Privacy policy
A starting point, not legal advice. This page was drafted as a sensible baseline for a small paediatric therapy practice. Have it reviewed against your own circumstances before relying on it.
Who I am. Anjali Rao, paediatric speech and language therapist, trading as Lark Speech Therapy, 5 Church Street, Caversham, Reading RG4 8DZ. For anything in this policy, email hello@larkspeech.co.uk.
Children's information comes first
Most of the personal information this practice ever holds is about children, and UK GDPR is explicit that children's data deserves particular protection. I agree with the law on this one wholeheartedly. In practice that means:
- I collect the minimum needed to assess and help your child, and nothing for marketing, ever.
- Everything held about your child is available to you as their parent or guardian, and is shared with no one else without your explicit consent, except in the narrow safeguarding circumstances described below.
- Children are never named, pictured or identifiably described anywhere on this website. Parent words on the site are anonymised and shared with written permission.
What this website collects
As little as possible, on purpose.
- The contact and enquiry forms collect your name, your email address and whatever you choose to write, nothing more. Please don't include your child's full name, date of birth or detailed health information in a web form. It isn't needed at the enquiry stage, and a website form isn't the right place for it; anything clinical is gathered securely once we're actually working together. Messages are delivered by Formspree and arrive in my practice inbox.
- Booking a chat happens through Cal.com, which asks for your name, email and chosen time under its own privacy policy.
- Analytics. This site uses Plausible, a privacy-first service that counts visits without cookies and without identifying you. No advertising trackers, ever.
Clinical records
Assessment findings, session notes, reports and anything else about your child's therapy are not held on or connected to this website. They're stored securely and confidentially, in line with HCPC standards and RCSLT guidance. Children's health records are kept for longer than adult ones: in line with UK health-records guidance I keep them until your child's 25th birthday, after which they are securely destroyed.
Who I share information with
Nursery, school, your GP or NHS speech and language therapy services: only ever with your explicit consent, and you see what's shared before it goes. The single exception is safeguarding. If I believed a child was at risk of harm, I have a professional and legal duty to share that concern with the appropriate services. I explain plainly how that works before we start, and wherever possible I would talk it through with you first.
Your rights, and your child's
Under UK GDPR you can ask what personal data I hold about you or your child, ask for a copy, ask for corrections, or ask for deletion. Clinical records carry retention rules I'm required to follow, and I'll always explain exactly what applies. As children grow older they gain rights over their own information too, and a young person's own voice is taken seriously here. Email me and I'll respond within a month. If you're unhappy with how I've handled your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.