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Terms of service and web applications use

Document Version

Version 0.26 

Last update: January 2, 2024

Questions about this page should be directed to [email protected].

This page outlines the Terms under which we (Kids Help Phone, or KHP) provide you with services when you engage with us — whether by phone, text, web app, mobile app, or by using our website.

We use the term “protected data” to refer to personal information and/or personal health information.

Our relationship with you

KHP offers wellness- and mental health- related information and supports to young people across Canada. No feeling is too big or too small. However, KHP is not a substitute for professional health or mental health care.  If you’re in danger or need emergency help, contact 911 or the emergency services in your area. If you are experiencing long-term issues, or symptoms related to your mental, physical, or emotional health, consult a medical professional. KHP does not establish a doctor-patient relationship, a therapist-client relationship, a therapist-patient relationship, or a lawyer-client relationship with service users. Our services are not a substitute for professional health or ongoing mental health care.

Who are Kids Help Phone’s services for?

Our services are primarily intended for people in Canada. Services are also offered to Ontario post-secondary students calling from outside of Ontario and Canada (calls from outside of Ontario and Canada may incur roaming charges). Some of our services are delivered by professional staff and volunteers who have been trained to support in crisis situations. KHP does not provide medical or legal services or support.

What services does Kids Help Phone offer?

Our services include the following:

Kids Help Phone services

Kids Help Phone partnered services

We are non-judgmental and inclusive, supporting all youth with whatever issues they’re facing.

Which languages can Kids Help Phone offer support in?

We provide all services in English and French. Phone counselling is also offered in over 100 languages with the help of trained interpreters. Our crisis response via web message is currently only offered in English.

When are our services available?

Our services are available 24/7. KHP will deny services if users behave abusively.

How can people access our services?

You can access our services through the following interfaces:

Counselling Service

  • Phone calls
  • The web (via our KHP or Jeunesse, J’écoute website)

Crisis Response Service

  • Text messaging (SMS) from mobile devices
  • Via web message

What happens to the information you give us?

Information you give us is used to provide you with counselling services, answers to general questions, and crisis response services. As well, the data will be used for monitoring system performance, analytics, and for training purposes. KHP also uses aggregated or non-identifiable data for research and publications.  We have various privacy-related polices, including a Data Retention and Disposal Policy, to guide how we protect your data.

Counselling service

KHP’s phone counselling service is anonymous and confidential. To access counselling services if you are concerned about sharing your mobile phone number, you can call a counsellor at 1-800-668-6868 — this service does not have access to your phone number.

Answers to general questions

Our staff respond to various queries about KHP through our Contact Us form.

Crisis response service

We keep the information you text to us confidential. This means our crisis responders can only access information you have chosen to share with them. However, if it is absolutely necessary for your safety or the safety of others, a KHP Texting Supervisor might need to use the information you have given us and your mobile phone number to contact child protection services, an ambulance/EMS, or the police. Read more in our Privacy Policy.)

Training

 We use call and transcript recordings for internal training and educational purposes.

Performance monitoring and quality assurance

We will use data you provide to us for performance monitoring, quality assurance, and improving the quality of our service to you.

Terms of Service for Kids Help Phone services

By using KHP’s services, you agree to the following terms:

  1. These are non-emergency services. This means that they may not always be available. It is possible that our systems may be backlogged or our online services may be unavailable due to maintenance, which would mean you may not be able to access a service.
  2. Service users must respect the dignity of our staff, and not abuse or insult them.
  3. KHP will not ask you for your name or other identifying information before providing services. This means that KHP will provide you with support even if you don’t wish to share your name or additional identifying information beyond what is already collected through the service you’ve used. If you contact us more than once, different staff members may respond to you; if you contact us by phone call they won’t have access to the information you’ve already given in the past.
  4. You may contact us when you need us. We recommend no more than once a day to encourage you continuing taking actions and steps in your day-to-day life. However, you won’t be able to request a particular person to talk with; and we can’t accommodate requests to talk to someone of a particular gender, ethnic background, or identity.
  5. You acknowledge that your conversation with KHP is confidential. KHP staff and volunteers will make notes of their conversation with you — to ensure quality, build new products and services for KHP, and to use for training purposes within KHP — but these notes will not include your name. Audio and written conversations will be recorded for the same purpose.
  6. KHP services are only for individuals. Attempts to send automated messages to KHP are unacceptable. The use of our technologies must comply with the KHP IT Policy. Hacking, phishing, or any Denial of Service attacks will not be tolerated.

Breaking any of the Terms listed above may mean that you can no longer use KHP services: see “Disruption and Prohibited Uses,” below.

These Terms of Service may change whenever we add new tools or services, or if the technology or processes change.

Terms of Service for partnered services

To receive KHP services via our website, you may be redirected to online tools or partners, such as US-based Amazon AWS, Twilio, Sisense, and Crisis Text Line, and Canada-based 9-8-8. Some of these online tools have their own Terms of Service:

Our partners’ Terms of Service:

Information extracted from any of the above platforms can’t be erased by KHP.

While the Terms of Service listed above create obligations for KHP, you as a user may be impacted indirectly. The Terms of Service of each platform may allow them (or their partners) to collect, retain, use, disclose, and analyze information about you. The breadth and depth of data involved can’t be controlled by KHP.

Risks

You assume all risk for your use of our services. Neither KHP nor any of our employees, volunteers, agents, service providers, or any other entities with whom KHP has contracted will have any liability for:

(1) actions taken by you or a third party, or not taken by you or a third party; or

(2) the unavailability of the service.

You agree that you will not hold KHP liable (in Legal Speak, you indemnify us) for damages, losses, or costs associated with any legal issues you incur for:

(a) your use of the service;

(b) your breach of these Terms;

(c) your violation of the law;

(d) claims asserted by third parties that you are in breach of these Terms; or

(e) information provided by you through KHP.

This means that under no circumstances will KHP be liable for any special, incidental, consequential, exemplary or indirect damages.

Quality of service

KHP strives to provide the best quality of service to the people who use our services. However, we cannot guarantee that our services will:

(a) meet your requirements or expectations; or

(b) be uninterrupted, timely, secure or error-free.

In Legal Speak, KHP will not be liable for any or all damages or injury, including those caused by any failure of performance, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, or delay in operation or transmission, whether for breach of contract, tortious behaviour, including negligence or any other cause of action.

Respect and dignity

You agree to use our services only for lawful and legitimate purposes, and in accordance with these Terms. You agree not to threaten, harass, or otherwise abuse KHP, its employees, volunteers, partners, agents, subcontractors, or others. Such behaviour will result in you being denied access to our services.

Disruption & prohibited uses

KHP will not tolerate, and can report to the authorities, including the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, anyone who attempts to use its services:

  • in any way that violates any applicable federal, provincial, local, and international law or regulation;
  • for the purpose of exploiting, harming, or attempting to exploit or harm minors in any way by exposing them to inappropriate content, asking for personal information, or otherwise;
  • to threaten, harass, abuse, or otherwise inappropriately treat KHP, its employees, partners, agents, subcontractors, Crisis Responders, or others;
  • to send, knowingly receive, upload, download, use, or re-use any content which does not comply with these Terms;
  • “spam,” gather, or attempt to gather information belonging to users or others for the purposes of spamming, marketing, selling to third parties, or otherwise abusing KHP or its users;
  • flood KHP with messages or calls that would cause denial of service;
  • impersonate or attempt to impersonate another person or entity;
  • engage in any other conduct that restricts or inhibits anyone’s use or enjoyment of our services, or which, as determined by us, may harm KHP or users of the services or expose them to liability;
  • copy, adapt, decompile, reverse engineer, attempt to discover the source code of, or make derivative works of the services or any portion of the services; or
  • otherwise attempt to interfere with the proper working of the services.

De-identification of personal data

Purpose and Scope: This term outlines KHP’s commitment to protect the privacy of service users by de-identifying service user data collected, stored, processed, or transmitted in connection with the use of our services, products, or platforms (collectively, the “Services”). The purpose of de-identification is to minimize the risk of unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of service user data and to maintain compliance with applicable privacy laws, regulations, and standards.

De-identification Process: KHP implements reasonable and appropriate technical and organizational measures to de-identify service user data. Such measures include, but are not limited to:

  • Pseudonymization: Replacing direct identifiers (e.g., name, email address, phone number) with pseudonyms, unique identifiers, or other non-personally identifiable information to prevent the association of service user data with specific individuals.
  • Aggregation: Combining service user data of multiple individuals to create aggregated datasets or statistical summaries, which do not contain information that can be directly linked to any individual.
  • Data masking: Concealing or hiding specific service user data elements, such as by using encryption, tokenization, or data substitution techniques.

Retention of De-identified Data: De-identified data shall be retained indefinitely. KHP has established appropriate data retention and disposal procedures to ensure the secure and timely destruction or anonymization of de-identified data when it is no longer needed.

The Privacy Officer, or designated personnel, conducts annual audits and reviews of KHP’s de-identification practices to ensure their effectiveness and ongoing compliance with applicable privacy laws, regulations, and standards.

Third-Party Data Processors: When engaging third-party data processors to provide Services on behalf of KHP, KHP ensures that such processors are contractually obligated to comply with this provision and to implement appropriate technical and organizational measures for de-identification of protected data. KHP assesses the performance of third-party data processors to ensure their compliance with these obligations.

Data retention

Protected data shall be retained only as long it is needed to fulfil the purposes for which it was originally collected.

Clinical data:

Clinical data is detailed information collected and written down by KHP staff from interactions with youth who contact KHP’s services via phone, text, and live chat. It will be retained for 10 years from the last interaction or 10 years from the service user’s eighteenth birthday, whichever is later.

Analytics data:

Analytics data refers to de-identified clinical data. Analytics data can be used for a variety of purposes, including:

  • to identify trends in issues facing youth;  
  • to track child abuse and neglect;
  • to analyze the effectiveness of KHP services;
  • to support operational management and system improvement;
  • to develop new strategies for preventing and responding to child abuse; and
  • to meet innovation and data strategy fulfilling KHP’s mission to transform the e-mental health ecosystem.

It will be retained in perpetuity. 

Right to terminate

KHP strives to be a welcoming environment for young people from coast to coast to coast. However, there may be times when services may be terminated; for example, if you violate these Terms by engaging in the prohibited uses described above. We may also end your access to our services if, for example, we determine that you’d be better served by a different kind of support, or that you need service beyond what we can reasonably provide to you. KHP further reserves the right to terminate our services or your access to them, for any other reason, at our sole discretion.

This website contains links and references to websites of our partners, collaborators, and other external resources. If you have any questions or concerns about these links, please let us know. If you have complaints about content on these external sites, please direct them to the owner of the appropriate site.

KHP owns title and holds copyright for all content it produces. Our website carries licensed images and other materials, the title and ownership of which belongs to the copyright holder. Users are invited to use and share content for non-commercial use. Content from KHP can’t be used in funding applications, research, or any other fund-generating event without explicit authorisation from the KHP Privacy Officer.

Trademarks

KHP holds the following trademarks: 0765004, 0829164, 1112226, 0895490, 1085459, 1305827, 1110884, 1604241, 1305835, 1811027, 0829163, 0718883, 1718968, 1741396, 1598581, 1626241, 0903544, 1811026, 1604244, 1970653, 1877294. These include names, images, and logos. A copyrighted work may not be duplicated, disseminated, or appropriated by others without the creator’s permission. The public display or performance of copyrighted works is similarly restricted.

Complaints

For complaints, access to information, or any legal or ethical concerns, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

Terms of Service for specific Kids Help Phone programs

The sections below set out the Terms of Service specific to each of the following programs.

Kids Help Phone website

The KHP website acts as a portal providing access to KHP services.

KHP uses cookies on its website. A cookie is a small text file that a website creates and places on a service user’s computer when they visit the site. KHP’s website uses cookies to track language preferences, provide customized web page content, manage user sessions, and display website navigation history. We cannot identify service users from this information.

KHP uses cookie data to analyze user activity in order to improve our site. For example, we can analyze aggregate patterns such as the average number of unique visitors, how long they stay on the website, how many pages they visit, and website searches they perform. This analysis allows KHP to improve the functionality and user accessibility of our website.

Third-party Provider Notice

Google Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics 4 (“GA4”) to help us understand how visitors interact with our site. GA4 collects information about your visit, such as the pages you view, the time you spend on each page, and how you arrived at our site. This information is anonymous and does not identify you personally.

Why do we use GA4? We use GA4 to improve our website and provide you with a better experience. We analyze the data collected by GA4 to understand how people are using our site, identify areas for improvement, and personalize your experience.

What information does GA4 collect? GA4 collects information about your visit, such as:

  • The pages you view
  • The time you spend on each page
  • The links you click
  • Your IP address (anonymized)
  • Your device and browser information
     

How is your data used? The information collected by GA4 is used to improve our website and provide you with a better experience. We may also use the data for marketing purposes, such as to target advertising to you based on your interests.

Your choices You can control how your data is collected by GA4 by using your browser settings. You can also opt out of having your data collected by GA4 by visiting the following link: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/181881?hl=en

More information To learn more about GA4, please visit the following Google resources:

SEMRush

KHP leverages SEMRush as a web analytics and application performance management platform. By virtue of using its online services, any pages you visit or keywords you search for can and will be tracked by SEMRush.

SEMRush has its own third party providers and it is possible that they will de-identify your information and share it with these third party providers. SEMRush states in its Privacy Policy that it may use certain limited personal data, such as email addresses, to hash and to share with social network websites, such as LinkedIn or Google, to generate leads, drive traffic to its websites or otherwise promote its products or Services.

SEMRush’s data retention practices are undefined in its Privacy Policy.

SEMRush may store KHP data in the United States or Canada.

Voyce and LanguageLine

KHP uses third party interpreters that work on translating chat or voice recordings. Some of the tools and/or human translators involved may be located in the US. Therefore your data may be stored temporarily in the US.

Voyce’s Privacy Policy is listed on its website, and includes Terms & Conditions.

LanguageLine’s Privacy Policy is listed on its website.

RiseUp

RiseUp powered by KHP is a national, 24/7, bilingual e-mental health support service for Black youth. Data gathered from people who use the RISE keyword or access the RiseUp landing page is part of overall KHP service user data. The RiseUp Engagement program will be collecting potential volunteer data via a page on the KHP website (website page TBD). Information submitted on that page will also be emailed to a specific KHP email box. People can sign up to emailing lists on the website.

Weaving Threads

Weaving Threads, an Indigenous Engagement program, will be collecting potential volunteer data via Better Impact (see this linked page on the KHP website). Information submitted on that page will also be emailed to a specific KHP email box.  People can sign up to emailing lists on the website.

Data use limitation

KHP website data is used for quality of service, metrics development, and service improvement.

Auditing

The third-party security and privacy service provider is responsible for auditing compliance with this Terms of Service.

Kids Help Phone crisis response service via texting

KHP offers a crisis response service via texting (SMS).

Quality assurance

KHP is committed to providing you with the best possible texting service at all times. One of the ways that we help to ensure this is by creating transcripts of our texts with users. We use these transcripts for training and quality assurance purposes. We may also use texting data for internal analysis purposes in order to better understand usage and improve the texting service.

Data use limitation

If you’d like us to remove your text transcripts from our records, you can text DELETE to 686868 or 741741 at any time.

Please keep in mind that even if you request that we remove your information from our records, a record of the texting transcript will remain on the phone that you used to communicate with us unless you delete it on the device. In addition, if you text us again, we’ll retain your information in accordance with the KHP Privacy Policy unless you text DELETE again.

Surveys

We may use your phone number to send you a text message with a link to a survey about the texting service. If you click on the link, standard data rates apply. The survey is completely optional.

If you choose to complete the survey, we collect your survey responses, which may include demographic information about yourself as well your experience using the texting service. We use survey responses for quality assurance and training purposes, and to improve the texting service. If you don’t want to receive this survey, you can text STOP at any time, which prevents any future messages from being sent to you.

Kids Help Phone counselling service

KHP offers counselling services via phone or Live Chat.

Quality assurance

KHP is committed to providing you with the best possible counselling service at all times. One of the ways that we help to ensure this is by creating audio recordings or chat transcripts of our conversations with users. We use these recordings and transcripts for training and quality assurance purposes. We may also use counselling data for internal analysis purposes in order to better understand usage and improve the counselling service.

Kids Help Phone chatbot (“Kip”)

Notice

KHP’s Kip chatbot is an automated conversation bot created by artificial intelligence (AI). By using the bot, your data will be processed by an AI service. The data in the chatbot will be supported by the software vendor Filament AI.

Data use limitation

​Data you enter into the chatbot will only be used to provide you with the chatbot service. This includes training the bot, system use analytics, and staff training. We also use this data for analysis and operational improvements. More details about the scope of this project are available in our Privacy Policy.

Data disclosure

KHP may disclose aggregate data to funders and partners.

Auditing

Data in the chatbot will not be audited.

Kids Help Phone Insights

KHP Insights data is extracted and analyzed from texting and phone service data.

Notice

Insights data is automatically created by a set of analytical tools called Power BI. This data is owned by KHP and is meant for non-commercial use.

Data use limitation

​Data in Insights is captured to present analytics on KHP’s texting and phone services. KHP will process data using advanced analytics tools. Data will be used to improve policy and service provision.

Insights utilizes Microsoft Power BI, and leverages data from the phone counselling system (including Aselo, SalesForce, CentreICE, and iCarol) and from the Text Crisis Response system (including the Crisis Text Line platform). 

Data disclosure

KHP presents the data publicly on its website in the form of analytics dashboards. KHP also delivers presentations featuring highlights of recent studies that utilize KHP data holdings and linkages.

Auditing

KHP has engaged a third party to audit data access and will implement quality control measures.

Restrictions

Data in Insights can’t be used without explicit authorization from KHP.

Kids Help Phone Resources Around Me

Notice

Resources Around Me allows you to search for physical or virtual support programs and services available to kids, teens, and young adults across Canada.

Data use limitation

​Data in Resources Around Me is captured to present analytics on search behaviour and use of the tool.

Auditing

Data in Resources Around Me will not be audited; however, KHP will use anonymized search queries to improve functionality within the tool.

Restrictions

Data in Resources Around Me can’t be used without explicit authorization from KHP.

Kids Help Phone Good2Talk

KHP Good2Talk (G2T) usage data is extracted and analyzed from the crisis response and counselling service data.

Notice

De-identified and aggregated data from G2T Ontario about the nature and volume of service use is shared with partner organizations (Ontario 211, ConnexOntario, and the Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions) and participating educational institutions. De-identified and aggregated data from G2T Nova Scotia is shared with the Nova Scotia Health Authority. This data includes survey participation data (campus surveys are conducted at post-secondary institutes, and survey feedback data is collected by KHP) and row level caller data, in addition to aggregate performance and evaluation data.

Data use limitation

​Retained data is used for program evaluation, reporting, and funding proposals.  Data in Good2Talk will also be used by partners to present analytics on service metrics.

Data disclosure

Aggregate program evaluation and Key Performance Indicators are released to funding organizations. Data from G2T about the nature and volume of service use is shared with partner organizations. Data is only used within the context of providing aggregated information on the use and impact of the service. Data is also used to inform decision making by partners and to inform evaluation reports and presentations. Data shared with any external partners must be approved by KHP.

Auditing

Data will not be audited; however, KHP will implement quality control measures.

Restrictions

Data in Good2Talk can’t be used without explicit authorization from KHP.

Kids Help Phone Peer-to-Peer Community

Notice

The Peer-to-Peer Community, delivered via online message boards, enables indirect communication between KHP service users. The service presents a webpage to the public; this webpage is tied to an associated database that captures all interactions between users and moderators.

KHP will respond in English and in French.

In order to reduce any malicious activity, KHP may block, ban, or report to the authorities any users or locations that disrupt, exhibit unusual activity, spam, or attempt to destroy the service. KHP may log all system activity for the purpose of security threat analysis.

Moderation Guidelines are available on the Peer-to-Peer Community and can be provided on demand.

KHP will be processing or linking data. This includes, but is not limited to, the data analytics platform.

Data use limitation

Data will only be used for providing the service, analyzing staff performance, work and caseload management, topic analysis, aggregate report-backs to funders, and reporting.

KHP will enforce named user log-in for service users to comment or write a message.

Data disclosure

Data will not be disclosed outside of KHP.

Auditing

KHP has engaged a third party to ensure that the Peer-to-Peer service is run in compliance with this Terms of Service and with KHP’s Privacy Policy every year.

Aselo Multi-Modal Support Service

Notice

KHP leverages Aselo as a multimodal, cloud-based platform that allows the organization to optimize tools and processes used by staff to deliver quality services and scalable solutions. Data may be in transit in the US through Twilio Flex.

Quality assurance

KHP’s Aselo team manages data quality. Quality assurance of KHP’s counselling service provided through Aselo  is compliant with the Quality Assurance of KHP’s counselling service above.

Data use limitation

Data in the Aselo system will be used to service clients and to manage requests. De-identified data will be used for system performance and analytics.

Data disclosure

KHP presents aggregate data publicly on its website in the form of analytics dashboards. KHP also delivers presentations featuring highlights of recent studies that utilize KHP data holdings and linkages.

9-8-8 mental health crisis hotline

Notice

The 9-8-8 service is delivered in partnership with CAMH.

Quality assurance

Quality assurance is handled both by CAMH and KHP.

Data use limitation

KHP produces dashboards and reports for system performance and analytics.

Data disclosure

Aggregate-level reports may be disclosed to funders and/or CAMH.

Wellness Together Canada

Wellness Together Canada has its own website and services. Its Terms of Use are available at https://app.wellnesstogether.ca/content/legal/terms/en-ca/patient/.

The Duty to Report is an exception to all the above Data Disclosure limitation statements. For details, please see our Privacy Policy .

Additional Information

These Terms of Service are also available in French, and can be made available in Arabic on demand.

If you want to view your information, or have any concerns about the way in which your information is used or disclosed, please contact the person responsible for privacy protection at KHP:

Susan Morris

Privacy/Data Protection Officer
Kids Help Phone, National Office,

300‐439 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1Y8

Toll-free: 1-800-268-3062

Email: [email protected]


We will make every effort to address your concerns. Concerns and complaints may also be addressed to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.