Research Privacy Notice

Your personal information will be kept confidential at all times and researchers are asked to de-identify it (anonymise), pseudonymise (remove any information which can identify you such as your name and replace this with a unique code or key) or delete it as soon as possible. However in some cases it may not be possible to de-identify your information as it is necessary in order to achieve the aims of the research. If this is the case you will be informed of this in the Participant Information Sheet.

Your personal information as well as any de-identified information will only be shared with members of the research team in order to conduct the project. This may include external partners if they are part of the research project. If there is a need to share your information with anyone else including anyone outside of the European Economic Area (which includes all countries of the European Union as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein), you will be told who they are and why this is the case in the Participant Information Sheet.

As Data Controller, we will always remain responsible for keeping your information safe throughout the research.

For some research projects, your de-identified or pseudonymised information will be kept after the project has ended, placed into a data repository/online archive for sharing with other researchers or used in future research. If the researchers would like to do this with your information you will be told in the Participant Information Sheet.

To communicate our research to the public your anonymised data is likely to form part of a research publication or conference presentation or public talk. Where researchers wish to use any information that would identify you, specific consent will be sought

Crisis takes a robust approach to protecting the information it collects and holds for research. We have dedicated storage areas for research data with controlled access. If you are participating in a particularly sensitive project Crisis will put into place additional layers of security.

Your information will not be kept for longer than is necessary and is usually kept in an anonymised format. The length of time for which we keep your data will depend on a number of factors including the importance of the data, the funding requirements and the nature of the study. Details will be given in the information sheet for each project.

By law you have rights in relation to the personal information we hold about you. These include the right to:

• See the information/receive a copy of the information
• Correct any inaccurate information
• Have any information deleted
• Limit or raise concerns to our processing of the information
• Move your information (“portability”)

These rights only apply to your information before it is anonymised as once this happens we can no longer identify your specific information. Sometimes your rights may be limited if it would prevent or delay the research. If this happens you will be informed and have the right to complain about this to the Information Commissioner.

If you have any questions about how your personal information collected through Crisis’ research is used, or wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact Crisis’ research team research@crisis.org.uk. Or you contact our data protection officer, at data.protection@crisis.org.uk.

If you are not happy with the way your information is being handled, or with the response received from us, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF (https://ico.org.uk/).