Thank you for your interest in the Devolved Conversations Workshops, part of the Safety Nets: Social Security for Families in a Devolved UK research project. As a first step, we are seeking initial expressions of interest before we start arranging dates.
I'm agreeing to receive occasional emails about the project, including updates on workshop dates and opportunities to participate. If I decide to take part in a workshop later, I will receive a full participant information sheet, have a chance to chat with a researcher and ask any questions, and then provide my consent to take part.
My name, email, gender, country and phone number will be stored securely and used only for project-related communications.
Safety Nets will never share my data with third parties without my consent.
I can unsubscribe at any time by emailing [email protected]
If I have any questions, I can contact Uisce Jordan at [email protected] or call 07552 285828
This does not commit me to taking part in the research.
How to Get involved
We would like to invite you to take part in up to two workshops looking at differences in welfare benefits in different parts of the UK, comparing the experiences of parents/carers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We are calling these workshops ‘Devolved Conversations’. Here is some information which may help you decide if you want to take part or not.
What is the project about?
The project, Safety Nets: Social Security for families in a devolved UK is the first ever attempt to properly understand how someone’s experiences of social security can differ according to where in the UK they live. It will look at how the country a person lives in within the UK can affect their benefit entitlements and the ways that their benefits work, and also at the growing use of local and regional support and the impacts of this. The project involves six universities, national charity Child Poverty Action Group and a think tank, the Resolution Foundation. The research is independent of any government department.
What are the Devolved Conversations workshops?
The workshops are online discussion groups with other parents living in all four nations of the UK who are in receipt of benefits. In the workshops, you will discuss your experience of benefits relating to a particular topic, for instance, support for parents, or conditionality and sanctions. You will also have an opportunity to think about what needs to change to improve the lives of parents and carers receiving benefits. The workshops will be held online (on Zoom) and offered at different times of day to try and best match your availability.
The discussion in the workshops, including what you say about your own experiences, will help us to understand how benefits are different in each of the four UK nations and how this affects families with children. The discussion about policy recommendations will help us understand what needs to change.
The workshops will be hosted by researchers and by people who also have direct experience of receiving benefits. Each workshop will involve 16 parents/carers, but most of the conversations will take place in smaller groups of 4-6 where there will be plenty of time for everyone to share their experiences and views. We will record the workshops so that we can fully capture all of the conversation. The recordings will be kept securely and only accessible to the researchers.
What are the benefits of being involved?
You will have the opportunity to tell researchers what it is really like for you and your family to manage the things you need to do when receiving benefits and what needs to change, to improve that experience.
You will meet others in receipt of benefits from different parts of the UK, and learn about differences in what and how they receive support
You will also receive £50 in Love2Shop vouchers for each workshop you take part in. This will not affect your entitlement to benefits.
What is the time commitment?
We are inviting people to take part in up to two workshops, which will be on different topics relating to social security. Each workshop will last 2 and a half hours with a 20 minute break in the middle. The workshops will be held at a time that is convenient for you, so some workshops will be held in the morning, some in the evening and others will be held over lunchtime. We will do our best to accommodate your own schedule so that you can attend.
Who can take part?
To be eligible to take part in the workshops, you need to be living in England, Northern Ireland, Wales or Scotland, have a child (or children) under the age of 18, and be in receipt of at least one of the main UK benefits (e.g. Universal Credit, Tax Credits, Employment and Support Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Income Support, Housing Benefit) or asylum support.
How can I take part?
Once you have read this information sheet, if you think you would like to take part in one or two workshops, please complete the Expression of Interest form on the Safety Nets website.
If would like to ask the researchers some questions before you decide, please contact Uisce Jordan by phone, text or email:
[email protected] or call 07552 285828
Once enough people have volunteered for the workshops, we will organise groups and timings that fit people’s interests and availability. Please note that unfortunately we may not be able to invite everyone to a workshop, if we have more volunteers than we can include. We will still get in touch to let you know.
Before the workshops, Uisce will arrange to have a short (15 minute) phone call with you to discuss the project and answer any questions you may have. After this, if you feel happy to go ahead, we will give you all the information you need to join the workshop on the relevant date and time. If you might need particular arrangements to make it possible for you to participate in an online conversation, please let us know and we will do all we can to support this.
Another way to take part is by responding to video questions, which we call “Big Questions”. During the study, you may be invited via email to respond to a Big Question. You can send us your reply to the Big Question via a couple of short written paragraphs or a brief voice message. You are welcome to participate in the “Big Questions” whether or not you are taking part in a workshop. Your responses will be anonymised, and may be used to provide additional insights into the research questions on how people across the UK are experiencing social security. To thank you for answering a “big question” we will send you a £5 Love2Shop voucher.
Do I have to take part?
It’s completely up to you whether you take part or not. If you change your mind at any point during the study for any reason, you will be able to withdraw without having to explain why. After taking part in a workshop, you will have up to 7 days to withdraw your data by contacting Uisce Jordan (07552 285828, [email protected])
The research team is made up of independent academics with no links to government departments. Your decision to participate, decline or withdraw from the study will have no impact on your benefits, or on any other services or support you might receive.
Are there any risks?
Sometimes, talking about benefits and their impact on you and your family can be upsetting. If you become upset in a workshop, the person leading the workshop will help you to take time out and will support you afterwards, for instance by talking to you in a brief phone conversation. While we will encourage everyone to respect confidentiality, and not share things raised outside of the session, the research team cannot guarantee this.
We will handle sensitive topics with care and signpost relevant support services where appropriate. Please note that the research team cannot provide direct mental or emotional support. If a participant shares information indicating that they or someone they know is at immediate risk of serious harm, we will report this to an appropriate professional.
On what basis will you process my data?
The General Data Protection Regulation, part of UK law, means that any organisation collecting and processing personal information has to explain why they are doing so and what they will use the data for. These explanations have to be written in ways that do not always communicate their meaning very well, so if you do have any questions in addition to what is linked below, please do get in touch and ask us!
Data management and protection in the study will comply with University of York policy and the General Data Protection Regulation. Your personal data will be securely stored and accessible only to the research team.
The discussion in the workshop will be video recorded and transcribed. This written transcript will then be kept in secure archives at the University of York. The transcript of the discussion will be looked at by researchers and will be used to inform our findings. Quotes may be used in reports and other publications but you will always be anonymous, unless you choose to use your real name. Video and audio recordings will NOT be used in any of our research publications or presentations. Any data relating to the workshops will be kept for 10 years following their last use in a research publication.
To see our data protection policy, click here
If you have any questions about this study or your participation, please contact: Uisce Jordan on 07552 285828 or at safety-nets-project@york.ac.uk.
If you have any concerns about how your data is being processed, please contact the University of York research integrity office on 01904 322712 or at [email protected].
Data
Data protection information
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the University has to identify a legal basis for processing personal data and, where appropriate, an additional condition for processing special category data. Research will only be undertaken where ethical approval has been obtained, where there is a clear public interest and where appropriate safeguards have been put in place to protect data. In line with ethical expectations and in order to comply with common law duty of confidentiality, we will seek your consent to participate where appropriate. This consent will not, however, be our legal basis for processing your data under the UK’s GDPR legislation.
How will you use my data?
Data will be processed for the purposes outlined in this notice.
Will you share my data with 3rd parties?
Personal data will be accessible to the project team only. Anonymised data or, with the participant’s permission, real names may be reused by the research team or other third parties for secondary research purposes.
How will you keep my data secure?
The University will put in place appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data and/or special category data. For the purposes of this project all workshops will be recorded and then transcribed; this transcription will be accessible only to the researchers. Your personal data will be stored in secure online archives at the University of York. We will store any paper records in a locked drawer. All Zoom discussions will be password protected, and only the researchers will be able to access this information.
Information will be treated confidentiality and shared on a need-to-know basis only. The University is committed to the principle of data protection by design and default and will collect the minimum amount of data necessary for the project. In addition, we will anonymise or pseudonymise data wherever possible, unless we have consent to use a participant’s real name.
Will you transfer my data internationally?
Possibly. Data may be stored on a secure server based at the University of York or on the University’s cloud storage solution. We are using Google cloud storage for our database, via Sanity. We also use Resend for sending emails and storing email addresses. We use Cloudflare for authentication.
Will I be identified in any research outputs?
Participants will be anonymous in research outputs. However, you may be asked whether you would like to be identified by your real first name or a pseudonym in research outputs. Where you choose to be identified using your real name, we will ask you to complete an additional consent form for this.
Some personal information, such as ethnicity, benefits claimed, or a general description of family circumstances or employment status, may appear in outputs.
How long will you keep my data?
Data will be retained in line with legal requirements or where there is a business need. Retention timeframes will be determined in line with the University’s Records Retention Schedule. Interview and workshop data will be retained for 10 years following their last use in a research publication.
What rights do I have in relation to my data?
Under the GDPR, you have a general right of access to your data, a right to rectification, erasure, restriction, objection or portability. You also have a right to withdrawal. Please note, not all rights apply where data is processed purely for research purposes. For further information see, https://www.york.ac.uk/records-management/generaldataprotectionregulation/individualsrights/.
Questions or concerns
If you have any questions about this or concerns about how your data is being processed, please contact the University of York research integrity office on 01904 322 712 or at [email protected] in the first instance. If you are still dissatisfied, please contact the University’s Data Protection Officer at [email protected].
Right to complain
If you are unhappy with the way in which the University has handled your personal data, you have a right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. For information on reporting a concern to the Information Commissioner’s Office, see www.ico.org.uk/concerns.