1. Who We Are

• Peers & Users — adults sharing experiences and offering support to one another
• Mentors — adult volunteers with lived experience, offering time, listening, and encouragement
• Experts — independently working, qualified professionals providing paid, formal guidance
• Corporate Partners — through our Employee Support Programme

2. Acceptance of Terms

• You are aged 18 years or older
• You accept these Terms and our separate Privacy Policy
• You understand and agree to abide by our rules on conduct, confidentiality, and the nature of our service

3. Eligibility — 18+ Only

• You must be 18 years of age or older to create an account, access our services, or engage with any user on Owl Connects.
• No person under the age of 18 is permitted to register, use, or interact on this platform.
• We do not offer services for children or young people. Our community, design, and content are intended solely for adult users.
• You confirm that all information provided during registration is accurate and complete.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account details and for all activity conducted under your account.
• If we become aware that an account is held by someone under 18, we will terminate that account immediately.

4. Nature of Our Service — Support, Not Medical Advice

4.1 What Owl Connects Provides

4.2 Clear Distinction: Who May Give Guidance?

• ✅ Peers and Mentors offer: Listening, understanding, shared personal experience, motivation, and emotional comfort. They are here to say “I have walked this path too”. They do NOT provide medical, clinical, psychological, or diagnostic advice, treatment plans, or health‑related instructions.
• ✅ Only verified, registered Experts may: Provide professional guidance — and then only within their booked paid sessions and within the scope of their own professional qualifications. Their advice is theirs alone and does not constitute medical direction unless explicitly stated as such by the individual professional in their capacity as a licensed practitioner.
• ❌ You must NOT: Rely on conversations with other users or Mentors as medical, psychological, or clinical advice. Any views or suggestions shared in peer‑to‑peer or Mentor discussions are from personal experience only — they are not a substitute for professional diagnosis, treatment, or care.

4.3 Health and Crisis Disclaimer

• Owl Connects does not provide medical diagnosis, clinical treatment, therapy, or crisis intervention services.
• If you are in distress, at risk, or experiencing a mental health or medical emergency, please contact your general practitioner, NHS 111, emergency services, or a dedicated crisis support service immediately.
• You engage with all connections on this platform at your own discretion and risk.

5. Confidentiality — Protecting Each Other’s Privacy

5.1 Your Conversations Are Private

• Conversations, messages, and information shared between users on Owl Connects are confidential and private to those involved.
• What you hear, read, or learn from others — including personal stories, experiences, feelings, or identifying details — must not be shared, disclosed, or discussed publicly or with any third party without the explicit written permission of the person concerned.
• This obligation applies even after your relationship on the platform ends and remains in effect indefinitely.

5.2 Your Commitment

• To treat all shared information as private and sensitive
• Not to screenshot, record, copy, or forward conversations or personal details without clear permission
• Not to discuss or identify another user’s story in public spaces, social media, or with friends, family, or colleagues
• To respect that trust is the foundation of this community — breaking confidentiality harms individuals and our whole environment

5.3 Limited Exceptions

• Full details of how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data are set out in our separate Privacy Policy.

6. Licence to Use

• Reproduce, copy, or resell any part of the platform without our written permission
• Reverse‑engineer, decompile, or disassemble our software (except as permitted by law)
• Use scraping, automation, or bots to access or extract data from our systems

7. Acceptable Use — Prohibited Behaviour

7.1 General Prohibitions

• Share content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, or invasive of another’s privacy
• Bully, harass, stalk, threaten, or impersonate other users or any person or organisation
• Infringe copyright, trade mark, intellectual property, or data protection rights
• Transmit malware, viruses, or any malicious code
• Engage in fraud, phishing, spamming, or deceptive practices
• Solicit funds, services, or business without our written approval
• Interfere with or disrupt the security or operation of our platform
• Share or disclose another user’s information, conversations, or identity — this breaches Clause 5 and is a serious violation

7.2 Strict Age‑Related Prohibitions

• Attempt to create an account if you are under 18
• Allow anyone under 18 to access your account or our platform
• Use our service for, or in connection with, any person under 18

7.3 Additional Safeguarding Prohibitions

• Engage in predatory, exploitative, or harmful behaviour towards any other user
• Encourage or enable harm, self‑neglect, or illegal activity
• Act in a way that is intimidating, coercive, or abusive toward others

• Encourages terrorism, violence, or self‑harm
• Promotes hate speech based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability
• Facilitates illegal activity, drug trafficking, firearms offences, or human exploitation
• Disseminates non‑consensual explicit images

7.4 Specific Restriction — Unqualified Advice

8. User‑Generated Content and Conduct

• By sharing content on Owl Connects, you grant us a worldwide, non‑exclusive, royalty‑free licence to display, store, and — where necessary for safety — review that content to operate and protect our platform.
• When sharing your experience, you speak only for yourself — not on behalf of Owl Connects.
• You agree to be respectful, supportive, and mindful that your experience is personal and may not apply to others.
• You remain fully responsible and accountable for all content you post or share.

9. Data Protection — Reference to Privacy Policy

• How we collect, use, store, and share your personal data
• Your rights under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018
• How you may access, correct, or erase your information
• Our data retention and security practices

10. Reporting and Enforcement

• Reporting tools are available within the app and website to flag concerns — including breaches of confidentiality, someone giving unqualified advice, inappropriate conduct, or any attempt to involve under‑age persons
• Reports will be reviewed and responded to promptly
• We reserve the right to investigate, suspend, or terminate accounts where these Terms are breached
• Breaching another user’s confidentiality is taken extremely seriously and may result in immediate account suspension or termination
• In serious cases, we will co‑operate fully with law enforcement and share necessary information
• Users may appeal enforcement decisions via office@owlconnects.org within 14 days

11. Changes to Terms

12. Liability and Disclaimers

• Owl Connects is provided on an “as is” basis without warranties beyond those required by law
• We do not exclude liability for: death or personal injury, fraud, or any matter that cannot be lawfully excluded under UK law
• Our total liability to you shall not exceed the total amount paid by you to us in the 12 months prior to the claim
• We are not liable for the views, suggestions, or conversations shared between users. Opinions and experiences expressed by peers or Mentors are personal perspectives only — they are not professional guidance, and we accept no responsibility for how they are interpreted or applied
• We are not liable where a user breaches confidentiality — protecting shared information is a personal obligation you accept on joining
• We are not liable for interactions, conversations, or conduct between users — you engage with others at your own discretion

13. Governing Law and Disputes

• These Terms are governed by the law of England and Wales
• Any dispute will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales
• If you are acting as a consumer, nothing in this clause affects your statutory rights

14. Contact