Membership

Currently, the SDAP network is free to join and available to all who are involved in the day-to-day management or administration of a TRE.

Event Programme

Regular meetings and events are staged often involving guest speakers and exploring a range of topics that includes, but is not limited to:

  • the use of secure technology
  • information security standards
  • auditing and assurance practices
  • risk-management of profiles, etc
  • confidential sources of data for analysis/research purposes
  • managing analysts and researchers
  • statistical disclosure control

New members have found the group to be an invaluable resource for finding out about how existing facilities have been established, which security standards are applied and the future steps they may consider taking to evolve their secure setting.

Guides and Resources

Guides and Resources have been developed by members within their respective organisations or devised on behalf of SDAP (with funding support) to be shared across the network in the interests of clarifying and encouraging good practice standards. To date, our guides and resources include:

  • Statistical Disclosure Control Handbook
  • Data Awareness Training, comprising of the following modules: the 5 Safes, Data Awareness and Legal Introduction, Safe People, Safe Outputs, Safe Settings
  • Safe Researcher Training
  • Archiving Files in a Secure Data Environment
  • Imports and Outputs
  • Installing and using R in a secure data environment including a step by step guide to install R packages

Training and Professional Development

For individual members, our events and meetings support informal professional development through sharing expertise and good practice about how to set-up, manage and evolve safe settings.

In addition, the following resource has been produced by SDAP members:

This Framework details the competences for staff working in Safe Settings, and how these might apply at different stages of their career. It has been designed primarily for staff development, as a tool for setting objectives, identifying strengths and areas for development, assessing achievements and performance, and preparing for promotion. Additionally, it can be used as part of a recruitment process. It is not prescriptive as standards will vary across safe settings and organisations.

Join the Network

Currently, the SDAP Network is free to join and available to all who fulfil our membership criteria below

  • Safe Data Access Professional: you will be actively involved with the day-to-day management or administration of a Safe Setting (Trusted Research Environment or TRE), or, tasked with establishing or further developing a Safe Setting /TRE. You will be at any one of the following stages in your career working in safe settings:
    • Beginner (new staff member)
    • Mid-Level (1-2 years’ experience)
    • Advanced (2 years’ plus)
  • Institution: you will be linked to a government institution, a Higher Education Institution (HEI), charity or business (not for profit or profit based) with a work email as proof of this formal engagement. Please note, your work email will be linked to our JISC email distribution network, we are unable to add anyone who is not formally linked to an institution.

Benefits of Network Membership

  • SDAP Network: you will be part of an extensive Safe Data Access Professionals network working in the UK.
  • SDAP Network Member’s List: your organization will be referenced in our Member Organisations list, which will be further developed to include basic insights on the safe setting / TRE to which you are linked. Provided you keep us updated, you will be able share your latest developments through the service updates at our quarterly events. You will also be able to share news through our JISC email distribution network.
  • SDAP JISC email distribution network: network members can use this to raise and receive feedback from other members on various issues (e.g. output checking). Members are invited to circulate news, the latest developments in technology, other events, jobs and opportunities.  Finally, we use the mailing list to update members on upcoming SDAP meets or events.
  • SDAP Topic Events (currently online): members are invited to attend a quarterly Topic Event which involves guest speakers and SDAP members presenting on current topics of interest. Our programme of topics is updated every twelve months through consultation with both our Members and Steering Group. Members have the opportunity to learn, share and contribute additional insights.
  • SDAP Member Meetings (currently online): members will be invited to attend the biannual Member Meetings and to connect with other members to share news and opportunities and service update insights.
  • SDAP Projects: members will have the opportunity to actively participate in the development of guides and resources as these arise, and thereby, contribute towards and shape their own sector.
  • SDAP the ‘go to network’ for Safe Data Access Professionals: the last few years has seen a rapid growth in membership and an increased use in our free guides and resources, and website. Read all about it in our Annual Report 2023. Join us and experience the value of being part of this dynamic, member led network.

Our expectations of you

  • You work in Safe Settings / TRE’s or are actively working towards the instatement of a new facilities. We expect our members to be active participants in the safe data access settings and TRE’s infrastructure / sector or with an interest in developing their experience and knowledge of setting up and running TRE’s.
  • A Supportive Network: as a networking platform, one of SDAP’s key roles is connecting our members to share expertise, knowledge and good practice standards, and, to offer each other support, share skills, advice and guidance. We ask our members to collaborate and cooperate in working together, and thereby, actively create a culture based on trust, goodwill and integrity.
  • Respect and Dignity: we presume a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusivity in your conduct and relationship with other members and colleagues. Please refer to our Code of Conduct, for full details. It is the standard of behavior we expect across all our communication platforms, including our events. This is a requirement on joining.
  • Identification: we ask that you ‘celebrate’ yourself as an SDAP Member in two ways; by including SDAP in your online biography and by adding this slide to the end of any public presentation you may be invited to give.

How to Join

If you think SDAP is relevant to your work, and you agree to our Code of Conduct, please sign up to our JISC email list here. Signing up to the list means that you will receive all the information you’ll need regarding upcoming meetings and events.

SDAP Membership Cancellation

You may, of course, cancel your membership at any time by contacting us at sdap@ukdataservice.ac.uk Your details will be removed from our JISC email list and our list of Member Organisations on our website. We will retain a record of cancellation in our confidential filing for ongoing intel and research.