Confidentiality policy

Parent Talk offers free advice for parents and carers of children aged 0-19 in the UK. We can support up to age 25 where a child has special educational needs.

When you use our webchat or Whatsapp service, anything you tell us is confidential. This policy describes what we will ask you about and what we do with that information.

Our promise to you

Whatever your background or experiences, we’re here for you. We know that everyone’s challenges are unique and we aim to provide a welcoming space for all.

All our guidance comes from our experienced parenting coaches. Whatever you tell us we promise to be:

Non-judgmental – we’re here to help you with whatever you’re going through. No problem is too big, small or embarrassing
Supportive – we’ll work with you to help you find solutions to your problems
Practical – we’ll make realistic suggestions and break down advice into actionable steps
Honest – if we don’t know the answer to something, we’ll tell you. Then we’ll do our best to direct you to someone who knows

Your personal information

When you start a webchat with us, we’ll ask you for your email address. We will email you a copy of your conversation and ask you for feedback – we won’t use your email address for anything else. When you talk to us on WhatsApp, we’ll be able to see your mobile number.

You don’t need to share any other personal information with us if you don’t want to. There are lots of reasons why you might want to remain anonymous, which we will respect.

We will ask if you are willing to share:

Your name (this can be your real name or a nickname)
Your nearest town or city or the first part of your postcode, so that we can direct you to local support

If you don’t want to share this information that’s OK, you can still use the service.

What you tell us on webchat or WhatsApp

Anything you tell us is confidential and is stored securely in line with our privacy policy.

We can refer you to other organisations for support if you would like. We will always ask you before referring you to another organisation and tell you what information we will share with them, unless it is an emergency situation.

In an emergency

We will only share information without your consent if we think there is a life-threatening situation, or if you or someone else might be at risk of harm. On these occasions we may need to share your information with:

the Police
The Ambulance Service
Children’s Social Care
a mental health crisis service
other emergency services

For more information about how we store your data, read our privacy policy.

Find out about our parenting coaches and what they can help you with.

You can talk to us on webchat or WhatsApp or read our advice articles.