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, sole trader trading as Chatty Children Speech Therapy, is the Data Controller for the purposes of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
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 include:
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 or notes of telephone calls. 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.
Information shared with Chatty Children Speech Therapy is treated confidentially. However, confidentiality may need to be broken where there are safeguarding concerns, risk of harm, or where disclosure is required by law or professional obligations.
Chatty Children Speech Therapy processes personal data under Article 6(1)(b) UK GDPR (performance of a contract) and Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR (legitimate interests). Health information is processed under Article 9(2)(h) UK GDPR for the provision of health care and treatment.
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 are retained in accordance with the NHS Records Management Code of Practice for Health and Social Care. 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 HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) 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 ‘WriteUpp’ a cloud based electronic system which is compliant with general data protection regulations. Information is also held on Microsoft OneDrive 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 ‘WriteUpp’ 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 data 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 Act 1989 and Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance.
To protect against harm to the rights, property or safety 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 ‘WriteUpp’.
6. Use of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Chatty Children Speech Therapy use AI tools to assist in the accuracy and efficiency of record keeping. Heidi AI is used for the following reasons: post-session dictation: after most sessions, the therapist may dictate a summary into Heidi, an AI medical scribe securely hosted by Heidi Health Pty Ltd. Heidi converts the dictation to text and immediately deletes the audio once the transcript is produced. The resulting note becomes part of your child’s therapy record. On occasions, optional live transcription could be used, where your child’s session is transcribed in real time. This could be used in complex cases. The transcript becomes part of your child's therapy record. We will always give you and your child the option of whether we use this live transcription. Personal data is retained by our transcription provider Heidi AI for a maximum period of 30 working days, after which point it is securely deleted.
Heidi acts as a data processor and operates as a "business partner" to healthcare providers, adhering to strict data privacy standards. All data is stored and processed within the UK. Data is encrypted during processing, and temporary audio recordings are deleted upon completion of the clinical note. They are compliant with NHS Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC), Cyber Essentials, and Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT).
ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot Chatty Children Speech Therapy may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, to support administrative and clinical tasks such as generating therapy resources, drafting documents, improving efficiency, and assisting with general practice administration. No personally identifiable information, confidential client details, or sensitive health information is entered into these AI systems.
AI tools are used only to support administrative efficiency and documentation. Clinical decisions are always made by a qualified Speech and Language Therapist and are not made solely by automated systems or AI tools.
All client information continues to be handled in accordance with applicable data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018
7. Website Cookies and Online Forms
The Chatty Children Speech Therapy website uses cookies and similar technologies to help improve website functionality, monitor website performance, and provide users with a better browsing experience.
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. Some cookies are necessary for the website to function properly, while others help us understand how visitors interact with the website.
The website may use the following types of cookies:
Essential cookies – required for the operation, security, and basic functionality of the website.
Analytics cookies – used through Google Analytics to collect anonymous information about how visitors use the website, such as pages visited and time spent on the site. This helps improve website performance and user experience.
Functional cookies – used to support website features such as embedded content and forms.
The website may also display embedded Google reviews. Google may place cookies or collect usage information when this content is viewed. Further information about how Google processes data can be found in Google’s Privacy Policy.
If you complete an online contact form, the personal information you provide (such as your name, email address, telephone number, and enquiry details) will only be used to respond to your enquiry and provide information about our services. Information submitted through the contact form will be stored securely and will not be shared with third parties unless required by law or with your consent.
Where non-essential cookies are used, these will only be activated with your consent through the website cookie banner. You can also control or disable cookies through your browser settings at any time. Please note that disabling some cookies may affect website functionality.
For more information about how Google uses information collected through its services, please see:
Google Privacy Policy
8. 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 We will usually respond within one month as required by UK GDPR. 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.
If you have questions about this privacy notice or your data, please contact:
Lindsey Beer
Chatty Children Speech Therapy
Email: slt@chattychildrenslt.co.uk
Address: 28 Maes Cantref, Llanilid, CF724AD
Last updated: May 2026