Privacy Policy

Who we are

Steps to Thrive is the independent practice of Dr Johannah Slifi, an Educational Psychologist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). For the purposes of UK data protection law, Dr Slifi is the data controller for any personal information you share with this practice. You can contact her at jo@stepstothrive.co.uk or on 07956 724357.

What information is collected

Most people contact this practice through the website contact form, by email, or by phone. The information typically collected is:

• Your name and the name of the child or young person the enquiry concerns
• Your contact details (email address and phone number)
• A short description of what you are seeking support with

If a piece of work goes ahead, further information will be collected during the work itself, for example background information shared during consultations, observations, school records you choose to share, and notes made during assessments. That clinical information is held separately from website enquiries and is governed by the professional record-keeping standards of the HCPC and the Association of Educational Psychologists.

This website does not use tracking cookies, advertising pixels, or third-party analytics that profile visitors. See the Cookies notice for more detail.

Why this information is used (lawful basis)

Initial enquiries are processed on the basis of your consent: you have chosen to make contact and want a reply. Once a piece of work is agreed, the lawful basis becomes contract (to provide the service you have agreed to) and, for the clinical record itself, legitimate interests and professional obligation (to maintain accurate records as required by the HCPC). Where the information is health-related, the additional condition relied on is that processing is necessary for the provision of healthcare by a regulated health professional.

Who the information is shared with

Your information is not sold, rented, or shared for marketing. It may be shared in the following limited circumstances:

• With the school, GP, or other professional involved in your child's support, only with your written agreement and only to the extent needed
• With a supervisor, in line with HCPC requirements for safe professional practice; discussions are anonymised wherever possible
• Where required by law, or where there is a safeguarding concern that means a child or another person may be at risk of harm

How long the information is kept

Initial enquiries that do not lead to a piece of work are deleted within six months. Clinical records created in the course of work with a child or family are kept securely for seven years after the work concludes, or, where the work involves a child, until the young person reaches the age of 25, whichever is later. This follows HCPC guidance.

How the information is kept safe

Enquiries and records are held on password-protected, UK-based encrypted systems. Paper notes, where used, are kept in a locked cabinet and shredded once digitised. Email is used for routine correspondence; sensitive material is shared by secure means agreed with you in advance.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to ask what information is held about you, to ask for inaccuracies to be corrected, to ask for information to be deleted (subject to professional record-keeping obligations), to ask for processing to be restricted, and to withdraw consent at any time where consent is the lawful basis. Requests should be made in writing to jo@stepstothrive.co.uk and will be responded to within one calendar month.

Complaints

If you are concerned about how your personal information has been handled, please raise it directly first; most issues are resolved quickly that way. If you remain unhappy, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

Changes to this notice

This notice will be updated from time to time. The date at the top shows when it was last revised.