POLICY

Speaking Sense is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office and holds a data protection registration.

What information does Speaking Sense collect?

Information about your child may be collected via spoken or written means from parents/carers.

This includes:

• Child’s name, address, Date of Birth
• Telephone numbers
• Email address

With parental consent, information may also be collected from other professionals working with your child (such as teachers, nursery staff, childminders, NHS SLTs). We may also collect information about family members where this relates to your child e.g. contact details for parents/carers and relevant medical and developmental history.

You may use the Speaking Sense 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.

The website contains links to other Internet sites which are outside our control and are not covered by this privacy policy.  We are not responsible for data which you provide through any such linked websites.

How does Speaking Sense use the information we collect?

Personal information collected by us via the Speaking Sense website, email, telephone, SMS, social media and face to face is stored and used by us for delivering your child’s speech and language therapy.

We use this information:

• To prepare, plan and provide speech and language therapy services appropriate for your child’s needs.
• To communicate with you via post, email, telephone, SMS, social media and face to face in relation to: – confirming and preparing for appointments – general communication between appointments – sending you reports, programmes and resources for your child – copying you in to communications with other professionals involved with your child (your child’s initials or first name will be used in emails rather than their full name) – sending you invoices and receipts.
• For management and administration, for example client information is included in a password protected spreadsheet

Any sensitive personal details are stored in a secure and confidential system and processed in confidence by Speaking Sense and shall only be used for the purposes of delivering appropriate speech and language therapy services to your child.

With your consent, information about your child’s speech and language needs will be shared with other professionals involved in your child’s care, when it is in your child’s best interests.  A record of your consent is kept within your child’s case notes.

Unless we are required to do so by law, we will not disclose any personal information collected to any person other than that agreed in advance.

How we store personal information

All information about you, your child and their speech and language therapy is stored securely to ensure that we have a complete record of our service to them.  Electronic communications and documents which contain confidential information, such as reports and programmes are stored on password protected devices from the outset.  Any paper based confidential information such as assessments are stored securely in a locked filing cabinet.  This is locked at the end of the working day and when out of the house.

Videos may be taken of clients, with parental consent. These are stored on a password protected tablet.  These may then be viewed by the SLT to make notes in a client record within 24 hours of the child’s appointment. The video is then stored on this device for the period of treatment and this is agreed from the outset.

The minimum amount of confidential information will be taken out of the SLT’s office base.  When your child’s information is taken out of the office base it will be kept with the SLT or will be locked in the boot of the SLT’s car (whichever is deemed to be the most secure at that time).

In accordance with law, all records will be kept securely until your child is 25 years old. This is due to legal requirements that state that any legal disputes (i.e. tribunals) can be raised about a child’s care up until the age of 25 years. After this time all records relating to your child will be destroyed.

How we store personal information

All information about you, your child and their speech and language therapy is stored securely to ensure that we have a complete record of our service to them. Electronic communications and documents which contain confidential information, such as reports and programmes are stored on password protected devices from the outset. Any paper based confidential information such as assessments are stored securely in accordance with Data Protection Regulations.

Videos may be taken of clients, with parental consent. These are temporarily stored on an encrypted and password protected tablet. These may then be viewed by the SLT in order to make notes in a client record within 24 hours of the child’s appointment. The video is then deleted.

The minimum amount of confidential information will be taken out of the Speech and Language Therapist’s office base. When your child’s information is taken out of the office base it will be kept with the Speech and Language Therapist or will be locked in the boot of the Speech and Language Therapist’s car (whichever is deemed to be the most secure at that time).

In accordance with law, all records will be kept securely until your child is 25 years old. After this time all records relating to your child will be destroyed.

UK Data Protection Law and EU General Data Protection Regulations

Data Protection Law lays down wide-ranging rules, backed up by criminal sanctions, for the processing of information about identifiable, living individuals. It also gives individuals certain rights in relation to personal data held about them by others.

Hannah Koeller is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a Data Controller.

Our lawful basis for processing personal information

Our lawful basis for processing and storing personal information is one of ‘legitimate interest’ (under article 6 of GDPR).  We cannot adequately deliver a service to your child without processing their personal information.   As it is both a necessity for our service delivery and of benefit to your child, we have a legitimate interest to process and store their data.

Data relating to an individual’s health is classified as ‘Special Category Data’ under section 9 of the GDPR.  The regulations specify that health professionals who are “legally bound to professional secrecy” may have a lawful basis for processing this data.  SLTs are legally bound to keep client information confidential and it is under this condition that we process and store personal information.

The routine Speaking Sense follows in the event of a data breach

• Risk assessment undertaken as to the risk of data that is leaked.
• Police informed as appropriate.
• Clients informed if there is a significant risk to their personal data.
• ICO informed as appropriate.

Your rights and how to access your child’s records

Data protection legislation gives you, the parent/carer, various rights.  The most important of these are as follows:

• You have the right to a copy of information we hold about your child.
• You have the right to ask for your record to be amended if you believe that it is wrong.

You can access the information we hold about you and/or your child by writing to us at the address given below. This request can also be made via email or through a verbal request.

A copy of your child’s records is provided free of charge.  We will provide access to your child’s records within a month of receipt of all necessary information.

Please make your request in writing to:

Speaking Sense, 38 Sentrys Orchard, Exminster, EX6 8UD

The policy may be reviewed and updated where required.  Please contact me to discuss any questions you have about the policy.

Please note, this policy may be reviewed and updated where required. Should you have any questions about the policy, please get in contact to discuss these further.