Tracheostomy UK Support Group (TrUKs) Guidelines

TrUKs is a site designed to allow members to ask questions, exchange information and share comments and experiences with each other.  The following guidelines are here to help you understand what it means to be a member of the group.

Parents/guardians of children with complex needs, such as a tracheostomy, often have many professionals involved in the care of their child and can cause them to feel like they live in a goldfish bowl.  Because of this, group membership will only be granted to parents/guardians of children with a tracheostomy who live in the UK.  No professionals will be allowed to join the group, and any who misrepresent their position to gain access to the group will be reported to the appropriate professional body for professional misconduct.  Any professionals who are also the parent/guardian of a child with a tracheostomy will be allowed to join the group on the basis that they join as a parent not as a professional.

Any information found on the group is strictly confidential.  Group members may use the information they find on the group subject to ‘Chatham house rules’, but the source of the information, or anything that could identify anyone, must not be revealed.  The exception to this rule is where there is cause to believe a crime will be committed or that a member (or their family) is in danger and needs to be protected.  If any member believes that to be the case then they should inform an admin who will take the appropriate action.

The group has members from a wide range of backgrounds, not everyone is going to share the same beliefs or opinions but everyone has the right to feel comfortable using and visiting the site.  Please be polite and respectful in your interactions with other members, and take into account that many members are in extremely stressful situations and this may be reflected in their posts or responses. 

While this site is not intended for children, we want it to be safe for anyone to read.  Please do not post any adult or smutty content, and refrain from using bad language.  While it is good to share information about groups or products you have found helpful, the group should not be used for advertising.  Any member found to be doing any of these things will be asked to refrain from this in the future.  If any member has concerns about a particular post then they should inform an admin who will take the appropriate action.  The admins reserve the right to remove any posts or comments in the group without warning or explanation.  Posts and comments made in the group are monitored regularly but the admins cannot take responsibility for the content of comments made, the person who posts the material remains solely responsible for it.

All group members are responsible for their own safety when using the internet in general and on this group.  Admins try to ensure that all members are genuine parents/guardians of a child with a tracheostomy but cannot accept any responsibility if this is not the case.  The fact that a person is a parent/guardian of a child with additional needs does not preclude that person from being involved in the more unsavory aspects of the internet.  Group members should be mindful of this when deciding what personal information they decide to share on the group, and should never post personal contact details publicly.  Different group members will have different ideas about what is an appropriate level of contact, if any group member feels that another member is being ‘over the top’ in this then their feelings should be respected and contact stopped.  Children will not normally be allowed to join the group, but any children that may be allowed to join by the specific request of their parent/guardian remain the responsibility of their parent/guardian to keep them safe while on the group. 

Whilst group members have a wealth of experience of children with a tracheostomy and other complex needs, they are not medical professionals and the information presented on this site is for general use only and is not intended to provide personal medical advice or substitute for the advice of your Doctor.  Remember to always seek the opinion of a medical professional.  Whilst it is appreciated that when seeking other members opinions on a matter it is necessary to provide enough information for them to make an informed opinion, please be aware that some members may be upset by graphic scenes and so any information posted should always be accompanied by an explanation and preceded by a warning so that those who may be upset by it can choose not to view.

Most of the information in this group is provided by the members, TrUKs and the admins take no responsibility for what is posted.   Please note that the views represented on this site do not necessarily reflect those of TrUKs or the admins.  TrUKs and the admins cannot be held responsible for any damage or loss caused by any inaccuracy in this group, or in linked sites/pages.  Any actions taken in the name of TrUKs must only be undertaken with the agreement and co-operation of the group admins.

An up-to-date list of group admins can be found by clicking on the ‘members’ tab on the Facebook group, and then selecting the ‘admin’ sub-tab.  Admins can only do their job by being able to see all the posts on the group, and so no group member should have an admin blocked on Facebook.  The aim of these guidelines is to make the group as good as it can be for everyone.  If you aren’t happy with them, or any other aspect of the group, please let an admin know.  Please remember that the admin are also parents, there are no professionals on the group, and so have a lot of other commitments and demands on their time.

Persistently failing to follow the group guidelines, or a single serious breach, may result in membership of the group being revoked by the admins.