Webinar: Confidentiality, Anonymity and GDPR – Balancing Needs and Rights in Complaint Handling

The first ENOHE webinar of the year will discuss: Confidentiality, Anonymity and GDPR – Balancing Needs and Rights in Complaint Handling

Our three speakers will cover the legal context and Europe’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR); the challenges when a complainant requests anonymity when making a complaint; and considerations around appropriate levels of confidentiality in case handling.

Speakers

Lisa Ibenfeldt Schulz has recently retired from her post as Data Protection Officer at the University of Copenhagen and brings a wealth of knowledge on the legal front.

Jean Grier has retired from the University of Edinburgh, where she was Head of Investigations and Student Casework.  She still works with a number of universities in the UK and Ireland, and is Vice-President of ENOHE.

Felicity Mitchell is the Independent Adjudicator at the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), the independent Ombuds set up to review student complaints in England and Wales.

Abstract
Europe’s GDPR – General Data Protection Regulations – brought some changes to how we handle personal data. At the same time, a student making a complaint might often ask for it to be handled ‘with complete confidentiality’ or might even look for assurance that they can complain anonymously. But the respondent (whether an individual or a department) needs to know what allegations have been made, in order to respond in a meaningful way and hopefully with a view to resolution of the issues.

How do we, as Ombuds and investigators, balance the desire of complainants for the protection of ‘complete confidentiality’ with the natural justice rights of the respondent? How do we provide reassurance to both parties in a dispute and notify the complainant of the outcome without breaching the respondent’s privacy? And under what circumstances can we take matters no further in an ‘anonymous’ complaint?

Format
This webinar will be held online via Zoom and will run for a maximum of two hours, 11.00 – 13.00 CEST. After a brief presentation by each of the speakers, there will be the opportunity for questions and discussion, chaired by Josef Leidenfrost, President of ENOHE.

Fee

Participation for ENOHE members is free.

Participation for non-members costs € 50.

Sign up here:

As ENOHE member (if you have already paid your membership fee for 2022) you just fill out the registration form here.

As non-member, first you transfer € 50 by PayPal here.

(Please also add your full name and email address to the PayPal transfer.)
Then you fill out the registration form here.

Zoom link will be sent out at least three days before the webinar.