Evaluation of the Seren Academy programme
Fieldwork with parents, guardians or alumni
The Welsh Government has commissioned OB3 Research (OB3) to undertake an evaluation of the Seren Academy programme. The aim of this research is to explore learners’ experiences of the programme and the difference it makes.
As part of this research OB3 will be gathering information through a survey and interviews or focus groups with parents and guardians of current Seren Academy learners and with Seren Academy alumni.
Parents and guardians will be invited to take part in a survey and then asked to express interest in participating in a follow up interview or focus group. We might ask you some questions about your child, but we will not ask you to identify your child in any way.
Alumni will either be invited to take part in a survey via email and then asked to express interest in participating in a follow up interview; or will be directly invited to participate in an interview.
The Welsh Government is the data controller for the research. However, OB3 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 research will be included in a report published on the Welsh Government website and possibly in other publications by OB3 and Welsh Government.
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 is Nia Bryer.
E-mail address: Nia.Bryer@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’.
You have been invited by OB3 to take part in a survey, interview or focus group. Your participation is voluntary and if you do not wish to take part or be sent reminders at any stage then please reply to the invitation email and your details will be removed. OB3 will only use email address and telephone number for the purposes of this research.
Survey
If you are a parent or guardian OB3 has your name and email address from an online registration form which you completed. You received the online registration form from your child who is involved in the Seren Academy programme. Your child’s name and email address are held by Equal Education Partnership because of their involvement with the Seren Academy programme. Equal Education Partnership are contracted by the Welsh Government to deliver the Seren Academy programme. OB3 have used these contact details to provide you with the link to participate in the research.
If you are an Alumni your name and email address is held by Equal Education Partnership because of your involvement with the Seren Academy programme and they have used these to provide you with the link to participate in the research.
Completing the survey does not require the collection of additional personal data from you. If you choose to provide additional personal data as part of the research, we will try not to identify you from, or link your identity to, the responses you provide.
If you are invited to complete a survey, at the end of the survey you will be given the opportunity to enter a prize draw to win a £50 shopping voucher and also you will be asked if you agree to take part in an interview or focus group held online via MS Teams. You can decide to do one, either or neither of these options.
You will need to provide your name and email address in each case using a separate registration form that is not linked to your survey results in any way. If you enter the prize draw then OB3 Research will select a random email address to then send the Love2shop voucher.
Interview or focus group
If you have been invited to take part in an interview or focus group, it does not require the collection of additional personal data from you except for your image if you agree to the interview or focus group being video recorded.
We may need to record interviews or focus groups 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 interviews or focus groups 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 during or following the interviews or focus groups.
If you raise a query or complaint and provide personal data requesting a response, the researcher will forward the request only to the relevant official and subsequently delete it from the research data.
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:
· understand the impact which the Seren Academy programme has, and
· make recommendations for the future.
How secure is your personal data?
Personal information provided to OB3 is always stored on a secure server. The data can only be accessed by a limited number of researchers working on this project. OB3 will only use this data for research purposes. OB3 have cyber essentials certification.
When conducting surveys, OB3 Research use a survey software programme called Snap Surveys. We have ensured that Snap Surveys is UK GDPR compliant and meets our expectations in terms of the security of any data stored or collected via the software.
OB3 have procedures to deal with any suspected data security breaches. If a suspected breach occurs, OB3 will report this to the Welsh Government who will notify you and any applicable regulator where we are legally required to do so.
OB3 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 will hold personal data during the contract period, and any personal data not already removed will be deleted by OB3 within three months of the end of the contract. This includes your contact details.
Individual rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to the personal information you provide as part of this research, specifically 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: 0303 123 1113. Website: www.ico.org.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: James Lundie
E-mail address: james.lundie@gov.wales
Telephone number: 03000 251652
The Welsh Government’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted at:
Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ, Email: DataProtectionOfficer@gov.wales.