Privacy Notice
Data Collection
The study aims to improve the school/college environment for LGBTQ+ young people to support their mental health and well-being.
We are recruiting students aged 13-19 years (whether or not they identify as LGBTQ+), school staff (teaching and non-teaching), and providers of schools’ training in LGBTQ+ issues to take part in an online interview or group discussion, and an online creative workshop. Data collection for the study will be completed using a secure online platform.
Discussions will ask questions about how schools support LGBTQ+ students, what training needs students and school staff think they have, and challenges in taking up training. We will not ask anyone how they identify unless they choose to tell us and we value all young people’s input. Sociodemographic information (e.g., year group, race/ethnicity, gender, faith, whether born in the UK, region of residence) will also be collected.
All information collected will be handled with care and in compliance with the Data Protection Act (1998), the General Data Protection Regulation (2018), and the University’s Research Data Management Policy.
DATA STORAGE AND PROCESSING
King’s College London (KCL) will act as the data controller for this study. This means that we are responsible for looking after this information and using it properly. Data will be downloaded to a secure, networked folder at KCL only accessible to STEP Study team members. Data for analysis will be shared in an anonymised format and any identifiable information (names, email addresses, telephone numbers) will be recorded separately, and stored in a different location on a secure KCL server. We will keep information collected during the study for no longer than 7 years after the study has finished.
PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA
Only the STEP Study team will be able to access the personal details of study participants. All the study responses will be given a unique study ID and will be stored separately from personal data. Participants will not be identifiable in any research output (e.g. publications).
Interview transcripts will be anonymised (all identifiable information removed). Any quotes used in reports will be checked and adapted to ensure that individuals cannot be identified. Personal information such as names and addresses will be removed, as well as any other distinctive event or combination of descriptions that could make someone recognisable.
The STEP Study’s legal basis for processing personal data under GDPR is Function of a public task (by a public organisation).
USING DATA FOR FUTURE RESEARCH - PARTICIPANT NOTICE DATA SHARING
Participants will be asked for consent to be re-contacted about participation in future research projects. If they agree, their personal may be retrieved and they may be re-contacted by the STEP Study team or other researchers at King’s College London. This decision will not affect their participation in the current study.
Only in cases where a participant discloses something which may place them at severe risk (such as suicidal thoughts and ideas) will confidentiality be breached. In this case the participant will be signposted to relevant services by the study team, but may also be contacted by a STEP Study-affiliated mental health expert and/or their GP may be contacted. The participant is made aware of this as part of the consenting process.
In future, an anonymous (non-identifiable) dataset created from responses to the discussions/workshop may be accessed by other researchers if they submit an application and are approved by the STEP Study steering committee.
PARTICIPANT CONSENT AND RIGHTS
Explicit consent for processing personal data is obtained from participants before they take part in the study. For young people under 16 years we require consent from a parent/caregiver.
If any participant no longer wants to take part in the study, they can withdraw any information that has been provided in the one-to-one interview or focus group discussion, given it is within one month after completing the study. However, given the nature of focus group discussions, any information the participants discloses during the discussion cannot be withdrawn.
Participants have the right to ask for a copy of the information held about them and to have any inaccuracies corrected. Requests for withdrawal and information should be directed at steps@kcl.ac.uk.
If there are concerns about data handling, these can be raised with the STEP Study team at any time, or with the KCL Data Protection Office (see below).
CONTACT DETAILS
The STEP Study is being conducted by researchers from King’s College London (KCL). If you have any questions or require more information about this project, please contact Dr Charlotte Woodhead by email (steps@kcl.ac.uk). Address: Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, 16 deCrespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF S
The KCL Data Protection Officer is Albert Chan: info-compliance@kcl.ac.uk
To find out more about how the university deals with your personal information, including your rights and who to contact if you have a concern, please see the university’s core privacy notice at https://www.kcl.ac.uk/terms/privacy.aspx.
Date: 10th February 2021
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Date: 11th February 2021
