Read how Kindred-Ear collects, uses, stores and protects personal information for counselling, personalised learning support, website enquiries, resource downloads and email updates.

Privacy Notice

For Kindred-Ear Therapeutic Counselling and Kindred-Ear Personalised Learning Support

Last updated: August 2026

Who is responsible for your information?

Kindred-Ear is founded and operated by Kelly Edwards, a sole trader trading as Kindred-Ear Therapeutic Counselling and Kindred-Ear Personalised Learning Support.

Kelly Edwards is the data controller responsible for deciding how and why personal information is used. Kindred-Ear is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), registration ZC139179.

Contact

Kelly Edwards
Email: kelly@kindred-ear.com
Website: www.kindred-ear.com

Who this notice covers

This notice applies when somebody:

• makes an enquiry or books an introductory call;
• receives adult, child or young-person counselling;
• arranges or receives personalised learning support;
• uses the Kindred-Ear website, downloads a resource or joins an email list; or
• communicates with Kindred-Ear through email, telephone, WhatsApp or social media.

Children and young people can also read the separate Kindred-Ear Child-Friendly Privacy Summary. That summary supports this notice but does not replace it.

Data-protection principles

Personal information will be used lawfully, fairly and transparently. Only information that is relevant and reasonably necessary will be collected. It will be kept accurate where possible, protected appropriately and retained only for the periods explained in this notice.

Types of personal information

Depending on the service and circumstances, I may collect:

• name, preferred name, pronouns, date of birth, address and contact details;
• parent, carer, emergency-contact and GP details;
• appointment, attendance, correspondence, payment and invoice information;
• counselling intake information, consent records and relevant session notes;
• health, disability, neurodivergence, SEND, mental-health, risk and safeguarding information;
• learning needs, education history, school information, progress and session records;
• your current location during an online session where this is needed for safety;
• enquiry, referral and complaint information; and
• website, cookie, resource-download and email-marketing information.

Kindred-Ear does not normally receive full payment-card details. These are handled by the relevant bank or payment provider.

Where information comes from

Most information is provided directly by the client, learner, parent, carer or person making an enquiry. It may be collected through forms, introductory calls, counselling or learning-support sessions, email, WhatsApp, the website, booking systems or payment records.

With appropriate authority or permission, information may also be received from a school, local authority, GP, health professional or another person involved in providing support.

In safeguarding or legal circumstances, information may be received from an appropriate authority without prior permission.

Information needed to provide a service

Some identity, contact, safety, consent, appointment and payment information is needed to arrange and provide a safe service. If essential information is not provided, I may be unable to begin or continue the service.

Other background information is optional, and I will explain this where relevant.

Website, cookies and resource downloads

If somebody uses the website, submits a form or downloads a resource, Kindred-Ear may receive their name, email address, form responses and limited technical information such as device, browser, IP address and website usage.

Cookies and similar technologies are explained separately in the Kindred-Ear Cookie Policy.

Information supplied through a parent guide or another download form is used to provide the requested resource. It is not automatically added to marketing unless the person has made a separate, clear marketing choice.

Marketing emails

Marketing emails may include Kindred-Ear news, resources, services or relevant updates. A person can unsubscribe at any time using the link in an email or by contacting me.

Withdrawing marketing consent does not affect counselling, learning support or any use of information that took place before consent was withdrawn.

Kindred-Ear does not sell personal information and does not use counselling or learning-support records for advertising.

Purposes and lawful bases

UK data-protection law requires a lawful basis for each use of personal information. The main purposes and Article 6 bases used by Kindred-Ear are:

Responding to enquiries and arranging a service
Steps before a contract, contract and legitimate interests.

Providing counselling or learning support and making suitable adjustments
Contract and legitimate interests.

Managing appointments, attendance, payments and practice administration
Contract, legitimate interests and legal obligation for financial records.

Maintaining appropriate professional records and responding to concerns
Legitimate interests, contract and legal obligation where applicable.

Protecting life and responding to serious risk or safeguarding concerns
Vital interests, legitimate interests and legal obligation where applicable.

Handling complaints, legal claims and insurance matters
Legitimate interests and legal obligation where applicable.

Sending optional marketing emails or resources
Consent, or legitimate interests only where legally permitted.

The legitimate interests are operating a safe and effective practice, communicating with service users, maintaining appropriate records, protecting people’s rights and responding to complaints or claims.

When information relates to a child or young person, I consider their privacy, rights and best interests.

Sensitive and special-category information

Health, disability, neurodivergence, SEND and mental-health information receives additional legal protection.

I use this information only where it is necessary, an Article 6 lawful basis applies, and an appropriate Article 9 condition and any associated Data Protection Act 2018 requirement are met.

The applicable condition and reasons are documented within Kindred-Ear’s internal data-protection records. Where explicit consent is used, I will explain the specific purpose and how consent can be withdrawn.

How information is stored

Personal information is stored using password-protected and, where available, encrypted systems.

Counselling and learning-support records are kept separately. Reference codes are used where appropriate, and identifying information is stored separately from counselling or session notes where practical.

Paper records are kept securely when not in use.

Service providers

Trusted providers may process limited information on Kindred-Ear’s behalf for:

• website hosting and forms;
• appointment booking;
• email and communication;
• Microsoft Teams sessions;
• payment processing; and
• secure document and record storage.

Providers may include Microsoft, TidyCal and Squarespace, together with the relevant bank or payment provider.

Only the information needed for the provider’s function is used. Providers are expected to protect it and act under appropriate data-processing terms.

The providers used may change. You can contact me for current details.

Counselling confidentiality and supervision

Counselling information is treated as private. I attend confidential clinical supervision and may discuss my work using minimal identifying information wherever possible.

My supervisor is also bound by professional confidentiality, subject to safeguarding and legal limits.

Learning-support communication

For learning support, I will normally communicate with the parent or carer who arranged the service. Relevant updates may cover attendance, engagement, progress and next steps.

The learner’s privacy will still be respected. I will not normally contact a school, local authority or another professional without appropriate authority or separate permission.

When information may be shared

Relevant information may be shared where:

• you ask me to share it or give informed consent;
• there is a serious concern about somebody’s safety or a safeguarding concern;
• disclosure is required or authorised by law, a court or another lawful process;
• emergency services or an appropriate safeguarding authority reasonably needs it; or
• it is necessary to obtain confidential professional, legal or insurance advice or respond to a complaint or claim.

Recipients may include a parent or carer where appropriate, my supervisor, a GP or health professional, a school, local authority, children’s or adult social care, MASH, LADO, the police, emergency services, my insurer, a legal adviser, a court or a regulator.

Only information that is relevant and proportionate will be shared. Wherever it is safe and lawful, I will try to discuss the disclosure with you first.

This may not be possible where doing so could increase risk or interfere with a safeguarding or legal response.

Information processed outside the UK

Some technology providers may process or store information outside the United Kingdom.

Where restricted international transfers occur, Kindred-Ear uses a lawful transfer mechanism, such as UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or an approved UK Addendum, with additional safeguards where required.

You can contact me for information about relevant providers and safeguards.

How long information is kept

Information is kept only for as long as it is reasonably needed for the purpose for which it was collected. Different records have different retention periods.

Counselling records

Counselling records are retained for a minimum of five years from the end of counselling. They are then securely destroyed unless a legal, safeguarding, complaint or insurance matter requires them to be kept for longer.

Learning-support records

Learning-support records are normally retained for five years from the end of support. They may be retained for longer where there is a documented safeguarding, complaint, insurance, tax or legal reason.

Unsuccessful or inactive enquiries

Information from an enquiry that does not lead to a service is normally deleted within 12 months of the last meaningful contact.

Marketing records

Optional marketing information is retained until consent is withdrawn, the person unsubscribes or the contact is removed following a periodic review.

Financial records

Invoices, income and tax records are retained for the period required by HMRC and applicable tax law.

Safeguarding, complaints, insurance and legal records

These records may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary in light of the relevant matter, legal limitation period or insurance requirement.

Secure deletion

At the end of the relevant period, electronic records are securely deleted and paper records are confidentially destroyed.

Deletion may be delayed where records are subject to an active information request, complaint, safeguarding process, insurance claim or legal hold.

Relevant intake, consent, risk, safeguarding, session and administrative records may be retained. Identifying information is kept separately from counselling notes where practical. Financial records are kept separately from counselling and learning-support records.

Your data-protection rights

Depending on the circumstances and lawful basis, you may have the right to:

• ask what personal information Kindred-Ear holds about you and request a copy;
• ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected;
• ask for information to be deleted in certain circumstances;
• ask for the use of your information to be restricted;
• request the transfer of information where that right applies; and
• withdraw consent where consent is being relied upon.

Your right to object

You have the right to object to the use of your information where this is based on legitimate interests. You can also object at any time to direct marketing.

To object, email kelly@kindred-ear.com.

Kindred-Ear will stop direct marketing and will consider other objections in accordance with data-protection law.

These rights are not absolute. Information may need to be retained or withheld because of legal, safeguarding, insurance or confidentiality responsibilities, or to protect another person’s rights.

I may need to confirm your identity before responding. I will normally respond within one month, subject to any extension permitted by law.

Children and young people

Data-protection rights belong to the child or young person whose information is being used.

Depending on their age, understanding and circumstances, they may exercise those rights themselves or a parent or carer may help.

A parent or carer does not automatically have unrestricted access to counselling records. Requests will be considered in light of confidentiality, parental responsibility, the young person’s understanding, their best interests, serious risk and the rights of other people.

Complaints and questions

Questions, information requests, objections or withdrawals of consent should be sent to:

Kelly Edwards
Email: kelly@kindred-ear.com

If you are unhappy with how your information has been handled, you may also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:

Website: www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Automated decisions

Kindred-Ear does not use solely automated decision-making or profiling that has legal or similarly significant effects.

Changes to this privacy notice

This notice may be updated when services, technology providers, working practices or legal requirements change.

The update date will be shown at the beginning of the notice. Significant changes will be explained to affected clients, learners, parents or carers where appropriate.