Participant privacy notice
What information is collected and why?
As part of the funding arrangements for this programme we must collect evidence of your eligibility and information about your participation in the programme. This will include ID checks, employment status and other evidence required for the programme you are enrolling on. We also need to keep information on your progress through the programme.
This programme is funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) via agreements with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and Thurrock Council. We will only ask you for information required by ESF or otherwise useful in ensuring we provide you with appropriate support. Further information about the European Social Fund can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/esf/home.jsp.
To enrol on a project funded under the ERRG ESF programme you must agree to provide the requested information because Thurrock Council is not able to access the funding for the project without collecting the required information. Thurrock Council is registered to process personal data under the Data Protection Act 2018 {DPA 2018), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and all applicable laws and regulations relating to processing of personal data and privacy, including where applicable the guidance and codes of practice issued by the Information Commissioner.
The purposes of the data processing
The information you provide to the provider that runs the project and Thurrock Council will be shared with the DWP and used to evaluate this project and to report to the provider that runs the project, Thurrock Council and ESF for monitoring purposes, in line with European Commission regulatory requirements. Your information will also be shared with research organisations working on behalf of the DWP who may contact you to discuss your involvement in the project for research purposes. Participation in research is voluntary and you will be asked to consent before taking part in any research activity you may be contacted about.
The DWP may also link your personal details to official administrative records in order to monitor your employment status before your ESF support began and 6 to 12 months after you left. This information may also be shared with research organisations working on behalf of the DWP. However individuals will not be identifiable and you will not be contacted about this research.
Data will not be used or shared for any commercial or marketing purposes. At all times your information will be kept securely, and nobody will have access to it that shouldn’t.
The lawful basis for the processing
For the purposes of GDPR, the DWP is the data controller in respect to information processed which relates to all participation in the European Social Fund. ESF grant beneficiary organisations are data processors in respect to information processed which relates to participants in the operations and projects funded by the European Social Fund.
DWP is not the controller for any other/additional data collected by the provider that runs the project and Thurrock Council that is not essential for delivering the ESF programme, or for any personal data that would normally be collected anyway by the provider that runs the project and Thurrock Council.
The lawful basis for processing personal data under ESF is available is set out in the ESF Programme Action Note 018/18, which is available on GOV.UK at:
The retention periods for the personal data
All personal data held by DWP or research contractors for the purposes of evaluation will be permanently deleted no more than six months after the research has been completed (i.e. when the final report is published on GOV.UK).
Personal data held by DWP for all other ESF purposes as required by European Commission regulations will be retained in line with the current guidance on GOV.UK at:
The rights available to individuals in respect of the processing
If you do not wish your personal data to be used for ESF evaluation purposes, please contact ESF.EVALUATIONS@DWP.GSI.GOV.UK and we will delete your data held for these purposes and you won’t be contacted about participating in research.
More information about how and why DWP uses your personal information, including how to ask for a copy of the personal information DWP holds about you can be found in DWP’s Personal Information Charter at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/personal-information-charter. Information about how to ask for a copy of the information DWP holds about you (known as a ‘Right of Access Request’) can be found at:
