Guidance on recording a meeting, note or comment as confidential. Notes, meetings, and comments can be recorded as open or confidential. All notes are open and can been seen by all authorised users unless marked confidential. Marking notes confidential in EUCLID limits access to: the student Student Adviser Wellbeing Service Student Support Team Authorised users will treat all recorded information appropriately and will limit disclosures to the minimum necessary. In the case of very sensitive information, details should not be recorded. At all times, confidentiality needs to be balanced with a level of detail which will inform prompt and effective support. Where a student has raised an issue of concern or a personal matter, which may include information relevant for special circumstances case, a note should be recorded and marked confidential. In general, the details should not be recorded unless the student specifically requests otherwise. The information recorded should be adequate to reflect the situation so that those supporting the student are able to do so but it should not reveal intimate details. The University cannot keep sensitive information without a student’s consent. The student may agree that information can be stored securely by the member of staff, so long as it is not on the public record. You should also have read and considered the implications of the guidance linked below on working with sensitive data, and our privacy statement. Working with sensitive data Privacy statement The following table gives guidance on levels of confidentiality. Level 1 Straightforward, factual information, for example: study advice, programme advice, student reflection, time organisation comments, note of academic/study skills referrals, action points from Student Support staff and student meetings and general advice. Discussion of some topics will involve a number of in-person or email exchanges. In such cases it may be most appropriate to record a summary note at the end of the discussion. Open note – i.e. do not mark as confidential. Level 2 Feedback and/or advice about an academic or pastoral matter. In some cases, it might be appropriate to record most of the advice in an open note, and then attach a confidential comment to the note. Discretionary – record in EUCLID. This may be open or confidential, depending on the context. Level 3 Personal matters, which may be special circumstances, e.g. personal issues affecting a student’s performance which the student agrees can be recorded online so that the University can take appropriate action. Confidential – record in EUCLID. Or make a note that a meeting has occurred on a personal matter and notes are available in the school local case management system. Level 4 Issues that the student does not wish disclosed further or recorded online. If students mention that there are factors which are affecting them, but they do not wish to share this information more widely or for details to be recorded online, they need to understand the implications of this. For example, staff may not be able to take any further action if they may not disclose the issue to relevant colleagues. Note: In cases where you think there is a serious risk to the students’ safety or the safety of others the principle of confidentiality may be overridden by the need to contact the appropriate agencies, for example the health or counselling service or the police. Confidential – statement recorded in EUCLID but no other details noted. A confidential statement is noted: ‘The student disclosed a significant issue that may affect his/her studies and academic attainment. The student asked that it should not be disclosed further or recorded in the online system. The student has been made aware of the implications of this decision which limits the actions the University can take.’ This article was published on 2024-07-29
