We are committed to protecting your personal information. If you have any questions, requests or concerns with regards to your personal information, or this policy, please contact lesley.ann.paterson@outlook.com 

As per the Data Protection (Charges and Information) Regulations 2018, the company is registered with with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).  

In addition to abiding by General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as a member of the UK Evaluation Society, we are also committed to abiding by their Guidelines for Good Practice in Evaluation. 

The type of personal information we collect  

We may collect and process information from the following individuals and for the purposes of running the business and conducting our work:  

• Business contacts (such as clients; potential clients; sub-contractors; partners; associates and colleagues). 
   

• Project-specific contacts (individuals involved in the development and delivery of the work, i.e. projects and activities that we carry out, typically on behalf of clients).

The information we collect may include name, address, job title, email and telephone number. 

For project-specific contacts that take part as research and evaluation participants or respondents, the information we collect may include your personal opinions, views and experiences, as well as personal information such as name, postcode, gender, occupation, age, date of birth, ethnicity, email and telephone number. The specifics of the personal information collected will be dependent on the project and be project-specific. 

Data collection and purposes 

As per GDPR obligations, we will collect, process and use your information for one of the following purposes: 

Business – legitimate business interests 

Contractual – the fulfilment of a contract 

Consent – we have your consent 

Legal – or for compliance with our legal obligations  

The personal information we collect and process is:  

Provided to us directly by you for one of the purposes as listed above or received indirectly, as part of legitimate business interests or contractual requirements, in the following scenarios:  

• You were selected by one of the client organisations for whom we work 

• You have given permission to supply your details to us for research purposes 

• You have been a participant or respondent in projects, research or evaluations conducted by us and given your permission for us to contact you in the future.

We may also collect information that is publicly available online.  

Research or Evaluation Participants & Respondents 

For individuals invited to take part in research or evaluation activities, such as surveys, interviews and focus groups, we will provide you with details on: the purpose of the research; what information we are collecting; how it will be used, shared and stored securely; and where appropriate, will request your consent. 

Participation in the research and evaluation activities that we conduct is voluntary at all times, and we very much appreciate your time and insight. If you do consent to taking part in the research at the time, you can still withdraw consent and your data at a later date. 

Who we will share information with  

Business contacts will only be shared within Lesley Paterson & Associates Ltd (employees of the company and, where appropriate, its Associates) for business purposes.  

The data and information provided by research and evaluation participants and respondents will be shared with the research team* for data synthesis and quality control purposes. The research team* includes employees of Lesley Paterson & Associates Ltd and may also include its Associates (sub-contracted to that specific project) and other sub-contractors and partners contracted to the project, as may be appropriate. 

In any scenarios that your data will be shared with others, outside of the research team, full details of what information will be shared and with whom and why will be provided, before your participation commences. 

The majority of the data collected is typically coded, aggregated and/or anonymised. This means that for many cases, the participants/ respondents’ names, or any personal identifiers will not be attached to the aggregated data we produce. Where this is not the case, all participants/respondents will be informed prior to taking part in the research, and will request your explicit consent to use share any personal information. 

The anonymised and aggregated data and information will typically be summarised as a written report and shared with the client. Any additional plans for sharing of the report or summarised data will be communicated with the research and evaluation participants/respondents, prior to taking part. 

Storing personal and research data 

 We will maintain appropriate safeguards to ensure the security, integrity, accuracy and privacy of the information you have provided. Personal data will be stored on our systems for as long as is necessary for the relevant activity; anonymised research data will be held for a maximum of five years and thereafter it will be deleted or destroyed. Lesley Paterson & Associates Ltd will maintain the appropriate technical, administrative and physical safeguards to protect the information received or collected by us. This includes ensuring that any security measures taken include: 

• Procedures for securely storing data and restricting access, and techniques for protecting data such as encryption. 

• Controlling physical access security – restricting access to offices, desks, storage areas, and equipment. 

• Investigating breaches of security should they occur – ensuring that any breaches of data security (loss or theft of data, etc) are reported immediately and appropriate actions taken. 

Accessing and updating information 

You are entitled to access the personal information we hold about you and you have the right to update any incorrect information. The accuracy of your information is important to us. If there is any information that you are aware of that we are holding which is inaccurate or becomes out of date, please email lesley.ann.paterson@outlook.com. 

By agreeing to take part in our activities, you’re agreeing to be bound by this policy. 

We may update this policy from time to time; the date of the latest review and/or update is below. 

Date of latest review: 16 July 2024