Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, IFF will provide a question by question guidance breakdown for contractors in order ensure the survey is as clear and easy to understand as possible.

In order to maximise response rates, we suggest combining the two surveys. You will need to ensure that the existing resident survey includes all the questions from the A3 survey and that questions are worded exactly as stated in A3.

We have detailed guidance notes about representative and proportional sample sizes which you can refer to, please see section 7.2 of the overall guidance and section 3 of the A3 guidance. The IFF Evaluation Support Team can also share tips to help boost response, so please contact your liaison for further assistance.

Compliance with GDPR legislation is a vital part of conducting survey research. For more detail on GDPR guidance, please see section 3.2 of the overall guidance document and section 2.4 of the A3 Guidance Document.

Minimising bias is essential to ensure data is accurate, representative and fair. The correct way to approach this is detailed in section 7.2 of the overall guidance document.

Collecting data on 'protected characteristics' is a sensitive but necessary task. A summary of what a good ethical framework for collecting data on protected characteristics has been provided here:

• A documented, clear, and compelling purpose/rationale for data collection.
• A strong legal basis and documented compliance with all relevant data protection laws.
• Open and transparent communication with data subjects.
• Voluntary and informed consent (where appropriate).
• Strict security and data minimisation protocols.
• A commitment to a 'prefer not to say' option.
• Regular review of the data collection process and its outcomes to ensure it is achieving its purpose without causing harm.

The legal basis for processing personal data as part of WH:SHF Wave 3 is 'public task', that is the processing is necessary for performance of a task carried out in the public interest.

No, it will be up to GRs to contact residents directly and then provide anonymised data to IFF Research.

The questionnaire is only available in English. If GRs wish to provide residents with an option to complete the survey in a different language, we recommend using professional translation services. You must also carry out appropriate due diligence to ensure the meaning of all questions and answer options are consistent with the English version. IFF will not be able to provide quality checking support on this.

Yes, we will be creating an in depth guidance document on respondent engagement in July. We will inform all GRs when this is ready. Additionally, we will be hosting a workshop-style session in September, to share and discuss different strategies for increasing respondent engagement.

Yes, a cognitive test was undertaken on the A1 form, to ensure that the form was understandable and that GRs would be able to respond to all the required data fields. To help make the forms as easy to complete as possible, we have created specific guidance documents for the A1 and A2 forms.

We have worked with our Data Protection Officer to review GDPR implications and ensure compliance. We will share guidance to help GRs ensure their self-conducted evaluation activities are also compliant, see section 3.2 of the overall guidance document and section 2.4 of the A3 Guidance Document.

The below provides an outline of which self-evaluation activities are in and out of scope for A&A grant funding use. Please note that for all in scope self-evaluation activities, grant recipients must be able to provide evidence of spend via reconciliation and that this should be clearly described in their transaction listings. If you are unsure whether a self-evaluation activity is in scope for A&A grant funding, please contact SHFW3_EvaluationSupport@iffresearch.com.

In scope for A&A use:

• Grant recipients may use A&A grant budget to fund Group A self-evaluation activities (A1, A2 and A3 activities only). This includes internal staff required to deliver these activities.
• Grant recipients can outsource Group A self-evaluation delivery (i.e. A3 resident survey) to contractors, funding it with A&A grant budget.
• For those grant recipients who decide to include additional questions on their A3 resident survey to support their Group B research, they may fund this through A&A grant budget providing the overarching survey is meeting the A3 requirement. Grant recipients may not use A&A grant budget to fund bespoke or additional surveys that are separate to A3.

Not in scope for A&A use:

• Group B activities cannot be funded with A&A grant budget.
• Grant recipients may not fund incentives for the A3 resident survey through their A&A grant budget.

Yes, the template is intended to be used as guidance. While there are yellow-highlighted sections in the template that we've flagged for updates, you are welcome to make additional changes or even create your own privacy notice from scratch. However, please ensure that your Data Protection Officer reviews it to confirm it complies with GDPR requirements.