Privacy Policy
Last updated 21/01/24
Puffin Play Therapy operates www.puffinplaytherapy.co.uk. At Puffin Play Therapy we take our responsibility in respect of the confidentiality and security of data very seriously. As such, this privacy notice outlines how we treat your personal data when you use this website and when you register an interest in becoming a client or you become a client with us.
If you do not want your information to be collected and used as described below, you may revoke your consent, please contact our Data Protection Officer, Becky Blackwell at puffinplaytherapy@gmail.co.uk.
Website Use
We use your Personal Information only for providing and improving the Site. By using the Site, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.
While using our Site, we may ask you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify you. Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to your name (“Personal Information”).
Like many site operators, we collect information that your browser sends whenever you visit our Site (“Log Data”).
This Log Data may include information such as your computer’s Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, browser type, browser version, the pages of our Site that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages and other statistics.
In addition, we may use third party services such as Google Analytics that collect, monitor and analyse this.
Cookies
Cookies are files with small amount of data, which may include an anonymous unique identifier. Cookies are sent to your browser from a web site and stored on your computer’s hard drive.
Like many sites, we use “cookies” to collect information. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our Site.
Communications
If you make contact with us on the e mail provided on our contact page we will use this e mail to contact you to discuss services and referrals. E mails to this address are encrypted.
Should you decide not to go ahead with a service we will not retain this information after you have stated that you do not require a service. If you state that you will require a service within the following 12 months I will retain your information for a 12 month period.
For referrals I will require Parental consent, a referral form and completed Strengths and difficulties questionnaires completed by parents and school, if attending a school setting.
If at the stage of referral I am unable to begin work immediately, your details will be put on a waiting list with information from the forms above. They will be kept on the waiting list for a period of 12 months unless you indicate that you would like these to be removed.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy is effective as of 21/01/24 and will remain in effect except with respect to any changes in its provisions in the future, which will be in effect immediately after being posted on this page.
We reserve the right to update or change our Privacy Policy at any time and you should check this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Service after we post any modifications to the Privacy Policy on this page will constitute your acknowledgment of the modifications and your consent to abide and be bound by the modified Privacy Policy.
If we make any material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you either through the email address you have provided us, or by placing a prominent notice on our website.
When accessing Play Therapy Services
- How we will use your details
a. Your personal contact details (your name, address, phone number and email address)
We will only use this information to contact you or for reporting the progress and results of the therapy for quality assurance purposes. We will only share these details outside of our organisation for medical or legal purposes or, if it is relevant, when our computer systems are being repaired.
b. Your child’s age, sex, ethnic background and why they have been referred for play therapy
We will use this information in reports circulated within our organisation. We use it to assess how effective and efficient the service is for different types of children. If the details contain your or your child’s name, we will mark them as ‘confidential’ and store them securely. If we send this information outside our organisation, we will make it anonymous so that neither you nor your child can be traced.
c. Measures based on the results of questionnaires
You or the person who referred your child for play therapy will fill in these questionnaires. We will use the questionnaires to assess how severe any emotional well-being, behaviour or mental-health issues are so that we can decide how many sessions your child needs and who they should see. We may also use the questionnaires after therapy has started and definitely at the end of therapy to see what changes have happened. If any reports contain your child’s name, we will mark them as ‘confidential’ and store them securely. If we send the reports outside the organisation, we will make the information in them anonymous so that it can’t be linked to you or your child.
d. The activities your child does during the sessions
We use this information to review your child’s progress. We also use it to see which activities help improve children’s emotional well-being and mental health so that we can improve the quality of our therapists’ practice, including their training. If any reports contain your child’s name, we will mark them as confidential and store them securely. If we send reports outside the organisation, we will make the information in them anonymous so that it can’t be linked to you or your child.
Clinical information may also be used in case studies that are used to assess the quality of trainees’ work. We may circulate this information more widely to help other therapists improve their practice. Your child will not be able to be identified from any information used for this purpose.
2 Supervision and quality assurance
All practitioners on the Register of Play and Creative Arts Therapists, managed by PTUK and accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, must have a set number of hours of clinical supervision. The therapist makes a verbal report on each child to a clinical supervisor who is very experienced in working in therapy with children. The child’s progress, including their problems, what they do in the sessions, any significant themes in their play and anything else that is relevant, is discussed. The clinical supervisor assesses and reviews a therapist by providing support and advice, identifying any problem areas and, if necessary, suggesting action to be taken.
Notes may be taken during the discussions between the therapist and supervisor. If these notes contain your or your child’s name, we will mark them as confidential and store them securely. If we send any part of these notes to anyone else or another organisation, we will make your or your child’s personal details anonymous so that you can’t be traced.
3 Play Therapy UK
Play Therapy UK is my professional organisation. It uses information about your child and their play therapy activities to check the quality of therapists’ service, and to update the clinical evidence base (see below) and other research projects which are aimed at improving the quality of therapists’ practice for the benefit of the children they work with.
The clinical evidence base is kept in a secure computer database managed by us. It is used to compare the results of therapy with a child’s characteristics (such as their age, sex, ethnic background and the condition they have been referred with), the number and type of sessions and the therapy activities that have taken place. Doing this helps us to set guidelines of good practice, and to identify any areas of risk or where further investigation (through research) is needed. I make all the information anonymous so that a child cannot be identified in any lists or reports that are produced. When we analyse and report on information, it is based on groups of a minimum number of 200 cases and does not identify any child.
PTUK therapists have to re-register each year. They do this by providing the following information.
- Your child’s age, sex, ethnic background and the condition they were referred to us with
- Measures they have taken based on information from questionnaires
- The therapy activities carried out by the child during the sessions
Fortuna
Fortuna is a highly secure system provided by PTUK for me to record your and your child’s information. Your and your child’s name and address are only processed by me (your therapist), for communication purposes. They are not processed by PTUK except, if relevant, when our computer system is being repaired. Neither are they released by PTUK to any other organisation or person.
Your rights
You have a right to access personal information that we hold about you or your child. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information on individuals’ rights and how to request them.
For details of information I, your service provider, or a clinical supervisor holds, please contact:
For details of information held by Play Therapy UK, please contact:
Data Controller
Play Therapy UK
The Coach House
Belmont Road
Uckfield TN25 1BP.
Phone: 01825 761143