Moderation Policy

This Moderation Policy describes our participation in respect of our digital channels. Our digital channels include penumbra.org.uk (this website) and social media channels.

Contact Information

If you have any questions or requests regarding our Policy, please use the following contact details: Penumbra Mental Health, Head Office, Norton Park, 57 Albion Road, Edinburgh, EH7 5QY.

About our Moderation Policy

We are keen to use our public facing and digital channels to engage with the public. However, when posting comments and engaging with our content, please observe our participation guidelines:

• be respectful of others who use the platform.
• stay on topic.
• keep comments concise.
• do not use language that is offensive, inflammatory or provocative (this includes, but is not limited to, comments that use language that is threatening, racist, sexist, homophobic, obscene or offensive – such as swearing).
• do not break the law (this includes libel, condoning illegal activity and contempt of court).
• do not use the platform for party political purposes or post information that could break election or referendum rules. Penumbra is funded with public money, so it’s inappropriate to engage in party-political activity.
• please do not post personal information in comments such as addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses or other online contact details, which may relate to you or other individuals.
• do not impersonate or falsely claim to represent a person or an organisation.
• do not attempt to log on using another user’s account.
• do not make any commercial endorsement or promotion of any product, service or publication. 
• do not spam the comments board. Spamming is when you resubmit the same or similar comment across our social media posts multiple times.
• do not post unsuitable links. Unsuitable links include those that may initiate an immediate file download, or that contravene the guidelines listed above.  
• if you are aged 16 or under, please get the permission of your parent or guardian before participating. Users without this consent are not allowed to participate.

Users should please note that we do not offer or provide direct support services through social media. Users with requests for support will be referred on to the relevant Penumbra local service. General enquiries about Penumbra services will be reviewed as per below.

Comments will be reviewed as necessary to check they comply with the participation guidelines. If we consider behaviours or actions consistently do not comply, we will take action to moderate, restrict or ultimately block the user’s contact with the Penumbra community on the platform. In cases of blocking, we will contact the individual explaining why the behaviour is unacceptable and that their behaviour must change for future engagement on the platform. Appeals can be made by contacting Penumbra’s Communication Officer. 

We don’t consider behaviour as being unacceptable just because a person is determined or forceful. If there is a legitimate request for information within our remit in the comment, it is reasonable to provide that information. If no legitimate request for information is included, we will not respond. 

We operate a zero-tolerance policy to aggressive or abusive conduct. This includes, but is not limited to, use of language that is threatening, racist, sexist, homophobic, or offensive – such as swearing. All incidents of blocked contact due to unreasonable conduct are recorded. 

How we evaluate comments and queries on social media:

1. Is the query/comment on topic, does it add value to the discussion and can Penumbra answer publicly?

2. If so, we will post a timely response. 

3. Does the query/comment refer to a specific complaint or issue with one of our services?

Though our social media channels, we will share relevant news and signpost help and advice content to assist people using services. If you have a specific support issue or complaint about one of our services, then we will direct you to our Complaints Policy and Complaints Handling Procedure.

1. Does the query/comment relate to whistleblowing? If so, then we will refer you to our Whistleblowing Policy.

2. Does the query/comment raise a request under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 and/or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR)? If so, then we will refer you to our Data Protection Officer.

3. Does the query/comment raise an issue with the Penumbra website? Or is it reporting a bug or performance problem? If so, we will alert the team responsible for fixing the issue and tell the user this has been done.

4. Is someone making a request for support? If so, we will ask the user to contact the relevant local Penumbra service. We do not provide direct support through our digital channels.

5. What happens when someone leaves a positive review or comment for a Penumbra service? We may from time to time share feedback or reviews across our channels.

We reserve the right to make amendments to this policy as necessary.

Last reviewed October 2021.