Download pdf version of our Terms and Conditions to Print

Terms and conditions set out the expectations for the service user and the therapist. They govern the contract between us and ensure that both parties are protected in the unlikely event that a disagreement occurs.

Please read my terms and conditions and contact me if you have any questions. Please sign both copies, returning one to me before our first appointment. Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

First Appointment (Assessment)

You will receive a letter confirming the details of your child’s first appointment including date, time, location and fee. You will also be sent a pre-assessment questionnaire to complete and terms and conditions to be signed. Both documents must be returned to me prior to the first appointment.

• At the end of the first appointment, I will explain whether your child requires further speech and language therapy support. This may be further assessment, or therapy.
• I will let you know whether I have the correct skills and experience to meet their needs.
• I will signpost you to other professionals if necessary.

Further Appointments

Your child must have attended an assessment appointment with me before commencing therapy. This enables me to plan appropriate therapy.

• Therapy sessions can be arranged in your home and/or your child’s educational setting.
• Therapy appointments will be agreed and booked in advance. We will agree the number of sessions at the point of booking.
• We will review the need for further sessions at the end of each block of sessions.
• Therapy sessions last an hour unless agreed otherwise. This hour may include direct work with your child, discussion of progress, demonstration/explanation of follow up activities with parents and/or education staff and writing up of notes.
• No fee will be charged for time spent planning outside of the therapy sessions.

Role of the Parent/Carer.

During your child’s therapy I usually provide tasks and activities for you to carry out with your child between therapy sessions. The aim is for you to do 10-20 minutes home practice daily with your child. Completion of these tasks is as important as the therapy sessions themselves, and regular home support usually results in more positive outcomes. It is important that you (or a member of school staff) commit to attend all the agreed therapy sessions.

Fees:

Fees are invoiced at the end of each month. I will seek your agreement prior to undertaking any additional work that will incur further fees. Please refer to ‘Services & Fees’ for current fees.

Fee Changes:

Fees are subject to annual increases from 1 April each year. Existing clients will be given 8 weeks’ notice of any changes in fees Fee increases will not apply to therapy blocks which have already started or sessions which have already been booked or invoiced.

Payment terms:

Invoices must be paid within 30 days of the invoice date.

Non-Payment:

The following process will apply in the event of non-payment: I will contact you to remind you that remind you that payment is overdue.

• If an invoice is not paid within 7 days thereafter, you will receive written notice that therapy is suspended pending payment in full.
• If payment is not received in full within 7 days of therapy being suspended, I reserve the right to refer the matter to a solicitor and to commence legal action.

Health Insurance:

If you are claiming fees through private health insurance, you will need to pay my fees in full in accordance with the payment terms above and then claim this back through your insurance. It is recommended that you check with your insurance company prior to booking appointments to ensure that you are covered.

Travel:

Travel is charged as a proportion of time spent travelling and as a mileage. Please see Services and Fees for costs. Travel times are calculated using The AA Route Planner (www.theaa.com). All journeys are calculated from my base at GU17 0AU.

Cancellations:

I understand that there may be certain situations (such as illness or family circumstances) which mean that you need to cancel an appointment at short notice. If you do need to cancel an appointment please contact me as soon as possible.

• The appointment will not be charged for if a minimum of 24 hours notice is given.
• The appointment will be charged at 50% of the session fee for appointments cancelled before 9am on the day of the appointment.
• If you cancel the appointment after 9am on the day of the appointment, the full fee will be charged.
• If I need to cancel an appointment I will let you know as soon as possible and reschedule the appointment. If I am unable to re-schedule the appointment then no fee will be charged.

Non-Attendance:

The full session fee will apply in the event of non-attendance. Non-attendance includes:

• If you are not in when I come to an appointment at your home.
• If your child is not at school or pre-school when I attend an arranged visit.

It is your responsibility to inform me if your child is not going to be at school or preschool for an appointment. This includes if the school/pre-school are on a trip or have an event in school which means that I am unable to see your child.

Reports and Programmes:

Reports and programmes will be supplied to you on request. Unless expressly included in the session fee or otherwise agreed, an additional fee calculated by reference to hourly rates will be charged for writing reports and/or programmes. Reports and/or programmes can be shared by you with other professionals as you choose. Reports and/or programmes will be sent to you via post or by email as you prefer.

Discharge Criteria

Parents are free to withdraw from treatment at any time. The therapist may also withdraw treatment or discharge the child for any of the following reasons;

• The child’s speech and language skills are within the normal range for their age.
• The child is no longer making progress (this is normally looked as no progress for 3+months despite input).
• All appropriate strategies are in place and advice has been given.
• Therapy/intervention is not deemed appropriate by the therapist.

Data Protection:

I am registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) as a Data Controller. You can view my ICO registration by visiting: ICO registration.

All client details, case notes and correspondence will be stored securely and treated confidentially according to General Data Protection Regulations and the Data Protection Act 1988. Information is stored on a secure electronic system called “WriteUpp”. Reports and programmes are password protected. Any paper based confidential information is stored securely in accordance with General Data Protection Regulations and the Data Protection Act 1988. In accordance with law, all records will be kept securely until your child is:

• 25 year old.
• 26 years old, if they were 17 years old at date of discharge.
• 8 years after discharge for all young people over the age of 18 at date of discharge.

After this time all records relating to your child will be destroyed. You may apply in writing to access an electronic copy of your child’s notes or to request modifications of any inaccuracies. These requests will be dealt with within 30 days. For further information please refer to the KidsTalkMatters Privacy Policy.

Safeguarding:

All therapists who work for KidsTalkMatters hold an DBS enhanced disclosure. You may ask to view this at any time. DBS enhanced disclosures are routinely shown to school on the first visit. In the event of a safeguarding concern, where your child or another person is at risk of harm, I have a legal obligation to share that information with relevant professionals in line with the Safeguarding Children's Act 2004.

Liaison with other professionals:

To offer the best service to your child it is often important for me to liaise with other professionals involved in their care. This includes people such as NHS Speech and Language Therapists, school/pre-school staff, your GP and other medical/educational staff, your child’s local educational authority. You will be asked for consent for us to contact professionals involved in your child’s care.

Working hours and availability:

I work Monday to Friday, between the hours of 9am and 4pm. I can be contacted by email or phone and I aim to respond within 2 working days.

Use of video and audio recording:

Some assessment and therapy techniques involve the use of video or audio recording. The videos/audio recordings are temporarily stored and will be deleted once viewed. A copy of any recordings can be sent to you on request.

Electronic communication:

Email is not a 100% secure method of communication. With your consent, it will be used for correspondence and to send letters, reports and other documents. Documents will be password protected and saved in Printed Document Format (PDF). Correspondence via email to other professionals will be copied to you as necessary. I will refer to your child in emails by their initials only.

Complaints:

In the unlikely event that you are not satisfied with my service please contact me. I will make every attempt to resolve this through discussion. If it is not possible for us to resolve matters, and you wish to complain formally, please contact the Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice at www.helpwithtalking.com

Review of Terms & Conditions

These Terms & Conditions are subject to review and may change. You will be given a minimum of 30 days notice of any changes.

Download pdf version of our Terms and Conditions to Print