Data Protection/Privacy Policy

(November 2022)

Background 

I aim to be as transparent as possible about how and why I use information about you/your child/young person or the child/young person you are requesting involvement with, so that you can be confident that your privacy is protected.  

This policy describes the information (data) I collect when you use my services as an Educational Psychologist and how, as the data controller, I manage and store your information in accordance with UK legislation concerning the protection of personal data.  This data includes personal and sensitive information as defined in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2016 and the UK Data Protection Bill, 2018.

The legal basis on which I hold and process your personal data is based on my agreement with you and my legitimate interest in this information in order to provide services as an Educational Psychologist to you/your child/young person.

I need to collect personal information to:

  • Record evidence of informed parental/carer(s) consent before providing services to you/your child/young person.

  • Communicate with you.

  • Inform my planning and assessment procedures with your child/young person e.g., their date of birth and key background information.

  • Deliver services to you/your child/young person, for example completion of relevant assessments and providing well informed psychological advice for your child.

  • Inform discussions with other professionals (such as Speech & Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists etc.), and staff (such as Special Educational Needs Coordinators, Inclusion Leads, teachers etc). 

  • Contribute to relevant proceedings if necessary e.g., in relation to child protection

What type of information is collected and how is it used?

Consent

To provide psychological services to you/your child/young person, it is important for me to know their situation and the concerns which led to psychological support being requested.  Your consent, together with this information, is collected using an Involvement Request Form for parents or settings and will be used to communicate with you and with relevant settings (e.g., nurseries, schools, colleges) and other professionals, and to plan assessments and prepare a written psychological report for your child/young person.

Information collected and stored about your child/young person

  • Parents/carers’ names and contact details

  • Child/young person’s name, date of birth and the setting they attend

  • Contact details of the key person to link with in the setting they attend

  • A summary of the child/young person’s current strengths and needs

  • Any strategies / interventions that have been successful or not

  • Reasons for requesting educational psychology involvement

  • Any other factors that may have impacted on the child/young person’s situation (e.g., early development, medical)

  • Other involved professionals

Gathering background information about a child/young person’s situation is important so that I am aware of any other issues that may affect their emotional well-being or ability to learn.  Where relevant, information provided by others verbally or contained in previous reports will be included with the data I collect during assessment and in the final report etc.

Communication with other agencies or professionals

I am sometimes sent copies of reports from other professionals who may have had involvement with your child/young person.  Further information from a child’s school or other professionals might include:              

  • Educational information and attainments

  • Social, emotional, and behavioural observations

  • The strategies / interventions already tried or in place

  • Why educational psychology services have been requested

  • Information resulting from formal processes (e.g., Education Health & Care Plan, and medical information such as the results of community paediatrician decisions)

Potential client enquiries

I may need to collect some information about you/your child/young person via phone/email if I am contacted about potential educational psychology involvement.

Where do I keep the information and how is it kept safe?

  • Involvement Request Form for parents or settings e.g., schools are securely stored in paper form in a securely locked filing cabinet until I have written the report and then they are deleted.  All digital information aside from the final report is deleted as soon as the report is written.

  • Psychological reports containing personal data will be password-protected and stored on a Microsoft OneDrive.

  • Parents/carers and settings (e.g., schools) are advised to send personal data password protected.

  • All information gathered is stored in a lockable filing cabinet and all information except the assessment information is deleted when the report is finalised and received by the commissioning body (parent or setting).

  • When the information is needed to conduct an assessment, personal data (e.g., paper files) will be carried with me and will never be left unattended overnight in a vehicle.

Should your personal data be lost, stolen, or otherwise breached, where this constitutes a high risk to your rights and freedoms, I will contact you as soon as reasonably possible to explain to you the nature of the breach and the steps I am taking to deal with it.

How long is the information kept?

  • Once a report is complete, any handwritten notes are shredded without delay.

  • Assessment forms are securely stored for three months and then shredded. 

  • Electronic files (including pupil reports) may be retained for a period of up to five years. Please ensure that you retain a copy of the report as I will only retain it electronically for five years and then it will be deleted.

  • Emails may be retained for a period of up to two years. If any personal data is included in the email e.g., within attached professional reports etc. a copy will be saved in your child/young person’s electronic file and the email deleted within a week of me receiving it.

Who can view, delete, or change the information?

As I process your personal data, you have certain rights including access, a right of rectification, a right of erasure and a right to restrict processing.

  • Reports will be prepared in a password-protected ‘read only’ PDF format.  These will be shared electronically with the commissioning party (usually parents/carers or settings).

  • You may request a copy of your data at any time.  Please make such a request in writing or by email to me, Dr Sarah Jones. Please provide the following information: your name, address, telephone number, email address and details of the information you require.

  • If you believe any of the personal data I hold on you/your child/young person is inaccurate or incomplete, please contact me directly and any necessary corrections will be made without undue delay.

  • If you wish me to stop storing or using your data, please contact me, Dr Sarah Jones.

  • Personal information may be withheld to the extent permitted by law. In practice, this means that information may not be provided if it is considered that providing the information will violate the child or young person’s vital interests.

  • If you believe I should erase your data, please contact me, Dr Sarah Jones.  A decision will be made based on whether deleting the data could compromise the vital interests of the child/young person or other relevant party, or whether deleting the data would constitute acting against a legal obligation. If it is decided that the data can be deleted, it will be deleted without undue delay.

How will I communicate with you?

I will only contact you in response to a request for educational psychology involvement. This would usually include emails or phone calls to gather relevant information and arrange visits etc.  Educational psychology reports and invoices will be emailed.  Information will not be sent using publicly accessible Wi-Fi.

What happens to your data if I were to die?

In this event all personal or sensitive data will be confidentially destroyed by the executors of my will.

Further questions

If you have further questions, please contact me directly in my role as Data Controller.  If you are not satisfied with the answers I provide, you may contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) https://ico.org.uk.

Dr Sarah Jones
Educational Psychologist
HCPC Registered
BSc (Hons), PGCE, DEdPsy

Email:sarahjones.ep1@gmail.com                                                            

Mob: (07989) 952298

www.sarahjoneseducationalpsychologist.co.uk