Mary’s Place – Terms of Participation & Community Agreement

This is a peer support and reflective learning space for student and newly qualified professionals in caring careers. These guidelines exist to help us all feel emotionally and psychologically safe, respected, and supported. By being here, you agree to uphold the values below. We’ve written this in plain English, not legalese, to honour your time and attention

1. House Rules

Come as you are

Tired, hopeful, unsure all of you is welcome here. We know you might feel all of these things at once. It’s OK. You’re OK.

We honour each other’s humanity

No fixing, preaching, or performing. We listen to understand, not to impress, convince, or respond too quickly. Share your views freely, but hold the original poster with respect. Healthcare is challenging. Things often seem perfectly logical in hindsight, so let’s be kind when we notice someone else’s blindspot. That’s how we create a safe space to grow.

Your pace is perfect

There’s no rush. No 'behind.' Just being here is enough. We’d love to hear your voice, but you get to choose when and how.

What’s shared here stays here

This is a confidential space, held with care. That said, usual healthcare caveats apply. Please don’t share identifiable details about patients or staff.

Take what you need, leave the rest

Every insight won’t be for everyone and that’s part of the magic. We’re an eclectic bunch. Let’s honour that.

Ask for what you need

Support is allowed. Receiving is part of the practice. As healthcare professionals, asking for help can feel awkward (our founder, Julie, knows this firsthand). But the power is in connection. You’re not alone here, so please ask.

About DMs (Direct Messages)

We love connection here, but we also protect energy and consent.

If you’re thinking about sending someone a DM (direct message), please pause and ask:

• Is this something that could be shared in the group, for everyone’s benefit?

• Has this person invited connection or indicated they're open to messages?

If you’d like to message someone privately:

- Ask first. A simple 'Would it be OK if I DM you about this?' in the comments goes a long way.

- Respect a no, or no reply. Everyone has different capacities.

- If you receive a DM that feels uncomfortable or inappropriate, please let one of the admins know. We’ll handle it gently but clearly.

Why this matters: We’re here to create a space where everyone feels emotionally safe, not quietly pressured or pulled into side conversations they didn’t choose. Let’s keep Mary’s Place grounded in generosity, not urgency.

2. Disclaimer

Mary’s Place is a peer support and reflective learning space. It does not offer therapy, medical advice, or legal consultation. All participation is voluntary, and you are responsible for your own wellbeing and decisions. If you need professional support, please reach out to your GP, clinical supervisor, union representative, or a licensed therapist.

If you register, this document will govern your use of Mary’s Place. By completing the registration process, you are indicating your agreement to be bound by this policy.

The views expressed in the posts you will find in the discussion forums belong solely to their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mary’s Place. While we aim to keep this space respectful and supportive, we are not able to vet every post in real time. Any views expressed belong solely to the author. Mary’s Place is not responsible for any messages posted or the consequences of following any advice offered within posts. It is solely your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of all opinions, advice, and other information provided. We reserve the right to edit or remove any post that goes against the spirit of this group, violates the community agreement, or risks harm to others.

By using the site, you agree to the following –

You will not post any material that is knowingly false, misleading, inaccurate or cannot be substantiated.

You will not post any material that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, or otherwise objectionable.

You will not behave in an abusive manner, and will not harass, threaten, nor attack anyone. If you disagree with someone's posting or comment, don't attack that person ... agree to disagree, respectfully.

You will not post material that is clearly outside of the stated topic nor disrupt others’ use of the site by, for example, deliberately posting repeated or irrelevant material or copies of identical material.

You will not use the forum for commercial gain or to advertise your, or your organisation's, own services or products.

You should remember that you are legally responsible for what you write. By participating in a discussion you undertake to indemnify us against any liability arising from any obscene, defamatory, seditious, blasphemous or other actionable statement published by you, or any breach of confidentiality, copyright or other intellectual property rights, and against all damages, losses, claims and costs (including without limitation fines and expenses arising out of or incurred in conducting or defending any proceedings) arising from any such actionable statements.

We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to immediately, without notice, suspend or terminate your registration with, or ability to access, the site upon any breach by you of the terms of use.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your username and password. You shall be responsible for all uses of your registration, whether or not authorised by you. You agree to immediately notify us of any unauthorised use of your registration or password.

We have carried out a risk assessment of our services in line with the requirements of the Online Safety Act 2023 to ensure that we have systems and processes in place to identify and minimise the risk of registered users being exposed to harm. If you would like to raise any issues or concerns with us, do contact us. If we determine that removal of material is necessary, we will make reasonable efforts to do so in a timely manner.

We may modify this policy at any time, and such modifications shall be effective immediately upon posting of the modified policy on the site. You agree to review this policy periodically to be aware of such modifications and your continued access or use of the site shall be deemed your conclusive acceptance of the modified policy.

If you do not agree to changes in this policy as they may occur, please arrange to terminate your registration by notifying Mary’s Place of your unwillingness to accept the changes and by discontinuing your use of the site.

In short, if you contribute to the discussion in a professional manner like you would in the workplace and if you receive any information as you would in the workplace (recognising it is your responsibility to check out the veracity of the information, before taking action). We should all be OK.

3. Terms of Participation

By joining Mary’s Place, you agree to uphold the values and house rules listed above. The hosts reserve the right to remove any member whose behaviour undermines the safety or integrity of the space. This may include but is not limited to: bullying, breach of confidentiality, repeated unsolicited advice, or inappropriate messaging.

We reserve the right to terminate the registration if we learn that you have provided false or misleading registration information.

4. Privacy & Data Use

We respect your privacy. Any personal data you provide (email, feedback, session attendance) will only be used to support your participation in Mary’s Place. We do not share your information without your consent. If at any time you wish to withdraw from the group, you may do so easily by contacting the admins.

5. Copyright

All the content presented on the Mary’s Place CIC site, is, unless explicitly stated otherwise, subject to copyright held by Mary’s Place CIC. All intellectual property rights relating to Mary’s Place remain with us and our suppliers. It is permissible to link to information from this site if the original source is clearly stated, but the wholesale reproduction, or partial modification of content is not permitted.