All Other Practice Policies
You can read all of my practice policies, terms, and statements by scrolling down this page, or by clicking one of the following links:
Website Terms of Use
Confidentiality Policy
Safeguarding Policy
Complaints Policy
Equality and Inclusion Statement
Contact and Social Media Policy
Records and Data Retention Schedule
Business Continuity and Practitioner Absence
Website Terms of Use
Using this website
This website is run by Claire Curran, trading as Claire Curran Coaching. By using it you accept these terms. If you do not accept them, please stop using the site.
The information on the site is general
The pages here describe what coaching is and how I work. They are written for a general audience. They are not personal advice, and they are not a substitute for medical, psychological, legal or financial advice.
Reading the site does not create a coaching relationship between us. That starts when you book a session and we both agree to the Coaching Terms and Conditions.
I try to keep the site accurate and up to date. I do not promise that it always will be.
Copyright
The text, images, logo and design on this site belong to me, or are used with permission. You may read the site, print pages for your own use, and share links to it. You may not copy the content, republish it, or use it to promote another business without my written permission.
Links to other sites
Some pages may link to other organisations. I include those links because I think they are useful. I do not control those sites, and I am not responsible for their content or their privacy practices.
Availability
The site may be unavailable from time to time for maintenance or for reasons outside my control. I do not promise uninterrupted access.
Liability
Nothing in these terms limits my liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud. Beyond that, and as far as the law allows, I am not liable for any loss arising from your use of the website or from relying on the information on it.
Law
These terms are governed by the law of Scotland, and the Scottish courts have jurisdiction. If you live elsewhere in the UK, you can bring proceedings in your own country's courts.
Contact
You can contact me by visiting my Contact page, or emailing claire_lifecoach@icloud.com
Confidentiality Policy
The general rule
What you tell me in a session stays between us. I will not tell your family, your employer, or anyone else that you are working with me, or what we talk about.
When I might have to share something
There are a few situations where I may need to pass information on. They are:
I believe you are at serious risk of harm, or at risk of taking your own life.
I believe someone else is at serious risk of harm from you or from another person.
I believe a child, or an adult who is unable to protect themselves, is being harmed or is at risk of harm.
The law requires it, for example a court order, or a legal duty to report information about terrorism.
You ask me to share something on your behalf.
Wherever it is safe and possible to do so, I will talk to you first. I will tell you what I intend to share, who with, and why. I will share only what is needed. If telling you first would put you or someone else at greater risk, I may have to act without telling you.
Supervision and mentoring
Like most coaches, I discuss my work with a supervisor or mentor. This is a normal part of working safely, and it helps me do a better job. Those conversations are anonymous. I do not use your name, and I leave out anything that would identify you. My supervisor or mentor is bound by confidentiality too.
Notes
I keep brief notes so that I can pick up where we left off. They record the themes we covered and the actions we agreed. You can ask to see them at any time. How they are stored and how long they are kept is set out in the Records and Data Retention Schedule.
Talking about my work in public
I will never write or speak publicly about an identifiable client. If I use an example from my practice to make a point, it will be a mix of several situations, or heavily disguised, so that no one could recognise you.
I will not use a testimonial from you without your written permission. You can withdraw that permission at any time and I will remove it.
If we meet in public
If we run into each other outside a session, I will not approach you or say hello first. This lets you decide what, if anything, to say in front of whoever you are with. If you say hello to me, I will of course say hello back.
If you die or lose capacity
If something happens to you, your family or a solicitor may contact me. I will not disclose the content of our sessions unless the law requires me to. The Business Continuity and Practitioner Absence section explains what happens to your records if something happens to me.
Safeguarding Policy
Why I have this policy
I work with adults, often on difficult relationships with family or partners. Some of the people who come to me have experienced abuse, coercive control or neglect, and some are still living with it. I am not a statutory safeguarding agency and I do not investigate anything. I do have a professional responsibility to recognise concerns, record them and pass them on to people who can act.
The law I work within
I work in Scotland. The relevant framework includes the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007, the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, and the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 (updated 2023).
An adult at risk is someone aged 16 or over who meets all three of these tests:
They are unable to safeguard their own wellbeing, property, rights or other interests.
They are at risk of harm.
They are more vulnerable to harm because of disability, mental disorder, illness, or physical or mental infirmity.
What I will do
Listen, and take what I am told seriously. I will not promise to keep a safeguarding concern secret.
Make a written record the same day, using the words the person used, and note the date, time and what I did.
Talk to the person about my concern where it is safe to do so, and explain what I am going to do.
Report the concern to the right agency. If someone is in immediate danger, I will call 999.
Keep the record securely and separately, and review the situation.
Who I report to
| Concern | Who to contact |
|---|---|
| Immediate danger to anyone | 999 |
| Concern about a child or adult at risk | The social work or social services department of the council where they live, or the police on 101 |
| Advice when I am not sure | My supervisor or mentor, discussed anonymously, and the relevant council's duty social work team |
Domestic abuse
Abusive behaviour by a partner or ex-partner, including coercive control, is a criminal offence in Scotland under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018. If a client describes behaviour that sounds like domestic abuse, I will name what I am hearing and make sure they know where support is available. I will not pressure them to leave or to report. Leaving can be one of the most dangerous times in an abusive relationship, and that decision belongs to the person living it.
Support: Scotland's Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline, 0800 027 1234, open 24 hours a day, every day.
Complaints Policy
If you are unhappy with something I have done, I would like the chance to put it right. Most things can be sorted out quickly once you tell me.
How to complain
Email me at claire_lifecoach@icloud.com. Tell me what happened, when, and what you would like me to do about it.
What happens next
| Stage | What I will do | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acknowledge your complaint in writing | Within Five (5) working days |
| 2 | Look into it, and contact you if I need to understand something better | Before I send my response |
| 3 | Write to you with my response, what I have found and what I will do | Within Fifeteen (15) working days |
| 4 | If you are not satisfied, tell me and I will review it once more | Within Thirty (30) working days |
If you are still not satisfied
I follow the Association for Coaching's Global Code of Ethics. I am not yet a member, so the Association cannot investigate a complaint about me.
If you live in Scotland, you can get free, independent consumer advice from Advice Direct Scotland at consumeradvice.scot or on 0808 164 6000. If you live elsewhere in the UK, Citizens Advice can help.
If your complaint is about how I have handled your personal information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
Records
I keep a record of complaints and how they were resolved for three (3) years. I use them to change how I work where that is warranted.
Equality and Inclusion Statement
I work with people from any background. I do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. These are the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010.
Sessions are online, which removes some barriers and creates others. If there is something that would make coaching easier for you, tell me and I will do what I reasonably can. That might be a different platform, written summaries after a session, longer gaps between sessions, or breaks within one.
There are limits to what I am trained to do. If someone needs support I am not able to give, I will say so and help them find it. That decision is only ever about the kind of support someone needs.
If you feel I have treated you unfairly, please use the Complaints Policy. I would rather know.
Contact and Social Media Policy
How to reach me
Email is the main way to reach me, at claire_lifecoach@icloud.com is the main route. I usually reply within five working days.
You can also message me on WhatsApp Business using the link on my contact page.
My working hours are 09:30 to 15:00, Monday to Thursday and 09:30 to 12:00 Friday. I do not check messages outside those hours or at weekends, and I do not offer an out-of-hours service.
Social media
I use Instagram at @claire_curran_coaching to write about the kind of work I do. It is a public account and anyone can follow it.
I will not follow clients from my business account, or send them follow requests. This protects your privacy.
I will not discuss anything about your coaching in a direct message, a comment, or any other public or semi-public channel.
If you message me on social media about a sensitive matter, I will ask you to email me or use WhatsApp instead.
If you comment publicly on one of my posts, other people can see it. I will not reply in a way that suggests you are a client.
I will not use anything you have said in a session in a way that could identify you. Any example I use follows my Confidentiality Policy: it will be a mix of several situations, or heavily disguised, so that no one could recognise you.
Urgent messages
Email, WhatsApp and social media are not monitored for urgent messages. If you need help quickly, use the numbers in the Coaching Terms and Conditions.
Personal Accounts
I will not accept friend or follow requests from potential, current or past clients on my personal social media accounts or other online services.
Records and Data Retention Schedule
What I record
Brief notes of each session, covering what we worked on and what was agreed.
Your intake form, and the record of your agreement to my Coaching Terms and Conditions.
Booking and payment records.
Correspondence by email or WhatsApp.
How records are kept
I handwrite session notes on paper, then type them up in Google Docs. They are stored in my Google Workspace account (Google Drive), with a separate folder for each client. Until they are typed up, the handwritten notes are kept in a locked cabinet. I shred them once they have been typed up.
Bookings and intake forms are held in my Acuity Scheduling account.
My Google account is protected by a strong password that follows National Cyber Security Centre guidance, together with two-step verification or passkeys.
How long records are kept
| Record | Kept for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Session notes | Seven (7) years after the last session | Continuity if a client returns, and to defend a complaint or claim |
| Signed client agreement and intake form | Seven (7) years after the last session | Evidence of what was agreed |
| Safeguarding records | Seven (7) years | These are usually kept longer than ordinary notes |
| Enquiries that do not become clients | Twelve (12) months | No reason to keep them longer |
| Invoices and payment records | At least Seven (7) years | HMRC requires self-employed records to be kept for at least five years after the 31 January submission deadline |
| Marketing consents and unsubscribes | For as long as the list runs, plus Seven (7) years | To show consent was given and honoured |
| Complaints | Seven (7) years | To show how a complaint was handled |
Disposal
I delete electronic records from Google Drive, Acuity Scheduling, any device, any backups and the recycle bin. I shred paper records.
Business Continuity and Practitioner Absence
Short absences
If I am ill or something urgent comes up, I will contact you as early as I can and offer another time or a refund. I give four weeks' notice of holidays where possible.
Technology
If the video connection fails, we will try to reconnect once. If that does not work, we can move to a phone call or rearrange. If a session is cut short by a problem at my end, I will make up the time or refund the part of the session you missed.
If something happens to me
If I am unable to work for a long period, or if I die, someone needs to be able to contact my clients and deal with my records. I have asked a named, trusted person to act in that situation. They hold sealed instructions and a secure way to access my records. They have agreed to keep anything they see confidential.
If this happens, they will:
Contact current clients to let them know, and offer to help them find another coach.
Deal with any refunds due for sessions paid for and not delivered.
Keep or securely destroy client records in line with my Records and Data Retention Schedule.