How professional access works

This page is for professionals, and for parents who want to know exactly what they're sharing before they share it.

Who decides

Only a parent can let someone in. We never do it ourselves, and we can't do it just because we're asked. Not even a court can ask us to, unless it makes a proper order.

If we ever do receive a court order, this is what happens. We check that it is genuine and that it actually covers what is being asked for. We hand over only what the order requires and nothing beyond it. And we tell the parents involved, unless the order specifically says we must not.

Each parent does this separately. If both parents want you to see their side, both of them have to invite you.

What a professional can see

The parent who invites you chooses. They can share the shared calendar, the events on it, and the documents area — together or in any combination.

Whatever they share, a professional never sees:

Either parent's private space
Account settings, payment details, or what phone anyone uses
Anything belonging to a parent who hasn't invited them

Can they join in, or only look?

Only look. A professional's access is read‑only: you can read, open documents and download a record, but you can't post a message, reply, or add or change anything on the calendar. Nothing you do shows up to either parent as activity.

Why: it keeps the record clean. Everything in a family's account was put there by the family, so nobody can later argue that a professional shaped what it says. Parents can't edit or delete their own messages either, once they are sent.

Shutting off access

The parent who gave access can take it away at any time, from inside the app. It stops straight away.

We don't ask why, we don't warn the professional first, and we don't tell the other parent. Once access is gone, the only way to get it back is a fresh invitation.

Access also runs out on its own. An invitation is good for 7 days, and access ends automatically when that period is up — the parent can invite you again if the work is still going. If you finish sooner, it's worth asking them to shut it off there and then.

Where the information is kept

Information is kept on servers in London and does not leave the UK. It is encrypted in transit and at rest — our security and privacy page sets out the detail, and the information security statement goes further still. We can provide a data processing agreement on request.

What we don't do

We don't check anyone's qualifications. If a parent invites someone as their solicitor, we take their word for it. If you're a professional and you get an invitation you weren't expecting, speak to the parent before you accept it.

We don't watch accounts, and we don't act on what's in them. If a professional or a parent is worried about a child's safety, that goes to children's services or the police, not to us. Our safeguarding statement explains where we stand.

Talk to our team