Osteopath & Shockwave Therapy in St. Albans | The Maltings
About our St Albans (The Maltings Clinic)
The Perfect Balance Osteopath clinic is situated within The Maltings shopping centre in central St Albans, Herfordshire. If you are looking for an Osteopath or Shockwave Therapy in St. Albans, our professional team are here to help!
Our location and partnership with this Clinic allows us to extend the pain rehabilitation treatments that we provide such as mother and baby services including osteopathy, lactation consultancy, pilates and pregnancy massage. You can browse a full list of services available on this page.
Perfect Balance therapists are fully trained and qualified in their respective fields. We aim to treat the whole person, not just the symptoms which provides our clients with a more complete service that looks to resolve the root cause of the issue.
If you are suffering any pain or discomfort from back, neck or sports related injuries, the most practical initial contact is with a Perfect Balance Osteopath. There are a wide range of therapists within our clinic which allows us to ensure you get treated by the specialist most suited to your needs.
We welcome you to visit our facilities and please don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss how we may be able to help.
Clinic Services
Osteopath
Shockwave Therapy
Physiotherapy
Sports Massage
Sports Therapy
Cranial Osteopathy
Laser Therapy
Shockwave Therapy
Podiatrist
Pilates
Nutritionist
Athlete Services
Corporate Wellness
Pregnancy Services
Interested in this location’s services? Save time and BOOK ONLINE
Address
Perfect Balance Clinic St Albans (The Maltings)
Art School Yard, Victoria Street,
St Albans, AL1 3YS
Many thanks to Lucy for helping me through the latter stages of my pregnancy. After being handed crutches and told to stay off my feet to deal with my pelvic pain by staff at the NHS, I sought a different approach by way of Perfect Balance. She was able to assess and treat my symptoms by providing me with the knowledge of how my body came to be in that particular state and what could be done to help alleviate the pain. With targeted pregnancy massage and light exercises to undertake at home, I was walking with a lighter step after every visit. Post pregnancy I am eager to start the Pilates sessions to continue strengthening my body. Thank goodness for Perfect Balance!read more
Ayan Panja
13:28 14 Jul 16
There are very few musculoskeletal practitioners who have the knowledge, skills and ability to think deeply about each individual they treat. Stephen is one them. Highly recommended.
Charlene C
11:08 03 Jul 16
Came to visit Andrew with my daughter after hearing how great he was with children, my daughter had been suffering with torticollis since 5 weeks of age and after seeing numerous consultants at different clinics and private hospitals, and not getting anywhere we decided to try an osteopath…I’m so glad we did. My daughter is just turning one and she hasn’t had any seizures or head tilts for 6 months now, we had 3 treatments with Andrew and that was the best thing we’ve ever done and if Aaliyah develops any problems in the future then our trust is only with Andrew at Perfect Balance from now on. 100% would recommend and certainly worth our travel.read more
Amy I
15:08 27 Jun 16
I had been suffering extreme facial & nose pain for up to 10 times per day lasting for 10-15 minutes per ‘attack’. After a visit to my GP, an MRI scan and self-referral to a Neurospecialist, I was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia. I was prescribed a strong drug (Pregabal) which I never actually took due to the horrendous side effects listed. Next I tried a special diet for a month but it produced no significant change so I became disheartened and desperate. I found Perfect Balance quite by chance after a web site search on K Laser and decided to write to them. The response was rapid and professional which immediately filled me with hope. After just 20 minutes with Stephen I felt he was looking at my symptoms from a completely fresh point of view and rapidly came to the conclusion that I had been misdiagnosed and the problem was actually due to intense jaw & neck stiffness over a number of years. This resulted in TN-type symptoms due to pressure on the nerve but could be solved without drugs or any invasive treatment. Stephen has been able to relieve some of the pain after just 2 sessions and is confident I will be fully cured soon. He has a gentle and understanding manner and seems genuinely determined to find the best solution in the shortest possible time. He is also good at giving self-help remedies for people who live abroad. I would thoroughly recommend giving Perfect Balance a visit for any form of pain that seems to never go away.read more
Paul Sowter
15:44 22 Jun 16
I visited Stephen Makinde just over a year ago with an IT band issue and within one session he identified the problem exactly. I then had a follow up visit with Podiatrist Daniel to organise some custom insoles. Since then the problem disappeared and a year on I have ran three marathons with accompanied training with no re-occurrences. Based on my experience I would say the level of service at Perfect Balance is excellent and what differentiates it from others is the very high level of competence and professionalism.read more
Contact Us
If you are looking for an Osteopath or Shockwave Therapy in St Albans, or any other of the pain rehabilitation services that we provide, please don’t hesitate to contact us on: 0170 7229 871 or 0800 0724 012.
Alternatively please submit your enquiry using the form and we will ensure that the right person contacts you to discuss how we can help.
You can also learn more about our specialist team of therapists below.
Meet the St Albans | The Maltings clinic team
Fatimah Parkar – Physiotherapist
Rachel Vialou-Clark – Physiotherapist
Richard Sheridan – Obstetrician and Gynaecologist
Sara Randall – Osteopath
Stephen Makinde – Osteopath
Perfect Balance Privacy and Cookie Policy
Data controller:
Perfect Balance Clinic Ltd | Registered Office Wellington House, 273-275 High Street, London Colney, St Albans, AL2 1HA | Registered in England and Wales 06925401
Data protection contact:
dataprotection@pbclinic.com
Last updated: February 2018
Here at Perfect Balance Clinic we take your privacy seriously and will only use your personal information to administer your account and to provide the products and services that you have requested from us. We are committed to protecting your and your family’s personal information when you are using any of our services. The Privacy and Cookies Policy relates to our use of any personal information we collect from you via the following services:
Any Perfect Balance Clinic Website that links to this Privacy and Cookies Policy
Social media or official Perfect Balance Clinic content on other websites
Mobile devices
ALICE services
It also relates to our use of any personal information you provide us by phone, SMS, email, in letters and other correspondence and in person. Perfect Balance Clinic works hard to safeguard your personal information. Whenever you provide such information, we are legally obliged to use your information inline with all applicable laws and regulations concerning the protection of personal information including the current Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulations introduced in May 2018. In order to provide you will a full range of products and services, we sometimes need to collect information about you. You can trust us with your information - we have created this policy to help you understand what data we collect, how we collect it, what we disclose and how we use, store and transfer it.
Our Privacy Commitments:
We will only collect, keep, use and share your personal data for legitimate business reasons, as outlined in our Privacy Policy, or if we are required to do so legally
For as long as we keep your data we will work with you to keep it up to date and we will protect it with the appropriate security and safety measures
We will be as transparent as we can with you on what personal data we collect, how we use it and how it will be processed
Remember you can email us at dataprotection@pbclinic.com to update your privacy preferences, alternatively, you can change your settings via our reception team or using our ALICE system, located in the reception area of any one of our clinics. If you have any questions at all about our privacy or cookies policy you can contact us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at dataprotection@pbclinic.com. These policies apply to:
All visitors to our website
All prospective job applicants
All clients who use our products or services
There is some information in this policy that refers specifically to Perfect Balance Clinic employees, however, prospective employees/employees will need to refer to the full Employee Privacy Policy for specific details in relation to privacy whilst employed by Perfect Balance Clinic. Who we are: Perfect Balance Clinic is a private multidisciplinary healthcare provider, established in 2009. We have a number of skilled therapists located across our clinics who all work closely together in order to achieve the best possible results for our clients' condition. We are professional, modern and evidence-based practice and our integrated team mean we work with you and our colleagues with a holistic approach to get you better, quicker. We pride ourselves on our collaborative working practices between our therapists and our admin team – all “under one roof". Our clinics are located conveniently across London, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Cambridgeshire. The products and services we offer includes:
Osteopathy
Physiotherapy
Sports massage and therapy
Rehabilitation
Podiatry and foot clinics
Pilates
Psychology
Private GP
Nutritional advice
Reflexology
Laser and shockwave therapy
Workstation assessments
Bespoke pregnancy, corporate and athlete services
We are recognised by all major insurers and all our therapists are covered by private health insurance policies.
1.1 Compliance with Regulatory Authorities:
We regularly review our compliance with our Privacy and Cookies Policy. When we receive formal written complaints, we will contact the person who has made the complaint to follow up. We will also work with the appropriate regulatory authorities, including local data protection authorities such as the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) to resolve any complaints regarding the transfer of personal data. As a Data Controller who is processing personal information and who meets certain criteria, we are registered with the ICO. You can click here to view our registration details.
2.0 Compliance with Data Protection:
2.1 What information we collect about you:
We collect information to provide better products and services to all our service users. We collect information in the following ways:
The information you give to us: Many of our services require you to provide us with personal information as part of our client registration, appointment booking or marketing processes. When you sign up to receive any of our products or services we will ask you for information such as your name, email address, residential address or telephone number.
The Information we get from your use of our services: We collect information about the services that you use and how you use them, like when you visit one of our clinics or visit a website that uses our advertising services or view and interact with our ads and content.
The types of personal information we use may include:
Personal details such as names, addresses, telephone numbers
Family details for example next of kin
Education, training
GP details
Employment details
Financial details
Services, for example, details of services accessed or offered by providers
Lifestyle and social circumstances
Physical and/or mental health details
Visual images, personal appearance, and behaviour, for example if CCTV images are used as part of building security
Details held in the client's records, where we hold or manage the clients' records
Responses to surveys, where individuals have responded to surveys sent by Perfect Balance Clinic
Our legal basis for collecting and processing this data is because you have either given us consent to process this data as part of the provision to you of the services purchased by you or because the processing of your data is necessary for a contract we have with you. All sensitive data is encrypted and stored securely using industry-standard data encryption, multiple layers of firewalls are in place, and we perform regular security audits.
2.1.1 Information for job applicants and employees:
Perfect Balance Clinic will process information provided by applicants either directly or via third parties such as job application sites, for the management of their application and the subsequent selection process. This involves providing details to the shortlisting and selection panels. Other details are kept helping fulfill our obligations to monitor equality and diversity within the organisation and in the application process. You can find out more information about the use of personal data throughout the application process or by visiting our dedicated page on our Perfect Balance Recruitment Privacy Policy.We also process sensitive classes of information for our employees that may include:
Racial and ethnic origin
Trade union membership
Religious or similar beliefs
Employment tribunal applications, complaints, accidents, and incident details
Criminal Offence data (including alleged offenses), criminal proceedings, outcomes, and sentences
This information will generally relate to our job applicants (if successfully offered a position with us) and our employees, this is covered by the Privacy Notice for Employees, or for those health professionals we manage.
Our legal basis for collecting and processing this special category data is because the processing of your data is necessary for a contract we have with you and our additional special condition for processing this special category data is that it is necessary for the purposes of carrying out the obligations and exercising specific rights of the controller or of the data subject in the field of employment and social security and social protection law in so far as it is authorised by Union or Member State law or a collective agreement pursuant to Member State law providing for appropriate safeguards for the fundamental rights and the interests of the data subject. All sensitive data is encrypted and stored securely using industry-standard data encryption, multiple layers of firewalls are in place, and we perform regular security audits.
2.1.2 Personal information from you about others:
Through your use of our services, we may also collect information from you about someone else, such as friend referrals. If you provide Perfect Balance Clinic with personal information about someone else, you must ensure that you are authorised to disclose that information to Perfect Balance Clinic and that, without Perfect Balance taking any further steps required by applicable data protection or privacy law, Perfect Balance may collect, use and disclose such information for the purposes described in this Policy. This means that you must take reasonable steps to ensure that the individual concerned is aware of and/or consents to the various matters detailed in this Policy, including the fact that their personal information is being collected, the purposes for which that information is being collected, the intended recipients of that information, the individual’s right to obtain access to that information, Perfect Balance Clinics’ identify, and how to contact Perfect Balance. Where requested to do so by Perfect Balance Clinic, you must also assist Perfect Balance Clinic with any requests by the individual to access or update the personal information you have collected from them and passed on to us for the service.
2.2 How we use the information we collect about you:
Your information may be used to:
Check and report internally how effective Perfect Balance and the products and services we offer has been
Investigate complaints, legal claims or important incidents
Make sure Perfect Balance Clinic continues to meet our clients needs both now and in the future
Review the care provided to make sure that this continues to be of the highest possible standard
Manage specialised services that Perfect Balance Clinic provides through third parties
We may keep your information in written form or on a computer. Whenever possible all information that identifies you will be removed. Our legal basis for collecting and processing this information is our legitimate interests in knowing more about our clients or it is necessary for a contract we have with you. Perfect Balance Clinic is a Data Controller for the TM2 System; provided by our third party processor (TM2). This system holds personal health-related data of all clients registered with our clinics. Our legal basis for collecting and processing health-related information obtained from our clients (special category data) is because the processing of your data is necessary for a contract we have with you and our additional special condition for processing this special category data is that it is necessary for the provision of health or social care or treatment. For more information please contact dataprotection@perfectbalanceclinic.com
2.2.1 Sharing your information:
There are a number of reasons why we may share your information. This can be due to:
Our obligations to comply with current legislation
Our duty to comply with a Court Order
You have consented to disclose
Perfect Balance will not sell your information to any third party organisation. We will also not share your information with any third party except as stated in this Privacy Policy or as required to provide our service to you or to fulfill our contract with you. If your information is shared with statutory bodies/other organisations to enable them to fulfill their statutory obligations, the information will only be shared where there is a statutory obligation to do so or you have given explicit consent to the processing of this personal data for one or more specified purposes.
To read more about our Frequently Asked Questions, please click here.
3.0 Cookie Policy:
This website uses cookies to better the users experience while visiting the website. Where applicable this website uses a cookie control system allowing the user on their first visit to the website to allow or disallow the use of cookies on their computer/device. This complies with recent legislation requirements for websites to obtain explicit consent from users before leaving behind or reading files such as cookies on a user’s computer/device. You are able to disallow cookies by selecting the relevant option when visiting our website.
To read more about our Cookie Policy, please click here.
4.0 Information Security:
We are committed to protecting Perfect Balance Clinic and our service users from unauthorised access to or unauthorised alteration, disclosure or destruction of information that we hold. We do this through:
Encryption of many of our services using SSL
We review our information collection, storage, and processing practices, including physical security measures, to guard against unauthorised access to systems
We restrict access to personal information to Perfect Balance employees, contractors, and agents who need to know the information in order to process it for us and who are subject to strict contractual confidentiality obligations. They may be disciplined, their contract terminated or appropriate legal action taken if they fail to meet these obligations.
Our induction process and regular training ensure that all our employees are aware of their responsibilities and best practice guidelines; ensuring the necessary safeguards and appropriate use of person-identifiable and confidential information. Under the Perfect Balance Code of Conduct, all our employees are also required to protect your information and inform you of how your information will be used. This includes, in most circumstances, allowing you to decide if and how your information can be shared. Everyone working in Perfect Balance Clinic is subject to the common law duty of confidentiality. Information provided in confidence will only be used for the purpose advised and consented to by the service user, unless it is required or permitted by the law.
5.0 Accessing Perfect Balance Clinic Website from outside the UK:
Perfect Balance Website is published in the UK by Perfect Balance Clinic at PerfectBalanceClinic.co.uk. The international version of the website, PerfectBalanceClinic.com, is made available to international users accessing the website outside the UK by Perfect Balance Clinic. All personal information submitted by users outside the UK will be processed in accordance with this Privacy and Cookies Policy.
6.0 Transparency and choice:
People have varying privacy concerns and our goal is to be as clear and transparent as possible with regards to the information we collect so that you can make choices about how this is used. You can:
Adjust/update your preferences with regards to how we market our products and services to you by contacting info@pbclinic.com
Set your browser to block all cookies, including cookies associated with our services or to indicate when a cookie is being set by us
7.0 Changes to the Perfect Balance Privacy Policy:
The Privacy and Cookies Policy may be updated from time to time so you may wish to check it each time you submit personal information to Perfect Balance Clinic. The date of the most recent revision will appear on the top of this page. If you do not agree to these changes, please do not continue to use this website or submit your personal information to Perfect Balance Clinic. If changes are made to the Privacy and Cookies Policy, for instance affecting how we would like to use your personal information, we will provide a more prominent notice which may include email notifications of Privacy Policy changes.
8.0 Contacting Perfect Balance Clinic:
If you are within the UK, please send all requests for deleting your information, requests for copies of personal information held by Perfect Balance Clinic and questions about this Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy to our Data Protection Officer at dataprotection@pbclinic.com. If you are outside the UK, please email (dataprotection@pbclinic.com) or send a letter to Data Protection Officer, Perfect Balance Clinic, Mosquito Way, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9AX
Copyright 2018 Perfect Balance Clinic Ltd. All rights reserved.
Terms and Conditions
Please read these terms and conditions carefully. By accessing and using our website, any content and features and purchasing or using any product or services on our website, in our clinics or in a studio at one of our clinics, you indicate your acceptance of these Terms, our Privacy Policy (accessed via www.perfectbalanceclinic.com/privacy-policy) and any other notices, guidelines and rules published by us.
Medical Examination
Should you visit us for services they are provided to individuals of all ages regardless of gender, colour, ethnicity, creed, national origin, or disability. The purpose of physiotherapy and all our services is to treat disease, injury and disability by examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis and intervention by use of rehabilitative procedures, mobilization, massage, exercises, and physical agents to aid the patient in achieving their maximum potential within their capabilities and to accelerate convalescence and reduce the length of functional recovery.All procedures will be thoroughly explained to you before you are asked to perform them. Response to all our therapies and interventions varies from person to person; hence, it is not possible to accurately predict your response to a specific modality, procedure, or exercise protocol. Perfect Balance Clinic does not guarantee what your reaction will be to a specific treatment, nor does it guarantee that the treatment will help resolve the condition that you are seeking treatment for. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the physiotherapy treatment may result in aggravation of existing symptoms and may cause pain or injury. It is your right to decline any part of your treatment at any time before or during treatment, should you feel any discomfort or pain or have other unresolved concerns. It is your right to ask your physiotherapist about the treatment they have planned based on your individual history, physiotherapy diagnosis, symptoms, and examination results. Consequently, it is your right to discuss the potential risks and benefits involved in your treatment.
Complaints Policy
Perfect Balance Clinic values the views of all clients, and welcomes comments and suggestions from our clients. We endeavour to provide a service of the highest standard at all times, in relation to service delivery and our commitment to work in partnership with our clients, to deliver their healthcare in a way that meets their needs.Our company director will ensure all comments and suggestions are communicated to the lead clinician and produce a quarterly and annual report for The Board of Directors. Our company director is the key contact for our clients to deal with any problems that may arise, including client complaints.A formal complaints policy is available to all clients upon request. Below is an outline of our complaints policy.
Clients are encouraged to give their feedback, at times when clients wish to make a complaint; the process will be managed by the company director. If a client raises a matter of concern with a member of staff, the members of staff should advise the client of the complaints policy and direct the client to the company director. When the company director is on planned or unplanned leave alternative arrangements will be made to manage the complaints procedure.
Clients are advised to address their complaint in writing to Perfect Balance Clinic David Lloyd Hatfield Mosquito Way Hatfield Herts Al10 9AX
All complaints will receive written confirmation within two working days upon receipt of the complaint, outlining the stages of the investigation.
A full response will be made in writing within 20 days of receipt of the complaint, outlining the investigation process, steps taken and outcomes and actions taken following the investigation of the complaint.
All complaints will be investigated by the company directors, with an investigation report to be presented to The Board of Directors. Complaints will be correlated with the annual results of the client satisfaction survey, to enable the directors to review and assess service delivery and the views of our clients.
Perfect Balance Clinic acknowledges complaints as a serious matter, and is committed to rectify areas that may cause concern or dissatisfaction for our clients.
A summary of complaints and the outcomes will be presented at team meetings, to ensure relevant areas of concern, action taken, and changes in practice as a result of the complaint investigation, are communicated to all members of staff and associates.
Under 18s
A parent or legal guardian present will need to be present during all appointments unless prior written confirmation has been provided to the clinic.
Payment information
payment must be made in advance of treatment for all services unless you have an exclusive account with us. Payment must be made in advance for all running clinic sessions and some group sessions that we offer
Late payments policy
please note that with effect from 1 June 2015, late payment of invoices (30 days after treatment) will be subject to an additional charge on the following basis: £10 for appointments in our Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire or Cambridgeshire clinics and £15 for appointments in our London clinics
Offers and promotions
All offers and promotions cannot be exchanged for any cash value. The promotion and offer or voucher should only be used by the intended person and as such we may ask for ID proof from the person producing the voucher to verify they are the recipient. Promotions and offers cannot be shared between individuals.All vouchers unless otherwise dated are to be used within 1 year of their receipt or known release from the clinic to an event or promotion.All offers and promotions may be subject to special arrangements or exclusions and Perfect Balance Clinic reserve the right to offer ‘introductory’ sessions to specific practitioners which may exclude some self-employed practitioners and the company directors. Where possible a full list of who the offer applies to can be provided in writing prior to your appointment.
Refund and cancellation policy
24 hours notice is required for cancellation of appointments, otherwise, a full charge will be incurred. Missed sessions without the 24 hours notice will be fully chargeable as if intended. For refunds of equipment purchased equipment must be returned (unopened, unused and not damaged) within 14 days of purchase with proof of purchase.
Packages are non-refundable.
Using your Private Medical Insurance Policy
If you are planning to use private medical insurance (pmi), please contact your insurer as soon as possible and before your first Perfect Balance appointment to ensure you meet the terms of your policy.The procedures of insurance companies differ and some require the policyholder/patient to obtain a GP referral before they grant authorisation to commence treatment. Most private medical insurers cover osteopathy, physiotherapy, and podiatry but other treatments, eg sports massage, pilates, and rehab will not be covered. Please check the terms of your policy with your insurer.Naturally, if you are in pain you wish to be treated as quickly as possible and we wish to offer the earliest available appointment to start you on the road to recovery. However, please be aware that insurance authorisation can not necessarily be applied retrospectively. Please tell us when you book your first appointment that you intend to use pmi to claim for your treatment. In order to book your appointment with an appropriate practitioner, we need to know which insurance company it is.We need you to provide us with the following:
Name of insurance company
Policy or Membership number
Claim reference/Authorisation code for this course of treatment
Which part of the body (eg left shoulder, lower back, etc)
Number of sessions/budget authorised
Details of any Excess due
Some insurers do not cover the full fees for treatment. Once we have your authorisation details we can invoice at the fee agreed by Perfect Balance with your insurer. Until we receive the authorisation details we will invoice at our standard rates and you may be liable for the costs.We will send your invoices to your insurance company directly for payment once we have all the details. Your insurance company may inform us that the invoices are your liability, for example, due to excess, shortfall, benefit limit exceeded. In this case, please settle your account with Perfect Balance within 30 days of notice.Your practitioner may recommend an alternative treatment to speed your recovery and this may not be covered by the original authorisation. For instance, an osteopath may recommend you go on to see a physiotherapist or podiatrist or vice versa. Please check with your insurer and obtain a fresh authorisation if necessary.Sometimes it may be a simple matter of holiday cover by one practitioner for another; it is preferable for you to be treated by another practitioner recognised by your insurer so you can continue claiming. Please remind us to book you with an appropriately recognised practitioner.If you have any questions relating to your private medical insurance it is best to direct them to your insurance company in the first instance. We will do our best to assist you in the claim process.
Data Protection Policy
We take data protection seriously; please let us know of any changes to your personal data e.g. name, contact details, insurance company, person registered on account, this helps us ensure your records are kept accurate and up to date.
Requesting your medical records or information we hold about you via a Subject Access Request (SAR)
A SAR must be made in writing. We use a standard form to make it easier for us to recognise a genuine request and make it easier for the individual to include all the details they might need in order for us to locate the information they want. Click the link below to access the SAR template.
SUBJECT ACCESS REQUEST FORM
If the SAR is valid, we will action without delay and at the latest within one month of receipt. Where the request is complex or numerous we will action within three months.
Accessing personal data on someone else's behalf
A person is only entitled to their own personal data unless they are acting on behalf of someone. If information is being requested via a third party e.g. a solicitor, GP surgery or insurance company acting on behalf of a client or by an individual wanting someone else to act on their behalf, we will need to be satisfied that the third party making the request is entitled to act on behalf of the individual. It is third parties responsibility to provide evidence of this entitlement. This could be in the form of:
Written authority to make the request
General power of attorney
If we feel that the individual may not understand what information would be disclosed to a third party who has made a SAR on their behalf, we will send the response directly to the individual rather than the third party. The individual may then choose to share the information with the third party after having a chance to review the information.
Requests for information about children
Even if a child is too young to understand the implications of SAR rights, the data held about them is still their personal data. It is the child who has a right to access the information held about them, even though in the case of young children these rights are likely to be carried out by a parent/guardian.
Before responding to a SAR for information held about a child we will consider whether the child is mature enough to understand their rights - if the answer is yes then we will respond directly to the child rather than the parent. When considering cases that are borderline, as advised by the Information Commissioner's Office (www.ico.org.uk) we will also take into account:
The child’s level of maturity and ability to make decisions like this
The nature of the personal data
Any court orders relating to parental access or responsibility that may apply
Any duty of confidence owed to the child or young person
Any consequences of allowing those with parental responsibility access to the child’s or young person’s information
Any detriment to the child or young person if individuals with parental responsibility cannot access this information
Any views the child or young person has and whether their parent should have access to information about them
Identifying the requester
In order to avoid personal data being sent accidently or as a result of deception, we have a duty of care to ensure we know the identity of the requester. We will therefore ask for enough information to judge whether the person making the request is the individual to whom the personal data relates to or a person authorised to make a SAR on their behalf.
If the identity of the person making the request is obvious to us we will not request a lot more information, however we will not assume that, on every occasion, the person making the request is who they say they are.
We may in some circumstances ask for documentation providing evidence of birth or a passport and check that we have the requesters correct postal or email address (or both) before supplying any information in response to a SAR.
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