This privacy notice explains when and why we collect personal information about you when you Buckinghamshire New University Counselling and Wellbeing services and how we will use this information including the ways we might share this with others. It also explains how we keep your information secure and the rights you have in relation to the information we hold about you.

We collect and use your information for the following purposes as part of the counselling and wellbeing service.

Counselling

Purpose C1: to enable us to meet our commitments to you in providing a confidential counselling service.

We collect and use your information to:

• record your contact with us and keep a summary record of information shared by you, by session, in order to provide an ethical counselling service.

Purpose C2: to evaluate the service provided.

We collect and use your information to:

• enable us to evaluate the service provided to you when you attend for an assessment appointment and you complete an evaluation form.

Wellbeing

Purpose W1: to support applications for extensions or special circumstances with respect of coursework, examinations, dissertations or theses.

We collect and use your information to:

• ensure that during episodes of poor health or wellbeing you are properly supported, either for the duration of your challenge(s) or your total study period.

Purpose W2: Protecting your (or another’s) vital interests.

We collect and use your information to:

• when we record concern expressed about a yourself by a third party.
• provide information to protect your interests or that of another person (as necessary).

Purpose W3: To share and/or discuss your personal information with a third party.

We collect and use your information to:

• enable us to discuss your personal situation with trusted third parties i.e. parent, guardian, carer or spouse, GP or other Health Professional, etc.

The legal bases that we use in order to legally process the information you provide to us when you contact the counselling and wellbeing service:

Contract Article 6 (1)(b). The Purpose is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or to take steps, at your request, before entering into such a contract. This is the contract between the University Counselling Service and its students. This legal basis will be used to achieve the following purposes:

• Purpose C1: To enable us to meet our commitments to you in providing a confidential counselling service.
• Purpose W1: To support applications for extensions or special circumstances with respect of coursework, examinations, dissertations or theses.

Consent Article 6 (1)(a). The Purpose is necessary to enable us to evaluate the service provided to you about the counselling services provided by Buckinghamshire New University when you have attended a counselling session. This legal basis will be used to achieve the following purposes:

• Purpose C2: to evaluate the service provided.
• Purpose W3: To share and/or discuss your personal information with a third party.

Vital Interests Article 6 (1)(d). The processing is necessary to protect the vital interests of yourself or another person (or persons). This legal basis will be used to achieve the following purposes:

• Purpose W2: Protecting your (or another’s) vital interests

Special Category Data

The data being used includes special category data. Our legal reasons for using this special category data, where you provide it to us, is as follows:

The nature of counselling is such that a student will reveal, and the University will process, such sensitive data as is necessary. This data usually concerns the student themselves, but it may also concern a third party such as a family member. The University will process sensitive data under the additional Lawful Basis of Substantial Public Interest (Sch1. P8 Equality of opportunity or treatment) in that the counselling and wellbeing services provided, would not be viable without collecting, using and storing such sensitive data.

Data collected during counselling or wellbeing will be used for the purposes of recording sessions and conducting follow up activities as necessary. Personal data may also be provided by third party as necessary with the Consent of the individual.

The personal information we collect includes:

• personal contact details, including address, email, and telephone numbers
• age
• third Party contact details including address, email and telephone numbers

We also ask for some ‘special category data’. This is personal information which is more sensitive. We will ask you about:

• gender
• health

Most of the information above will have been provided by you and will have been collected through the counselling and wellbeing reporting process. Other information may be added to a report as it is provided by third parties or is ascertained during the process itself.

The above lists are not exhaustive but are indicative of the main types of personal information processed by the University about you should you attend a counselling and/or wellbeing session.

Your personal information will be shared with the organisations listed below. Any information will be disclosed in accordance with the provisions and obligations of the Data Protection Act. Please note this is not an exhaustive list and your data may also be shared in accordance with the wider university privacy notices which can be accessed at https://www.bucks.ac.uk/data-protection

We do not transfer data to any third countries or international organisation.

Your data will be retained in the university Health and Safety records system in accordance with the Records Lifecycle Management Scheme; a summary of which can be accessed at https://bnu.ac.uk/policies.

The following rights apply to the personal data collected in this notice. Please contact dpofficer@bnu.ac.uk if you wish to exercise your rights:

• Right of access to confirmation of processing and copies of your personal data
• Right to rectification if personal data we hold about you is incorrect
• Right to restrict processing of your personal data
• Right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office about how we handle your data.

In some circumstances you also have the following rights:

• Right to object to our processing of your personal data
• Right to request erasure of your personal data (deletion)
• Right to data portability

If you have any concerns with regards to the way your personal data is being processed or have a query about this Notice, you can contact the Data Protection Officer directly by email dpofficer@bnu.ac.uk or by post.

Data Protection Officer

Buckinghamshire New University

Queen Alexandra Road

High Wycombe

Buckinghamshire HP11 2JZ

If you remain unhappy with any aspect of the way your personal data is being processed then we ask that you discuss this with us first, however if you remain dissatisfied then you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioners Office:

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF

https://ico.org.uk

BNU is registered as a controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office. Our registration number is: Z772474X

This privacy notice will be reviewed on an annual basis or revised more frequently if necessary.

This notice was last reviewed on 31 August 2023.