Generation New Era: Stories Privacy Notice

Privacy Notice for Participants of Generation New Era families: Stories (GNE: Stories)

Version 1: Applicable from: 30 September 2026

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Contents

About Generation New Era: Stories
About this privacy notice
Giving and withdrawing your permission to take part in Generation New Era: Stories
Data controllers
Lawful basis for processing
Your individual information rights
Personal data we collect about you
Personal information that we collect from other sources
Why we process your data
Who we share your data with
Transfers of data outside of the UK
Data security
How long we keep your data for
Complaints
Further information

About Generation New Era: Stories

Generation New Era: Stories (GNE: Stories) is a qualitative research study that is part of Generation New Era. This study is led by Professor Katherine Twamley at Social Research Institute (SRI) of University College London (UCL) and Dr Michelle Sleed at the Anna Freud, a mental health charity for children and young people. SRI is a world-leading centre for policy-oriented social science research centre. It carries out groundbreaking studies of children’s lives and the life circumstances of families. UCL’s Centre for Longitudinal Studies, who run the Generation New Era study, is also based within SRI, and is part of the team running GNE: Stories. 

GNE: Stories is designed to provide a fuller picture of the family lives of Generation New Era 
study participants by inviting mothers, fathers and carers to talk about their everyday family lives, experiences of raising a young child, family relationships, work and care, services, place, housing, health and wellbeing, and their hopes and aspirations for their children in their own words. These stories can help shape the future for UK families. 

Before we start a larger GNE: Stories study, we will test out ways to reach out to families and the ways in which we interview them. This is called a pilot study. Families invited to take part in GNE: Stories will be drawn from families who have taken part in the Generation New Era pilot survey and have indicated that they are willing to hear more about GNE: Stories. 

About this privacy notice

This privacy notice informs participants who took part in, or who are invited to take part in, Generation New Era Stories about data that we collect about you for the study and how it will be used for research purposes. 

GNE: Stories study team (‘we’, ‘our’ and ‘us’) values your contribution to Generation New Era Stories (‘the study’). We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy notice tells you why and how we collect and use your personal data and provides information about your rights. This privacy notice applies to personal data provided to us, by you and information about you provided to us by the Generation New Era study team. It should be read alongside the Generation New Era privacy notice, which explains how data are collected and used for the wider study.  

We apply to the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS), which is in charge of the Generation New Era study, for a list of Generation New Era pilot study participants who have agreed to be contacted about GNE: Stories. We will use their names, addresses and contact details to invite families to take part in GNE: Stories. To support the selection of a diverse range of families, CLS will also share limited demographic and household information you provided in your interview, including sex, gender, language spoken, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, parental partnership status and religion. We will also use this additional information for the purposes of understanding who does and doesn’t take part in the GNE: Stories study. 

We collect data from participants by inviting them to talk about their family relationships, caring responsibilities, parenting, work and daily life, and their hopes and concerns for their children’s future.   

We use the terms ‘you’ or ‘your’ in this document when referring to participants. 

Giving and withdrawing your permission to take part in Generation New Era: Stories

We seek your informed consent to be part of the study. We provide you with information about the study and how your information will be used. We do this so that you know what to expect when you choose whether you would like to take part. You can tell us at any time that you no longer want to be contacted about the study.  You do not need to give a reason for this.

Data controllers

UCL is the Data Controller of the study. UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS) is responsible for deciding how and why personal data are processed for this study. Where GNE: Stories team receives information from CLS for the purpose of contacting interested families and selecting a participant, this will be done under agreed data sharing and data processing arrangements.  

The ethics approval number: REC2435: Raising Generation New Era (R-GNE) 

The data protection number: Z6364106/2026/07/141 social research 

Contact details of the Data Controller

You can contact us at the details below if you: 

• Have any questions about the study or the way that we process your data 

• Want to opt out of taking part in the study, to withdraw from the study 

• Want to use your individual information rights 

• Want to update your contact details 

Email: gnestories@ucl.ac.uk 

Phone: 0776 096 2910 
Post: GNE Stories UCL, UCL Social Research Institute, 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AL  

Contact the Generation New Era study team 

Phone: 0808 175 6330 
Email: gnestudy@ucl.ac.uk 

Contact details of the UCL Data Protection Officer (DPO)

If after contacting us, you need more help or wish to complain about how we use your personal data or use any of your individual information rights, please contact UCL’s DPO: 

Email: data-protection@ucl.ac.uk 

Post: Data Protection Officer, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT.  

Lawful basis for processing

Study data is processed for research purposes under GDPR Article 6 (e) ‘Public task’. GNE: Stories process sensitive or special category personal data for research purposes under Schedule 1, Paragraph 4 of the DPA 2018. Consent is not the UK GDPR lawful basis for processing study data for research purposes. 

If required, we may also process your personal data according to GDPR Article 6(c): ‘processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject’. 

The legal bases within GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 are separate and in addition to, the permission you gave to take part in the study. 

Your individual information rights

You are free to choose whether to provide us with your personal data. The UK GDPR gives people rights over their data. Some of these rights depend on the reason for collecting your data and do not apply in every circumstance. These rights, therefore, may be subject to our policies or ‘exemptions’ (opt outs) allowed by the UK GDPR. You can contact us at any time to tell us: 

• to stop processing your data, or data you have provided to us about your partner, your child, or other family members for research 

• to inform you about how your information is being used. We do this in this privacy notice.  

• to give you access to copies of your personal information. 

• to rectify information that is factually inaccurate or misleading (e.g., to correct incorrect contact details). 

• to erase (delete) your data in certain circumstances, (e.g., to delete incorrect contact details or data that is no longer required, or we’re legally required to erase). 

• to restrict (limit) processing of your data in certain circumstances, for example if your contact details are incorrect. 

• you object to the way we process your data. 

• you want to use the right to data portability: You can receive a copy of your electronically held data and reuse it. We cannot send your data to others at your request. 

• you want to use your right to object to solely automated decision making and profiling with legal effects for you: We use your data for research purposes and not to make decisions that would affect you individually. 

When you contact us to exercise your rights, we will: 

• tell you that your request has been received 

• write to tell you if your request is not applicable and give the reasons 

• act on your request within the time period required by the current data protection law 

• write to inform you if we need to extend the period of time required to respond due to the complexity 

Personal data we collect about you

Personal data, or personal information, means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified. Access to personal data is strictly controlled. The study collects, uses, and stores different kinds of personal data about study members. The data that we will hold for the study includes: 

Information used to invite you and arrange an interview 

• your name and contact details, such as postal address, email address and telephone number; 

• information about whether you have expressed interest in hearing more about GNE: Stories; 

• records of contact with you, such as whether we sent an invitation, whether you replied, and whether you agreed to take part; 

• practical information needed to arrange the interview, such as interview mode, accessibility needs, language needs, and availability. 

Information used to select a diverse qualitative sample 

To help us select a diverse qualitative sample, we may receive a limited set of information from the Generation New Era survey. This may include information about family structure, household composition, broad location, interview mode, parent/carer characteristics, socioeconomic circumstances, religion and other variables relevant to sampling. 

Information collected during the interview 

• audio recordings of interviews, and where relevant video-call recordings 

• interview transcripts; 

• fieldnotes written by the researcher about the interview context, such as interview mode, visual cues, interruptions, interaction between couples, rapport, and reflections on how the interview went; 

• your views and experiences shared during the interview, including information about family life, parenting, relationships, work, care, health and wellbeing, housing, services, place and your child’s early life; 

• your reflections on taking part, including views on interview format and study materials. 

Special category personal data 

During interviews, you may choose to share information that is classed as special category personal data. This could include information about health, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other sensitive matters. You do not have to answer any question you do not want to answer. 

Information about other people 

During interviews, you may mention your child, partner, other family members, friends, professionals or services. We will treat this information carefully and will remove or change names and other identifying details where possible during transcription, anonymisation and analysis. 

Why we process your data

1. To contact you about GNE: Stories

We process your contact details so that we can send you information about GNE: Stories, answer your questions, invite you to take part, arrange an interview, and keep a record of whether you do or do not want to be contacted further. 

2. To select a diverse pilot sample

We process limited information from the Generation New Era survey to help us include families with a range of circumstances and experiences. The purpose is not to make decisions about you as an individual, but to test whether GNE: Stories recruitment materials and interview methods work well across different family contexts. 

3. To carry out qualitative interviews

We process interview recordings, transcripts and fieldnotes so that we can understand parents’ and carers’ experiences in depth and evaluate different qualitative interview modes, including online and in-person interviews, joint interviews and individual interviews. 

4. To analyse and report the research

We analyse interview data to understand family experiences and to inform the design of the full GNE: Stories in the future. We may publish or share research findings in reports, academic publications, presentations, training materials and study updates. We will not use your name or other directly identifying details in these outputs.  

5. To keep records and manage the study

We keep records of consent, contact, withdrawal requests and study administration so that the study is conducted responsibly and in line with UCL policies, ethical approval and data protection requirements. 

6. To meet safeguarding and legal obligations

There may be rare occasions where we need to use or share personal information to protect you or someone else from serious harm, or where we are legally required to do so. For example, if something you tell us indicates that a child or adult is at risk of harm, we may need to share relevant information with appropriate safeguarding professionals or public authorities. 

Who we share your data with

We will only share your data where this is necessary for the study, where appropriate safeguards are in place, or where we are required to do so by law. 

Data or information	Who may receive it	Purpose
Contact details and recruitment records	GNE: Stories study team; GNE study team, both at UCL	To invite interested families, arrange interviews, manage recruitment and keep records.
Selected information from Generation New Era survey interview	GNE: Stories study team from GNE colleagues, both at UCL	To select a diverse GNE: Stories sample and understand the recruitment process.
Interview recordings	GNE: Stories study team at UCL; approved transcription service if used	To produce transcripts for analysis. Transcription providers must process data securely and under contract or approved arrangements.
Interview transcripts and fieldnotes	GNE: Stories study team, UCL	To analyse interview data and produce research findings.
De-identified findings and quotations	Funder, advisory groups, academic audiences, policy/practice audiences, public reports and publications	To share what the study has found. We will not include names or directly identifying details.

Transfers of data outside of the UK

We do not intend to transfer GNE: Stories research data outside the UK. 

Data security

We have put in place appropriate security and organisational measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used, or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed.  

• Contact details and consent records will be stored securely and separately from interview transcripts. 

• Interview data will be pseudonymised or anonymised as early as practicable. 

• Names and other direct identifiers will be removed or changed in transcripts and outputs. 

• Files with personal data such as names and contact details will be stored in UCL Data Safe Haven, a UCL-approved secure systems, and anonymised research data will be stored in the GNE: Stories project folder on the UCL shared drive for analysis, or password-protected laptops and shared through Teams. 

• Data will be transferred securely, using approved encrypted transfer routes where needed. 

• If a personal data breach is suspected, UCL procedures will be followed and relevant people or authorities will be notified where required by law. 

We have established procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify study members and any applicable public body of a breach where we are legally required to do so. 

How long we keep your data for

We keep your sampling data for as long as is required for the purposes of research and for up to a maximum of five years.  

• Contact details used only for GNE: Stories recruitment will be kept in DSH for up to five years. 

• Consent records will be kept for the period required by UCL policy and research governance requirements. 

• Interview recordings will be deleted once they have been transcribed and checked. 

• Pseudonymised or anonymised transcripts, fieldnotes and analysis files will be retained securely for up to five years after the end of the pilot. 

• GNE: Stories pilot research data will not be deposited with the UK Data Service or made available to external researchers as an archived dataset. 

Further information on how long we keep records for is included in the UCL records retention schedule: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/about-us/records-office/records-retention.  

Complaints

Those who wish to complain about our use of personal data, may send an email with the details of the complaint to the Data Protection Officer (data-protection@ucl.ac.uk) so that we can look into the issue and respond. 

Study respondents also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) (the UK data protection regulator). For further information on information rights and how to complain to the ICO, please refer to the ICO website: https://ico.org.uk.

Further Information

This privacy notice supplements the following UCL Privacy Notice(s): Research participants for health case purposes privacy notice: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/legal-services/privacy/ucl-general-privacy-notice-participants-and-researchers-health-and-care-research-studies. 

Version control

We keep this privacy notice under regular review to make sure it is up to date. The last update was on: 30 September 2026.