Chatty Children Speech Therapy Privacy Policy
Chatty Children Speech Therapy is an independent speech and language therapy service set up by Lindsey Beer, a qualified Speech and Language Therapist, who is registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC), Royal College of Speech and Language Therapist (RCST) and the Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice (ASLTIP). Chatty Children Speech Therapy delivers an independent speech and language therapy service to children in the home and/or educational setting.
Chatty Children Speech Therapy is committed to protecting the privacy of information. When you use Chatty Children Speech Therapy you trust us with your information. This privacy policy is meant to help you understand what data we collect, why we collect it, and what we do with it. We have tried to make it as simple as possible but if you have any questions please contact us.
Lindsey Beer the owner of Chatty Children Speech Therapy assumes the function of data controller and supervises the compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) within the business.
1. Information we collect
2. Where we get our information
3. How we use the information and protect it
4. Information we share
5. How and when consent is obtained
6. Protecting your rights to data
1. Information we collect
Chatty Children Speech Therapy holds personal data as part of conducting a professional service. The data follows under the following headings: healthcare records, educational records, clinical records, general administrative records, and financial records.
A health care record refers to all the information collected. To provide a high-quality service and meet best practice requirements a range of information is collected about your child and you as the parent/guardian.
Examples of data collected includes
Contact details: Name, address, phone numbers, e-mail address,
Personal details: date of birth
Other contacts: name and contact details of GP and any other relevant healthcare professionals involved.
Parent/guardian details
Description of family
Educational placements
Pre- and post-natal history: This can include information relating to mother’s pregnancy, and child’s birth.
Developmental data: developmental milestones, feeding history, audiology history.
Medical details: such as any relevant illnesses, medications, and relevant family history. Reports from other relevant allied health professionals such as: Audiology, Psychology, CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services), Occupational therapy, Physiotherapy, Ophthalmology.
Educational records-Relevant Individual Educational Plans (IEPs), progress notes from educational staff and school reports may be held.
Clinical records-Specific data in relation to communication skills may be collected and held, such as assessment forms, reports, case notes, e-mails, text messages and transcripts of phone. Audio and video files may also be collected and stored.
General administrative records-Chatty Children Speech Therapy may hold information regarding attendance reports and accident report forms.
Financial records-A financial record pertains to all financial information concerning the practice, e.g. invoices, receipts, information for Revenue. Chatty Children Speech Therapy may hold data in relation to receipts and invoices. Information will include name of bill payer, client identification information, address and record of invoices and payments made.
2. Where we get our information
Information about your child may be collected via spoken or written information from parents/guardians. With parental consent, information may also be collected from other professionals working with your child (such as teachers, nursery staff). We may also collect information about family members where this relates to your child e.g. contact details for parents and relevant medical or developmental history. A record of your consent is kept within your child’s records.
You may use the Chatty Children Speech Therapy website without providing any personal information. However, if you wish to make an enquiry via the website, you are requested to provide relevant contact details, such as your name, e-mail address and contact telephone number to enable us to respond to your enquiry. You may add comments or queries which might also contain personal information. If your enquiry does not result in your child being seen by Chatty Children Speech Therapy, then this personal information will be deleted once your enquiry has been dealt with. If your child is subsequently seen by Chatty Children Speech Therapy these details may be added to their personal record.
3. How we use the information we collect
Information collected by Chatty Children Speech Therapy via email, our website, telephone or face to face is stored and used to provide assessment and therapy as per the relevant professional guidelines, as well as to maintain the general running of the business, such as running our electronic booking system, keeping our accounts and updating you of any changes in policies or fees. Information may also be used for research purposes, with the written consent of the client or parent/guardian.
Chatty Children Speech therapy retains collected data until your child’s 25th birthday, this is in line with Records Management Code of Practice for Health and Social Care 2016 retention recommendations for children’s records. Following the retention deadline, all data will be deleted.
Chatty Children Speech therapy keeps electronic records of clinical data. Video records and voice recordings relating to client care/videoconferencing records may be recorded with consent, analysed and then destroyed. If written consent is provided to use recordings for training purposes, the client will have the option to withdraw consent at any time.
Chatty Children Speech therapy keeps electronic records of invoices and receipts for those who use services. Section 886 of the Direct Tax Acts states that the Revenue Commissioners require records to be retained for a minimum period of six years after the completion of the transactions, acts or operations to which they relate. Financial Data is kept for 6 years to adhere to Revenue guidelines. Financial Data (including non-payment of bills) can be given to Revenue at Revenue’s request. Exceptions if under investigation or if litigation is likely, files must be held in original form indefinitely, otherwise files are held for the minimum periods set out above.
Information collected is stored electronically on ‘write up’ a cloud based electronic system which is compliant with general data protection regulations. Information is also held on one drive a second cloud based electronic system; all documents held on this system have additional password protection for added security. Any paper based confidential information such as assessments are stored securely in accordance with Data Protection Regulations before being uploaded to ‘write up’ and then destroyed. Videos may be taken of clients with parental consent. These are temporarily stored on a password protected tablet to be analysed by the Speech and Language Therapist. The video is deleted as soon as it has been analysed.
4. Information we share
We do not share personal information with companies, organisations, and individuals outside Chatty Children Speech Therapy unless one of the following circumstances apply:
With your consent:
We will only share your Personal Identifying Information (PII) to third parties when we have express written permission by letter or email to do so. I require opt-in consent for the sharing of any sensitive information. Third parties may include: hospitals, GPs, other allied health professionals, educational facilities.
For legal reasons:
We will share personal information with companies or organisations outside of Chatty Children Speech Therapy if disclosure of the information is reasonably necessary to: Meet any applicable law, regulation, legal process, or enforceable governmental request. Meet the requirements of the Children First Act 2015.
To protect against harm to the rights, property or safely of Chatty Children Speech Therapy, our service users or the public as required or permitted by law. To meet financial requirements: Chatty Children Speech Therapy also is required to share Financial data with Inland revenue or accountancy firm to comply with local tax laws.
5. How and when we obtain consent
Prior to assessment or therapy sessions parents/guardians will be required to sign and agree Chatty Children Speech Therapy terms and conditions. Within this document parents/guardian are directed to this privacy document located on the Chatty Children Speech Therapy website. By signing the terms and conditions and ticking the privacy box you are indicating you have read and understood this privacy policy. A copy of the signed terms and conditions will be saved on your child’s health record on our electronic cloud-based system ‘write up’.
6.Protecting your rights to data
Data requests can be made to access a child’s record by their legal guardian. Data protection legislation gives you, the parent/guardian, various rights. The most important of these are as follows. You have the right to a copy of information we hold about your child and to request it is amended if you feel it is incorrect.
You can access the information we hold about you and your child by writing to us (address will be supplied at point of contact). Please contact us by telephone or email for the address. A copy of your child’s record will be provided within 30 days of receipt of all necessary information. Further information about data protection legislation and your rights is available from the Information Commissioner's Office or by calling 0303 123 1113.