Terms of Use

Adult Burn Support UK website Terms and Conditions of use
Welcome to the Adult Burn Support UK website.  If you continue to browse and use this website, you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following terms and conditions of use.   If you disagree with any part of these terms and conditions, please do not use our website.

The term ‘Adult Burn Support UK’ or ‘us’ or ‘we’ refers to the owner of the website. The term ‘you’ refers to the user or viewer of our website.

The use of this website is subject to the following terms of use:

•  The content of the pages of this website is for your general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice.
• This website uses cookies to monitor browsing preferences. If you do allow cookies to be used, personal information may be stored by us for use by third parties: please see our  Privacy Policy
• We cannot guarantee uninterrupted access to this website or the sites to which it links nor that the website or your use of it will be free of viruses.  We accept no responsibility for any damages arising from the loss of use of this information.  It is your responsibility to ensure your computer is suitable to use the website.
• Neither we nor any third parties provide any warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness or suitability of the information and materials found or offered on this website for any particular purpose. You acknowledge that such information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law.
• All information offered on this website, while being as accurate and complete as possible is intended to provide general information only.  It should not be considered as a substitute for professional advice or a consultation with a medical practitioner.
• Your use of any information or materials on this website is entirely at your own risk, for which we shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to ensure that any products, services or information available through this website meet your specific requirements.
• This website contains material which is owned by or licensed to us. This material includes, but is not limited to, the design, layout, look, appearance and graphics.  All materials are subject to copyright and must not be reproduced without permission.  You may view or listen to the content of this site on screen.  However, you may not copy, reproduce or otherwise use content in any way, except for non-commercial, personal or educational use.
• Unauthorised use of this website may give rise to a claim for damages and/or be a criminal offence.
• Your use of this website and any dispute arising out of such use of the website is subject to the laws of England and Wales.

Adult Burn Support UK (ABSUK) Forum

The Adult Burn Support UK (ABSUK) online forum is intended for use of individuals aged 16 and over.   The aim of the forum is to provide a safe place for adult burn survivors, friends/relatives of burn survivors to connect and support each; it is not meant to provide or take the place of counselling, psychotherapy or medical advice.  It provides a platform for those affected by burn injury to post, comment, discuss and share experiences of burn related issues.

To join the ABSUK forum, you must register and create a public forum ID and login to participate.   Any comment or post made to the discussion forum will remain visible on our website.   ABSUK, therefore, moderate the forum to ensure that comments are appropriate and not harmful to others.  We don’t approve posts before they go live, we trust and respect our users to self-moderate.  ABSUK staff and/or DFFB staff and/or Moderators will review the site every day and may participate in discussions in order to answer direct questions, correct any factual inaccuracies, provide detail that may aid the discussion, keep the discussion on topic and check for inappropriate posts.   This input is to ensure the smooth and efficient working of the forum.    ABSUK reserves the right to reject, block, suspend or remove any content we feel is inappropriate or not compliant with our terms of use and privacy policy.

Please use caution and common sense when using our forum.  We cannot guarantee in any way that other registered users of the site are always honest and acting in good faith, although we will bar or suspend any registered users whom, in our discretion, we feel are abusing the spirit of the online forum and who fail to comply with ABSUK terms of use and privacy policy.

It is important to remember safety while online.  Always exercise caution and care before disclosing any personal information about yourself anywhere online.  Remember when participating in the forum, many people are able to view your posts and comments, therefore, it is never recommended you include your full name, address or telephone number in forum discussions or live chats.

When posting comments, or participating in our burn support Zoom socials, please observe our forum/LiveChat/Zoom social  ‘House Rules’:

• be polite and respectful of others who use the online forum or join in a Zoom meeting
• do not submit or say any comments containing obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that are unlawful, threatening, harassing or abusive
• do not submit or say comments that are offensive to others with regard to religion, gender, race, sexual orientation, race or other personal characteristics
• to help and support each another, be empathetic and accepting of individuals and the validity of individual experience
• do not post personal details which may identify you or other individuals in the live chat or online forum
• when participating in the burn support Zoom, you accept responsibility for logging in with your name displayed on Zoom or changing your display name to your ABSUK username
• do not use the forum/live chat/Zoom to promote organisations, causes or solicit funds
• this is a discussion forum so please do not post links to external blogs, videos or websites in any topic areas or during the live chat as they will be removed
• before submitting your comment/post, please read what’s already on the forum in order to choose the most appropriate topic area for your discussion.  Your topic may already exist so please do use the forum search feature before starting a new topic.
• remember to stay on topic, don’t change the subject in the middle of an existing thread – just start a new one
• although we welcome all nationalities, we are a UK based group and request that you submit posts/comments/chat in English as we are not able to moderate the forum or Zoom in any other language
• speak your mind freely, but please be sensitive to the feelings and opinions of others
• you may share information, coping strategies and experiences of burn related matters

ABSUK Online Live Chat & Burn Support Zoom Social

Adult Burn Support UK offers a live online chat once a week and a Zoom social as part of the online live chat once a month.  All participants agree to the above stated forum ‘House Rules’ and ‘terms of use’ for the forum, online live chat, burn support Zoom and this website.  Participants must be 16 years or over, registered and logged in to join ABSUK Live Chat and only registered users will receive the link to join the Zoom social.

The live chat is moderated and private and will only be visible to the group who have joined to participate.  When the live session comes to an end, it will no longer be visible.  Moderators may participate to ensure the smooth working of the live chat and may warn, ban or boot out a disruptive user if necessary.   A transcript of each live session is kept by Adult Burn Support UK and information within the transcript may be reviewed by ABSUK staff, DFFB staff and/or Moderators for service usage statistics, to help improve and provide a better service, train and monitor moderators.  The information collected is only accessible to the ABSUK staff, DFFB staff and/or Moderators.  When necessary, portions of the transcript may be used in documenting reasons for banning or removing a disruptive user from the live chat service.  A Moderator and a DFFB charity representative is always present in our burn support Zoom social to participate and ensure smooth running of the Zoom and if necessary, at their discretion, they may warn or boot out a disruptive participant.

If you have a complaint about any comment or content posted to the forum, or feel your own content was removed in error, please get in touch via email to forumadmin@adultburnsupportuk.org

Links to other Websites

This website includes links to other websites both within the UK and abroad. These links are provided for your convenience and to provide further information.  A link listed on this site does not imply an endorsement of the site; likewise not linking to a particular site does not imply lack of endorsement.  If you decide to leave this site and access another website, you do so at your own risk.  We have no responsibility for the content of the linked website.  The terms and conditions listed on this site do not cover links within this site linking to other websites.   Once you leave this site, we encourage you to read the terms and conditions of the other website(s) you visit.  The Adult Burn Support UK website reserves the right to discontinue any link at any time for any reason without prior notice.

Adult Burn Support UK reserves the right to change these terms and conditions at any time by making the changes online.  You should check this page from time to time.  Your continued use of this site after changes have been made constitutes your acceptance of this agreement as modified.
(updated 02/02/22)