► Confidentiality
UBU Advice Centre
Confidentiality Statement
The advisor will take all reasonable steps to ensure that any information regarding a student or any other person being advised remains confidential to the UBU Advice Centre. No information about a student will be disclosed to any third parties without the student's consent unless there is serious concern about the safety or interests of the student or about others who may be threatened by the student's behavior; or unless the provision of the information is required by law.
Supervision/Consultation
The UBU Advice Centre, however recognizes that information may need to be shared when advisers discuss cases to monitor quality and for purposes of supervision. Staff in the UBU Advice Centre Team will ensure that any such discussions will take place in an appropriate environment and that anyone involved in the discussions is aware of and will follow this confidentiality policy. This will be done anonymously, unless absolutely necessary to reveal the student’s name.
We may also consult a third party, for example, the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA). This will be with the student’s prior consent and we do not identify the student by their name in such instances. The purpose of doing this is so that we can offer the student clear, accurate and professional advice.
Liaison and correspondence
With the express permission of the student, it may be appropriate for the adviser to liaise with, or write to a third party - for example an academic staff member or the Home Office. In the case of telephone calls, the purpose of the call, and the nature and extent of the information to be given, will be agreed with the student prior to the call. In the case of letters, the adviser will agree the contents of the letter with the student before it is sent.
Record Keeping – Immigration Advice
It is professional practice for advisers to keep records on students and their enquiries. All students who come to see the Immigration Advisor will be asked to sign a form agreeing to notes being kept. If a student feels unable to give their permission for us to keep confidential case-notes, we regret that we will be unable to offer them advice. We can, however, meet with them to discuss their reservations and give information on possible referrals to another service.
Case notes from an advice session record the points raised by the student, and the advice or information given by the advisor. Agreed action to be taken is also usually recorded with details of follow-up action and correspondence. A copy is given to the student.
All individual case notes and any records, whether recorded on paper or in an electronic format, are kept securely and will be held for a period of six years in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Standards and other guidance published by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner. This data is also held and processed in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (fully implemented on 1 January 2005) and within the limits agreed with the University's Data Protection Officer.
All other records
All other records relating to advice given are held securely for a duration of five years (unless still on-going).
At the end of the duration for ALL records being held, the information will be shredded. Any existing databases will be deleted.
Data Protection Act 1998
All students have a right to a copy of the data held by the UBU Advice Centre: this will be provided on request for a small fee.
Statistics
The UBU Advice Centre monitors the levels of usage and the quality of the advice and services provided through statistical records. Any statistical records published will be produced in an anonymous format so that individuals cannot be identified.
Last updated July 2009
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