Our private Autism and ADHD assessment and treatment services have now reopened. Enquire today.
As of October 2022
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 our terms and conditions and contact us if you have any questions.
FIRST APPOINTMENT
1.    You will receive an email or text confirming the details of your /your child’s first appointment, including date, time, location and fee. 
2.    If you / your child has been assessed by a relevant therapist within 6 months of your appointment with The Owl Centre, and if you can share the written report or set of current targets, a re-assessment will not, in most cases, be required. However, our therapists are happy to provide a second opinion assessment if requested.
3.    At the end of the first appointment, a discussion about whether you/ your child requires further therapy will take place.
4.    Our therapists will let you know if they have the correct skills and experience to meet your/your child’s needs.
5.    Our therapists will signpost you to other professionals if necessary.
FURTHER APPOINTMENTS
1.    Therapy sessions last 1 hour unless agreed in advance otherwise. This hour may include direct work with you / your child, discussion of progress, demonstration / explanation of follow-up activities with parents and/or educational staff, and writing up of notes.
2.    No fee will be charged for time spent planning outside the therapy sessions.
FEES
  • Our fees will be in accordance with our current price list on our website (no VAT is charged or chargeable).  Fees take into account the degree of responsibility and level of skill of those involved. We do however reserve the right to revise that level of fees but you will be notified in advance of any such change.
  • Any payments to third parties (disbursements) are payable in addition to our fees. You will be notified of any significant disbursements. Disbursements are charged at cost.
  • Invoices are usually sent after your last appointment in a particular calendar month.
 PAYMENT ON ACCOUNTS
1.    We ask that payment be made 15 days after the date that our invoice was sent to you (or 30 days for local authorities, the NHS etc.).
2.    Payment can be made by BACS transfer, online payment or by cheque or, if agreed in advance of the session, in cash.
3.    Automated payment reminders are sent by email to clients if payment is not made by the requested date.
4.    Automated late payment notifications are also sent out, asking you to settle your account within 7 days. If not, a fine of £20 is added to your account. We reserve the right to suspend further work until payment is received.  
5.    Recourse to the small claims court is made for accounts not paid 6 months after their due date.
HEALTH INSURANCE
1.    The Owl Centre accepts payment from health insurance providers which agree to pay the full amount and in a timely manner. Please check with your health insurance provider to find out if you are covered and if it meets our terms.
TRAVEL
1.    A fee of 45p / mile (for the round trip) is added to outreach appointments.
2.    A discretionary travel time fee of £40 per hour may be applicable for particularly long journeys. Clients would be notified in advance if this were the case.
3.    Travel distances and times are calculated using AA Route Planner from the therapist’s starting point or from the nearest Owl Centre, whichever is closer to the client.
RESPONSE TIMES
We are committed to our clients and will endeavour to respond to your written communications within five working days and telephone calls by the end of the following day. 
CANCELLATIONS
1.    If a therapist needs to make a cancellation, the client will be notified as soon as possible, and an alternative appointment date will be provided at the time or as soon as possible thereafter.
2.    Cancellations by clients must be made at least 24 hours before the scheduled appointment. If a cancellation is not made, the client will incur a 50% charge.
NON-ATTENDANCE
1.    50% of the session fee, plus the full travel fees (if applicable), will apply in the event of non-attendance. Non-attendance includes not being in when a therapist comes to your home; joins an online call, if your child is not at school or pre-school when the therapist has arranged a visit; or not attending one of our Centres.
2.    It is the client’s responsibility to inform The Owl Centre if a child is not going to be at the school or pre-school at the appointed time.
REPORTS AND PROGRAMMES
1.    Reports and programmes are chargeable (unless explicitly included in the session fee) and can be supplied on request.
2.    Reports and programmes can be shared by you with other people as you choose.
3.    Reports and programmes will be sent to you by email.
COMMUNICATION BY E-MAIL
1.    If e-mail is used as a means of communicating with us, we advise that you ensure that all e-mail messages must be properly addressed. All e-mail messages sent to us will, if properly addressed, arrive on the terminal of the person to whom they are addressed. However, we advise that you take note of the following:
- our computer system may not always be linked to the Internet, so messages either way are not as instantaneous as a telephone call;
-  the confidentiality of e-mail sent via the Internet cannot be guaranteed.
2.    For the purposes of exchanging documents via the Internet, our word-processing system is Word for Mac/Windows. 
DATA PROTECTION
1.    The Owl Centre is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a data controller.
2.    All clients’ details, case notes, and correspondence will be stored securely and treated confidentially according to general data protection regulations (GDPR).
3.    Information is stored securely on password-protected laptops or desktop computers.
4.    Any paper-based confidential information is stored securely in accordance with general data protection regulations (GDPR).
5.    In accordance with law, all be kept securely until your child is 26 years old. After this time, all records relating to your child will be destroyed. For adults, records are kept 8 years after discharge before being destroyed.  
6.    You may apply in writing to access an electronic copy of your or your child’s notes or to request modifications of any inaccuracies. These requests will be dealt with within 30 days or 60 days if the request is complex (as per Information Commission Office rules.) 
7.    For further information, please see The Owl Centre’s Privacy Policy.
USE OF VIDEOS
Some assessment and therapy techniques involve the use of video to record the client / child. The videos are temporarily stored on an encrypted, password-protected device. Once the video has been used as needed, it will be deleted. No copies will be retained.
SAFEGUARDING
1.    All therapists receive Children’s Safeguarding training every 3 years.
2.    Each therapist has a current DBS certificate.
3.    Each therapist will have read and understood the latest version of KCSIE (Keeping Children Safe in Education) and the latest Prevent training.
4.    In the event of a safeguarding concern where the client’s child or another person is at risk of harm, each therapist has a legal obligation has a legal obligation to share that information with relevant professionals in line with the Safeguarding Children’s Act 2004.
5.    All staff members who work with adults undertake additional safeguarding adults training and follow The Owl Centre’s Safeguarding Policy in regards to adults 
PUBLICITY
We may from time to time use and include details of clients and the matters we have handled for them in our publicity or marketing material. No details of your identity will be revealed without your prior consent. However, we may ask for your consent to publicise information on completion of a matter.
RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
We aim to ensure that each matter on which we are instructed is dealt with by people with the right level and area of expertise, so as to achieve an effective service. In practice, this means that different people may be involved in the conduct of a matter. We shall have overall responsibility for managing our relationship with you and maintain regular contact with you to review progress on outstanding matters and the services. 
LIASION WITH OTHER PROFESSIONALS
To offer the best service to the adult client or client’s child, it is important for us to liaise with other professionals involved in the adult or child’s care. This may include NHS therapists, school staff, GPs or other medical / educational professionals.
EDUCATION HEALTHCARE PLANS (EHCP)
The Owl Centre therapists do not write separate reports as part of a child’s EHCP process. Where applicable, information gathered through an Owl Centre assessment or therapy sessions will be fed into the NHS / County Council report, meaning that the child will only have one report from the SLT / OT / EYSENIT discipline.
WORKING HOURS AND AVAILABILITY
1.    The Owl Centre’s main office is open from 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday (for most of the year)
2.    The Owl Centre’s therapists mainly work on a part-time basis, meaning that their availability and therefore response times might be more limited.
COMPLAINTS
If you feel that you have cause for dissatisfaction about any aspect of our service you should take this up with Rhodri Lathey ([email protected]). We would ask that you put your comments in writing and indicate what action you would like to be taken. 
Please refer to our Complaints Policy which can be found on our website. 
The Owl Centre has a Zero Tolerance Policy against Violence, Harassment and Aggression of our Staff.  We reserve the right to end communications if there has been a vexatious complaint.  We may refer for Legal Advice or to the Police as appropriate.  
QUESTIONS
If you wish to discuss the above terms and conditions, please contact us.
Other policies can be requested by emailing [email protected]
DECLARATION
By accepting the above terms and conditions, the client is agreeing the following:
-       I agree that The Owl Centre’s therapists can liaise with other professionals when it is in my [adult client] or my child’s best interests.
-       I agree to The Owl Centre’s therapists using video as necessary in my [adults client] or my child’s therapy sessions (as described above).
-       I understand that The Owl Centre’s therapists will be storing and processing my [adult client] or my child’s personal information (as described above).
-       I agree to The Owl Centre’s therapists using email as form of communication with me and other professionals (as described above)
Tel: 01242 571883 | Email: [email protected] | www.theowltherapycentre.co.uk