OB3 Research and BRO Partnership have received your details from the Welsh Government – name, email address and phone number. Welsh Government hold your details because you supplied them when you applied for funding through the ENRaW Grant. OB3 Research and BRO Partnership will only use email address and telephone number for the purposes of this evaluation.

OB3 Research and BRO Partnership will email you a link to invite you to take part in a survey of all ENRaW funding applicants. The survey does not require the collection of additional personal data from you. Completing the survey does not capture your email address or IP address and so the responses will be anonymous.

Your participation is voluntary at all stages of the research and if you do not wish to take part or be sent reminders then please reply to any of the invitation emails and your details will be removed.

OB3 Research and BRO Partnership also wish to undertake additional research activity with both unsuccessful and successful applicants:

Unsuccessful funding applicant interviews

If you applied for funding but were unsuccessful, you will have the opportunity within the survey to indicate whether you are happy to be contacted for an interview. If you indicate that you are happy to be contacted further for this purpose, you will be asked to provide your contact details so that OB3 Research and BRO Partnership may use them to contact you to arrange an interview.

The interview does not require the collection of additional personal data from you other than your image if you agree to an interview or focus group being video recorded. We may need to record your interview for operational reasons. If this is the case, we will make this clear to you before the interview begins, and you will have the opportunity to tell us if you are not happy for the discussion to be recorded. If interviews are recorded, personal data will be removed during the process of transcription. Recordings will be deleted as soon as this process is completed. If discussions are not recorded, personal data will not be included in written notes prepared during or following the interview.

Successful funding applicant interviews and focus groups

As part of the evaluation, OB3 Research and BRO Partnership are engaging with all projects that were approved for ENRAW funding. If you are a lead or an individual involved in delivery of a project that has been approved for funding, then you will be contacted to take part in an interview or focus group at some stage over the course of the evaluation, this interview or focus group will take place either during 2022 or 2023.

The interviews and focus groups do not require the collection of additional personal data from you other than your image if you agree to the interview or focus group being video recorded. We may need to record focus groups and interviews for operational reasons. If this is the case, we will make this clear to you before the interview or focus group begins, and you will have the opportunity to tell us if you are not happy for the discussion to be recorded. A focus group will only be recorded if all members of the group are happy for this to happen. If focus groups or interviews are recorded, personal data will be removed during the process of transcribing. Recordings will be deleted as soon as this process is completed. If discussions are not recorded, personal data will not be included in written notes prepared following the focus group or interviews.

Successful funding applicant project outcome survey

In 2023, OB3 Research and BRO Partnership will also contact leads and key individuals in the delivery of projects that has been approved for funding to take part in a follow-up survey to understand project outcomes.

This research does not require the collection of additional personal data from you. Completing the survey does not capture your email address or IP address and so the responses will be anonymous.

What is the lawful basis for using your data?

The lawful basis for processing information in this data collection exercise is our public task; that is, exercising our official authority to undertake the core role and functions of the Welsh Government.

Participation is completely voluntary. Research studies such as this are important for the Welsh Government to collect information and actionable evidence about its ability to deliver government priorities. The information collected in this research, for example, might be used to:

·       Assess whether the programme has delivered against Welsh Government priorities.

·       To help shape the development of funding mechanisms post 2023.

How secure is your personal data?

Personal information provided to OB3 Research and BRO Partnership is always stored on a secure server. The data can only be accessed by a limited number of researchers working on this project. OB3 Research and BRO Partnership will only use this data for research purposes. OB3 Research and BRO Partnership have cyber essentials certification.

When conducting surveys, OB3 Research use a survey software programme called SNAP software. We have ensured that SNAP software is UK GDPR compliant and meets our expectations in terms of the security of any data collected via the software and all data is processed within the UK.

OB3 Research and BRO Partnership has procedures to deal with any suspected data security breaches. If a suspected breach occurs, OB3 Research and BRO Partnership will report this to the Welsh Government who will notify you and any applicable regulator where we are legally required to do so.

OB3 Research and BRO Partnership will use the information gathered to produce a report that will be published on the Welsh Government website. This report will not include any information that could be used to identify individual participants.

How long do we keep your personal data?

OB3 Research and BRO Partnership will hold personal data during the contract period, and any personal data not already removed from open-ended survey responses or during transcription of interviews or focus groups will be deleted by OB3 Research and BRO Partnership three months after the end of the contract. This includes your contact details. OB3 Research and BRO Partnership will provide Welsh Government with an anonymised version of the data which will not include information that could identify you.

Individual rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to the personal information you provide as part of this evaluation, you have the right:

·       To access a copy of your own data;

·       For us to rectify inaccuracies in that data;

·       To object to or restrict processing (in certain circumstances);

·       For your data to be ‘erased’ (in certain circumstances); and

·       To lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who is our independent regulator for data protection.

The contact details for the Information Commissioner’s Office are: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Phone: 01625 545 745 or 0303 123 1113. Website: www.ico.gov.uk

Further Information

If you have any further questions about how the data provided as part of this study will be used by the Welsh Government or wish to exercise your rights using the UK General Data Protection Regulation, please contact:

Name: Marcus Hill

E-mail address: Marcus.Hill@gov.wales

Telephone number: 03000 256737

The Welsh Government’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted at:

Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ, Email: DataProtectionOfficer@gov.wales.