WHATSAPP TERMS AND CONDITIONS

– UPDATED JANUARY 2021 

Your safety and security are important to us. We ask you to agree to the following conditions, prior to joining one of our groups. Conditions will remain under review.

GENERAL DATA PROTECTION RULES

Your mobile phone number is required to join WhatsApp and it is not possible to hide your mobile phone number on WhatsApp. Please be aware your mobile phone number and name will be visible to anyone else in your WhatsApp group. Mobile numbers should never be used or shared without explicit consent and it is forbidden to misuse the mobile phone number of any other participant in the group.

Glasgow East End Community Carers will download and maintain records of conversations in each of the groups in order to monitor content and usage levels. All data will be maintained securely and no personal or identifying information will be published or made available outside the staff team. See more details of Glasgow East End Community Carers’ privacy policy.

CONDITIONS OF USE

  • Messages should be supportive and respectful of all other group users.
  • Members must respect confidentiality and should not share personal information or copy or repeat messages elsewhere. Please avoid mentioning family names and other identifying details in your own posts if there is any risk that mentioning these could cause you, or your loved ones, difficulty.
  • When sharing accounts of your experiences, please do not quote professionals by name, including social workers, teachers or any other practitioners.
  • The Carers Hub is committed to equality and inclusion – when commenting on the actions of someone who is causing you frustration or unhappiness, don’t make the assumption that all people of that age, gender, race, religion/belief etc. are similarly hostile. Avoid language which is sexist, racist or any other ‘ist’ and do not judge the qualities of a person based on sexual orientation. Conversations should never exclude anyone from the group.
  • It’s okay to make passing comments on topics other than caring, whether it’s TV, politics or the weather, but remember that you’re on the group as a carer, so keep other news items short. Do not post negative messages on religion, community, region, political party which may offend.
  • Offloading frustration and expressing strong feelings are both okay, but try to keep your language moderate and your criticism constructive. Please do not swear.
  • We love to champion your personal achievements. Whilst you are welcome to share that you offer a product or service, please do not use the site to advertise, negotiate or sell.
  • When posting links for information/resources these should only be made to sites which are relevant to the work of Glasgow East End Community Carers. Links can be posted for commercial services where these are appropriate to your caring role but not to unrelated campaigns or personal appeals.
  • When posting photographs, please remember that these are saved to members’ individual devices. Do not share images of nudity or sexual content. Be mindful of using any identifiable information about your child that could breach yours, or their, privacy.
  • Be mindful that this is a group facilitated by us as an organisation. Whilst using WhatsApp, it is easy to blur the boundaries between your private and public lives. Please do not share intimate details on WhatsApp as we cannot take responsibility for how your information is received by others in the group.
  • Do not discuss controversial or inciteful topics that are likely to promote a strong ‘for-or against’ reactions. We understand that sometimes this is hard to judge. That’s ok. We will aim to guide discussion when this happens. We are also happy for you to speak to a member of the Carers Hub team prior to posting on a subject.
  • Whilst staff make every effort to follow group conversations, we are unlikely to ‘catch’ every exchange, particularly on evenings and weekends. Membership of the group is therefore based on joint responsibility between GEECC staff and carer participants to keep individuals and our Organisation safe. If you have a question for a staff member, text them privately to ensure they see it and have the opportunity to respond.

HOW TO RAISE A CONCERN

If you have concerns about any message posted, please do not be tempted to post a reply. In the first instance, contact a staff member who will investigate and aim to resolve the matter. Please do not pre-judge; sometimes there is another explanation for the post.

If we consider a message inappropriate, we will contact the person who posted it and may seek to remove the message. Where possible, we will make any relevant explanations.

In the unlikely event that a participant causes a serious breach, such as that which would detrimentally affect the wellbeing/security of the Carers Hub or a fellow carer, we will remove that participant from the group. The decision of Glasgow East End Community Carers is final.

We won’t be offended if you decide to leave the group, however, it would be helpful to let us know by contacting a staff member. We want to make sure that you still receive relevant information and it helps us monitor the needs of the group.

Please tick your agreement with the following statements:


    • Ask yourself some questions before posting:
      • Is the content true? Check your sources before you share. 
      • Is it relevant? 
      • Is this a good time to post? (generally, between 10pm and 7am are considered unsociable hours) 
    • Remember, you can silence alerts using the Mute function on WhatsApp. You’ll still receive all group messages. 
    • Keep in mind that your words can be interpreted in multiple ways, so use short sentences that can’t be misinterpreted. Don’t make assumptions or draw conclusions based on limited posts; it can be hard to ‘read’ the mood and feelings behind a text and therefore open to misunderstanding. 
    • Let the group work for you, whether you value daily interaction or just wish to check-in periodically for useful information.