Student Information Policy

This policy sets out the principles and practices in Student Support Services for dealing with the identity of service users, personal information given t ous by students and information given to us by others about students. This policy can also be downloaded: SSS information policy (PDF , 73kb) .

Student Support Services includes the following services and functions (referred to throughout this Policy as ‘sections’):

Disability Services
Open Door Team
Student Financial Support Unit
Student Support Office, which incorporates:
- Immigration advice service
- International student support
- Undergraduate special cases
- Welfare advice

Our use of personal information is based upon our agreements with individual students, our understanding of the requirements of data protection legislation and of the University’s duty of care towards its members and the wider community. Some members of staff within Student Support Services are also required to fulfil requirements of the professional bodies to which they belong.

Student Policy

The identity of service users is available to all staff within Student Support Services.
What students tell us will always be treated in a sensitive and respectful manner and will only be shared between sections within Student Support Services in order to provide or administer services to that student.
When we consider it beneficial to the student or necessary to share information with others outside of Student Support Services, the permission of the student will normally be sought.
What others tell us about a student will be dealt with in the way we consider most appropriate, taking account of the preferences of those providing the information.
We endeavour to ensure that our use of personal information is always fair and lawful. Personal information is only used for the purposes for which, and the grounds on which, we hold it and in accordance with the reasonable expectations of the data subject.

Circumstances under which information may be shared without consent

Under the following circumstances information may be shared outside Student Support Services without necessarily seeking the student’s consent:

Where there is judged to be a significant risk of harm to someone.
Where information is required to be provided under current legislation and where that information has been sought using due legal process.
Where information is requested by the communicable disease consultant in order to deal with an actual or suspected case of a notifiable communicable disease.
Whilst a student is under 18 the person the student has nominated as their ‘responsible adult’ may be contacted if the student is considered to be at risk of harm.

Operational Practice

Information provided by the student to an individual member of staff is held in a case file (either hard-copy or electronic) within the appropriate section. This is only shared with colleagues in other sections of Student Support Services where this is necessary for the provision of support to that student.

Some processes routinely involve communication with specific parts of the University, and sometimes the Health Centre. Current examples include:

Medical and self-certification.
Special cases applications or appeals.
Accommodation bursary applications.
Car parking special permit applications.
- Seeking to provide assistance to students identified as being in financial debt to the University.
- Providing information to those who will be meeting the additional needs of disabled students.

Please note:

This list is illustrative, not exhaustive.
The Health Centre is independent of the University, however there is a contractual relationship to make health care available to members of the University and to provide medical advice to the University. The Health Centre is bound by its own confidentiality policy.

A limited amount of information is put onto restricted areas of the student record system, SITS, by staff in Student Support Services. This currently includes information about sickness, some financial information and information relating to decisions made by Special Cases Committee. The general University policy for managing data can be found at:

www.york.ac.uk/recordsmanagement/dpa/studentdata/

Units with a specific level of confidentiality

Two sections within Student Support Services have specific confidentiality policies within this general Student Support Services student information policy:

Immigration Advice Service: www.york.ac.uk/students/support/international/immigration/policies/confidentiality/

Open Door Team: http://www.york.ac.uk/students/support/health/opendoor/registration/

Storage of personal data

Personal data in hard-copy form is stored within locked cabinets and access to the keys limited to a small number of colleagues.

Personal data held electronically is held on secure servers.

Any laptop drives, data sticks or other detachable drives containing personal data about students are password protected in case of loss of the storage drive.

Files are archived and essential information held for a maximum of seven years from date of graduation.

Disposal of personal data

All hard-copy personal data is disposed of using confidential waste sacks, whether or not shredded.

Any drives containing personal data are rendered unusable before disposal.

Further information

If you want further information about the way in which information is recorded, shared, stored and disposed of please speak to the member of staff in Student Support Services you are consulting, or contact by email: student-support@york.ac.uk

Student Support Services