9. How will the University use my Next of Kin and emergency contact information?
We request and store details of next of kin and emergency contact details for students in order to exercise our duty of care (and in the case of Tier 4 students this is a requirement of the visa). This information is stored on the relevant University information systems (e.g. Salesforce, Unit-E) in accordance with legislative requirements including the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018.
We use these details very rarely. It is the University’s usual policy to correspond with students and not next of kin or emergency contacts. This means that the University will not usually give information to parents or legal guardians regarding the student’s progress, results or any other personal circumstance unless the student has given specific consent or specific circumstances apply when the University is obliged to contact their named next of kin or emergency contact.
Wherever possible, the student’s permission will be sought prior to us contacting their next of kin or emergency contact. If this is not possible, for instance because the student is incapable or unconscious, or if permission is denied or the law requires it, in very exceptional circumstances the University may contact the next of kin or emergency contact. This will normally be where there are serious concerns for the welfare of the individual student for example, the University becoming aware of the student being admitted to hospital, a serious illness (mental or physical), serious incident, or when a student is seemingly ‘missing’. Making a decision to contact a next of kin or emergency contact will only be made by a senior manager of the University, usually within Academic Registry and Student Services or the University Executive Leadership Group.
It is the responsibility of students to notify the University in the event the details of their next of kin or emergency contact change throughout the academic year.