Terms and conditions

These Terms and Conditions set out the expectations for the service user (you/your child) and Inspired Communication (Inspired Communication/Therapist/we). They govern the contract between us and ensure that both parties are protected in the unlikely event that a disagreement occurs.

Please read the below terms and conditions and contact Inspired Communication (sarah@inspiredcommunication.co.uk) if you have any questions or need clarification.

Declaration is required through the referral form.

1. Consent

Informed written consent will be obtained from parents/legal guardian(s) for all children/young people under the age of 16 years old before assessment or therapy can begin.

Informed written consent will be obtained from individuals over the age of 16 years old before assessment or therapy can begin.

Consent will be obtained prior to the first appointment via a signed electronic consent form.

The signed consent form will be reviewed at the end of each episode of care. Additional consent may be obtained at different times to ensure ongoing informed consent e.g. sharing of information., use of video for assessment.

You can update or withdraw consent at any time with written notice.

The therapist will also obtain consent from you/ your child (e.g. verbal, use of visual, implied through engagement) at the beginning of each assessment / therapy session.

Information will not be disclosed to third parties without written consent, unless required by law or if there are safeguarding concerns.

2. Enquiries and Booking

Within your initial enquiry Inspired Communication will let you know whether we have the correct skills and experience to meet your child’s needs. If we believe that we are not the right therapist for your child, we will signpost you to other professionals, if necessary. In this case, all personal information received by Inspired Communication will be securely destroyed.

Prior to booking an appointment, please read the privacy policy and terms and conditions found on this website. Please read these carefully and ensure that you understand and agree with the contents. If you have any questions, please contact Sarah (sarah@inspiredcommunication.co.uk).

Once you have decided on the service(s) you would like, Inspired Communication will need your child’s name, if not already provided, so they can be added to our electronic notes system- ‘WriteUpp’. This is a secure cloud based service which contains your child’s clinical notes. All information gathered about your child whilst they are receiving services from Inspired Communication are stored here, as outlined in Inspired Communication’s Privacy Policy.

We will then send you some smart forms to complete: referral form with therapy consent form. These must be completed prior to the appointment. Once you have completed these documents they will be submitted to our secure cloud-based service ‘WriteUpp’ where the therapist can access the information to inform assessment plan and future support as outlined in Inspired Communication’s Privacy Policy.

3. Initial Appointment

Prior to your child’s initial appointment you may be sent a range of questionnaires to gather information about your child’s speech, language and communication skills. We may ask these to be completed by you and, at times, their key adults in their learning environment. Your responses will be submitted to our secure cloud-based service- ‘WriteUpp’ and stored in your child’s clinical notes for the therapist to review and use to inform assessment and any further support.

The initial appointment is usually an assessment to determine your child’s speech, language and communication strengths and needs in order to identify appropriate therapy plans, intervention and goals.

We request that an assessment is completed in the first instance either with Inspired Communication or another provider within 6 months of the initial appointment so that an appropriate therapeutic support plan can be identified reflective of your child’s current needs.

If your child has had a recent comprehensive assessment, within 6 months, with identified goals/IEPs/EHCP outcomes, then the first appointment will be a ‘review assessment’ where the therapist will spend time reviewing all the paperwork before seeing your child. They will then have a review session to determine current progress towards these goals/IEPS/outcomes so that the most effective and beneficial therapeutic support plan or package can be identified and commenced.

Any prior assessments/current goals/ IEPs/ EHCP will need to be shared at time of booking the appointment so that the therapist can appropriately plan for the session.

4. EHCPs and Annual Reviews

Inspired Communication can contribute to EHC needs assessment as part of an EHC needs application. Inspired Communication needs to be notified of your intent to apply for an EHCP as well as when the initial request is submitted to the Local Authority to allow for enough time to schedule and complete the assessment and produce the report whilst adhering to the legal deadlines.

Inspired Communication can contribute to Annual Reviews. We require sufficient notice of least 6 weeks, outlining when the Annual Review meeting date is booked for and deadlines for reports in order to schedule assessment and report writing in line with legal deadlines. If the meeting falls on a date where Inspired Communication is already fully booked or it is a non-working day then attendance at the meeting will not be possible. An Annual Review report will be submitted regardless. There is an additional fee for this part of the service.

*Inspired Communication does not write reports for tribunals and is not available as a professional witness in tribunal proceedings.

5. Therapy Support

Therapy support can be delivered at home, in early years settings or educational settings. Therapy support will look different for each child/ young person and their family. Inspired Communication will work with you to identify the best package of support for your child and their current needs.

Inspired Communication’s priority is to create a safe, supportive space where your child feels comfortable and connected. Your child’s interests are used as a starting point, and their strengths are built upon with a focus on working together to explore goals and aspirations.

Sometimes your child may need additional or flexible sessions to build a connection and feel safe with the therapist as well as enabling access to the direct sessions. This will be considered after assessment or after the initial session and a plan agreed between you and the therapist.

Direct therapy sessions are an hour unless agreed otherwise. This hour may include:

• direct work with your child,
• discussion and update on progress with key people,
• demonstration/explanation of follow up activities with key adults,
• writing up of clinical notes,
• providing a summary of the session.

If direct therapy sessions take place in an early years setting or educational setting, and you are unable to attend, feedback can be provided to you after the session either via a short telephone call or a summary email.

Where resources are required to complete a programme, they will be emailed, where possible, for you to print. Where this is not possible, Inspired Communication can provide one copy of a printed and laminated resource. Additional copies will incur a fee. This will be agreed with you.

Some resources are licensed and will need to be purchased by you or your child's educational setting.

6. Payment terms

New Clients and Assessment Services

Full payment is required in advance for all assessment services provided by Inspired Communication.

Once the referral form and consent form has been completed and appointment dates and times have been agreed, an invoice will be issued for the full amount. Payment must be made within 10 working days of the invoice date to secure the appointment. If the first appointment on the invoice is due to take place sooner than 10 working days, the deposit must instead be made no later than 2 days before the first invoiced appointment.

Therapy Support Services

For therapy support services,  payment will be required when the service is completed (for one off supports) or at the end of each month (for ongoing or continuous support). The invoice will be issued on the last Friday of the month. Payment must be made within 10 working days of the invoice.

Additional reports, visits, meetings or resources will be agreed and added to the invoice.

Inspired Communication will seek your agreement prior to undertaking any additional work that will incur further fees.

The preferred method of payment is via bank transfer. (Account information will be on the invoice)

Please use the invoice reference as your reference when transferring the fee.

7. Fee Changes

Fees are subject to annual increases from 01 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, invoiced or paid for.

8. Non-payment

The following process will apply in the event of non-payment:

• Inspired Communication will contact you to remind you that your payment is overdue.
• If the invoice is not paid within 7 days thereafter, you will receive a written notice that assessment, therapy or any future intervention is suspended.
• In the event of non-payment, Inspired Communication reserves the right to refer the matter to a solicitor and to commence legal action.

9. Health Insurance

If you are claiming fees through private health insurance, you will need to pay Inspired communication’s 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.

10. Travel

Mileage is charged at £0.55 per mile for travel to and from the appointment. 

Mileage is not charged for journeys totalling less than 30 miles round‑trip (e.g. 15 miles to and 15 miles from appointment).

A travel‑time fee applies to journeys that exceed 30 minutes each way. This is charged at an hourly rate of £20.

Travel milage is calculated using Google Maps based on the shortest trip mileage and duration.

All journeys are calculated from Inspired Communication’s base. Any travel charges will be included in your invoice.

11. Cancellations

If Inspired Communication needs to cancel an appointment, we will let you know as soon as possible and will endeavour to reschedule the appointment.

Inspired Communication understands that there may be certain situations (such as illness or family circumstances) which means that you need to cancel your child’s appointment at short notice.

If you need to cancel your child’s appointment, please contact Inspired Communication as soon as possible via email, WhatsApp Business, text or telephone.

The session will not be charged if you contact Inspired Communication more than 24 hours before the scheduled appointment.

If you cancel the appointment with less than 24 hours notice of the scheduled appointment, a 25% cancellation fee will be incurred e.g. for a £80 therapy session, £20 will be charged.

12. Non-attendance

The full appointment fee will apply in the event of non-attendance.

Non-attendance includes, but not limited to:

· If you are not in when the therapist comes to a scheduled appointment at your home.

· If your child is not at pre-school or school when the therapist attends an arranged visit.

· Meetings or trainings are cancelled without notification.

It is your responsibility to inform the therapist if your child is not going to be home or at pre-school or school for a scheduled appointment.

13.Data Protection

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

All client details, clinical records and correspondence are stored securely and treated confidentially according to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

All therapy information is stored securely on an electronic system called ‘WriteUpp’.

Reports and programmes are converted into PDF format and password protected when sent via email.

Any paper based confidential information is stored securely in accordance with General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

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.

You may apply in writing to access an electronic copy of your child’s clinical record or to request modifications of any inaccuracies. These requests will be dealt with within 30 days.

For further information please refer to the Inspired Communication’s Privacy Policy on this website (www.inspiredcommunication.co.uk)

14. Safeguarding

Therapists have an enhanced DBS which are renewed on an annual basis. You may request to see the therapists enhanced DBS disclosure certificate at any time.

In the event of a safeguarding concern, where your child or another person is at risk of harm, the therapist has a legal obligation to share that information with relevant professionals in line with the Safeguarding Children’s Act 2004.

Inspired Communication can offer home visits to conduct assessments or deliver therapy. Inspired Communication requests that an adult (over the age of 18 years old) is also present in the house as we will not carry out the service if a child/young person is at home alone. In this instance, Inspired Communication will leave the premises and contact you. The session will still be chargeable.

15. Liaison with other professionals

To offer the best service to your child it is important that therapists liaise with other professionals involved in their care.

This includes people such as NHS Speech and Language Therapists, pre-school/school staff, your child’s GP, or other medical/educational staff.

16. Working hours and availability

Inspired Communication currently works one day per week on a Tuesday. Inspired Communication can be contacted by email, phone and text/ WhatsApp Business and will aim to respond to any queries within 48 hours.

17. Use of photos and videos

For some assessment and therapy supports, video footage is required to support the therapy process. Photos of work completed by your child may also be taken.

Photos and videos are temporarily stored on a password protected mobile phone or iPad. Once the photo or video has been used as needed or uploaded to your child’s clinical record, the photo or video will be permanently deleted from the device.

18. Electronic communication

With your consent, emails will be used for correspondence and to send letters, reports and other documents.

To enhance the security of emails:

• documents will be converted to PDF format and password protected.
• correspondence via email to other professionals will be copied to you as necessary.
• your child’s initials or first name only will be used in correspondence to other professionals.
• some elements of received emails may be redacted when Inspired Communication replies to remove identifiable information.

19. Ending therapy/Transferring of care

• Therapy may end by mutual agreement when goals have been achieved or when therapy is no longer required.
• It may also end because your child’s speech, language and communication needs are effectively supported through their learning environment and confidently supported by key adults.
• You on behalf of your child (under the age of 16) or a young person over the age of 16 years old may withdraw from therapy at any time, but notice should be given in writing, where possible.
• Inspired Communication reserves the right to discontinue therapy if it is no longer appropriate or beneficial for your child.

20. Conflict of interest

Inspired Communication is unable to provide services to any child or family within Northamptonshire. If you have a Northamptonshire home address, Northamptonshire school or Northamptonshire GP please notify Inspired Communication at your earliest convenience via email sarah@inspiredcommunication.co.uk. In this instance, Inspired Communication will be unable to continue proposed services and will redirect you back to ASLTIP ‘find a therapist’ webpage to find an alternative therapist/ speech and language therapy service.

21. Complaints

In the unlikely event that you are not satisfied with the service provided by Inspired Communication, please contact the therapist directly. We will make every effort to resolve this through discussions.

If it is not possible for us to resolve matters, and you wish to formally complain, please contact the Health and Care Professions Council at www.hcpc-uk.org.