Membership Terms and Conditions
Last updated: 29 July 2026
1. About these terms
These Membership Terms and Conditions apply when you purchase or use a membership supplied through emerge-ot.com
The membership service is provided by:
Suné van der Merwe & Kezia Llewelyn, trading as Emerge Occupational Therapy
Legal status: Sole trader established in the United Kingdom
Email: info@emerge-ot.com
In these terms:
“we”, “us” and “our” mean Suné van der Merwe & Kezia Llewelyn, trading as Emerge Occupational Therapy;
“you” and “your” mean the person or organisation purchasing or using the membership;
“membership” means the subscription, access package or membership plan purchased through the website;
“membership content” means the courses, recordings, documents, templates, webinars, community areas and other resources made available through a membership; and
“consumer” means an individual acting wholly or mainly outside their trade, business, craft or profession.
Please read these terms before purchasing a membership.
By submitting an order, you confirm that you have read and agree to these terms.
2. About the membership service
The membership provides educational information and professional-development resources relating to occupational therapy, human trafficking, exploitation, modern slavery, trauma-informed practice and associated subjects.
The exact features of your membership will be described on the relevant membership or checkout page.
Depending on the membership purchased, features may include:
access to online articles and educational resources;
recorded or live training;
downloadable worksheets, guides or templates;
professional-development activities;
newsletters or member updates;
discussion or community functions;
attendance at member events; and
other resources identified on the membership page.
Membership features may vary between plans.
The membership does not provide individual clinical treatment, legal advice, safeguarding case management, immigration advice or emergency support.
3. Eligibility
You must be at least 18 years old to purchase a membership unless we expressly permit enrolment by younger students through an authorised educational institution or with appropriate consent.
By purchasing a membership, you confirm that:
the information you provide is accurate and complete;
you are legally able to enter into the contract;
you will use the membership lawfully;
you will comply with these terms; and
where you purchase for an organisation, you are authorised to bind that organisation.
We may refuse an application where we reasonably believe that a membership would be used unlawfully, fraudulently or contrary to these terms.
4. Membership plans
The available plans, prices, billing periods and included features will be displayed before you order.
Your membership may be:
monthly;
annual;
fixed-term;
recurring until cancelled; or
provided for another period specified at checkout.
The information shown at checkout forms part of your contract with us.
You should review the membership description carefully before placing an order.
5. Ordering and formation of the contract
Your order is an offer to purchase the selected membership.
A contract is formed when we send you an order or membership confirmation email, or when we activate your membership, whichever occurs first.
The confirmation will normally include:
the membership purchased;
the amount charged;
the billing frequency;
the start date;
whether the membership renews automatically;
how to cancel; and
our contact details.
If we cannot accept your order, we will inform you and will not charge you, or will refund any amount already charged.
6. Prices
Membership prices are displayed on the website and confirmed before payment.
Prices will state whether they include VAT, where applicable.
You are responsible for any currency-conversion fees, bank charges or taxes imposed by your payment provider or jurisdiction.
We may offer:
introductory pricing;
student pricing;
promotional discounts;
free trials;
scholarships; or
organisation-specific pricing.
Unless expressly stated otherwise, promotional pricing applies only for the period specified and the membership will subsequently renew at the standard applicable price shown when you joined.
7. Payment
Payments are processed by STRIPE and Paypal.
You authorise us and our payment processor to charge the selected payment method for:
the initial membership fee;
each recurring renewal fee;
applicable taxes; and
any other charge clearly agreed during checkout.
You must provide current and accurate billing information.
We do not normally receive or store your complete payment-card details.
Your payment provider may apply its own terms and privacy policy.
8. Automatic renewal
Where your membership is described as recurring, it will renew automatically at the end of each billing period unless you cancel it before the renewal date.
For example:
a monthly membership renews each month; and
an annual membership renews each year.
The applicable price, billing frequency and renewal arrangements will be displayed before purchase.
You may cancel your automatic renewal using:
the account or membership settings on the website;
the cancellation link supplied in your membership communications; or
email to info@emerge-ot.com
Cancellation must not be made unreasonably difficult.
Cancellation stops future renewals but does not ordinarily terminate access already paid for during the current billing period.
9. Renewal reminders
Where required by law, or where stated as part of the membership, we will send a renewal reminder before an upcoming renewal.
A reminder may include:
the renewal date;
the amount to be charged;
any change in price;
the length of the next renewal period; and
instructions for cancellation.
You remain responsible for maintaining a valid email address and reviewing membership communications.
10. Free trials
Where a free trial is offered, its duration and terms will be shown before registration.
Unless stated otherwise:
payment details may be required when the trial begins;
the trial will automatically convert to a paid membership at its end;
the price and billing frequency will be disclosed before the trial begins; and
you must cancel before the end of the trial to avoid being charged.
Only one free trial may be used per person, household, organisation, payment method or email address unless we state otherwise.
We may end or refuse a trial where we reasonably suspect misuse.
11. Your right to cancel as a consumer
This section applies only where you are purchasing as a consumer.
You will normally have the right to cancel your membership within 14 days after the contract is formed, without giving a reason.
To cancel, you must send us a clear statement that you wish to cancel. You may do this by:
using the cancellation function in your account;
emailing info@emerge-ot.com; or
using the model cancellation form at the end of these terms.
It is sufficient to send the cancellation request before the 14-day period ends.
Starting the service during the cancellation period
You may request that membership access begins immediately, before the 14-day cancellation period has expired.
Where the membership primarily involves an ongoing service, and you cancel during the 14-day period after asking us to begin the service immediately, we may charge a proportionate amount for the service supplied before cancellation, where permitted by law.
Immediate access to digital content
Some membership materials may constitute digital content, including downloadable documents, recordings and files.
Where required by law, before giving immediate access to digital content we will ask you to:
expressly consent to receiving the digital content immediately; and
acknowledge that this may cause you to lose your statutory right to cancel in relation to that digital content.
We will not treat a pre-selected box or silence as express consent.
Nothing in these terms removes rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.
12. Refunds after cancellation
Where you validly exercise a statutory cancellation right, we will make any refund due without undue delay and within the period required by law.
Refunds will normally be made using the original payment method unless otherwise agreed.
Except where required by law or expressly stated in our refund policy:
membership fees already paid are not refundable merely because you did not use the membership;
cancellation normally prevents the next renewal rather than refunding the current billing period; and
partial months or years are not normally refunded.
We may nevertheless provide a discretionary refund where we consider it fair to do so.
A discretionary refund does not create an obligation to provide similar refunds in the future.
13. Cancelling a recurring membership
You may cancel a recurring membership at any time.
Unless a statutory right or specific refund promise applies:
your membership will remain active until the end of the billing period already paid for;
no further renewal payment will be taken after effective cancellation; and
access will end when the current paid period expires.
You should retain evidence of your cancellation request.
We will provide confirmation when your cancellation has been processed.
14. Failed payments
If a payment fails, we may:
ask you to update your payment method;
retry the payment;
temporarily restrict membership access;
suspend the membership; or
cancel the membership.
We will not charge an undisclosed fee merely because a payment fails.
If payment is later completed, access may be restored.
15. Price changes
We may change the price of a recurring membership.
Any price change will apply only to a future renewal and not retrospectively to a period already paid for.
We will give reasonable advance notice of a material price increase by email or through your account.
The notice will state:
the new price;
when it takes effect; and
how to cancel before the new price applies.
If you do not wish to pay the new price, you must cancel before the relevant renewal.
16. Changes to membership features
We may update, improve, replace or remove membership features from time to time.
We may make changes to:
update educational content;
reflect new evidence, guidance or legislation;
improve accessibility or functionality;
address security or technical issues;
replace outdated material;
comply with legal or regulatory obligations; or
change third-party suppliers.
We will not deliberately remove the essential substance of a paid membership without reasonable notice or an appropriate remedy.
Where a material adverse change substantially reduces what you purchased, you may contact us to request an appropriate solution, which may include:
continued access to an existing version;
transfer to another plan;
a proportionate refund; or
cancellation without further charge.
The available remedy will depend on the circumstances and your statutory rights.
17. Membership access
Membership access is personal to the registered member unless you have purchased a team, institutional or organisation licence.
You must not:
share your login credentials;
allow another person to use your individual account;
sell or transfer access;
circumvent access controls;
copy or scrape substantial parts of the website;
make paid materials publicly available;
upload materials to shared drives or public learning platforms without permission; or
use the membership to create a competing commercial resource.
You are responsible for activity carried out through your account unless it results from our security failure.
Tell us promptly if you believe your account has been accessed without authorisation.
18. Organisation and team memberships
Where an organisation purchases memberships for multiple users:
the permitted number of users will be stated in the order;
access may be reassigned only as permitted by the relevant plan;
the organisation is responsible for authorised users;
each user must comply with these terms;
account access must not exceed the purchased licence; and
the organisation must not upload membership materials to an unrestricted internal system unless expressly permitted.
Additional terms may apply to enterprise, university, charity, NHS or employer-funded memberships.
Where there is a conflict, a separately signed organisation agreement will take priority over these terms.
19. Community and discussion areas
Where the membership includes comments, discussion areas, online meetings or community functions, you must communicate professionally and respectfully.
You must not post or share:
identifiable case information;
patient or service-user records;
safeguarding reports;
confidential employer information;
names or identifying details of trafficking survivors or potential victims;
discriminatory, abusive or threatening material;
unlawful material;
misleading claims presented as professional advice;
spam or unauthorised promotion;
malicious software; or
content that infringes another person’s rights.
Professional examples must be properly anonymised.
We may moderate, hide or remove content and may suspend accounts where reasonably necessary to protect users, confidentiality, safety or the integrity of the service.
We do not guarantee that every contribution will be reviewed before publication.
20. Safeguarding and emergencies
The membership service is not:
an emergency service;
a safeguarding referral route;
a trafficking-reporting service;
a crisis line;
a clinical treatment service; or
a substitute for local professional procedures.
Do not use membership forums, emails, contact forms or comments to report an immediate danger or submit identifiable safeguarding information.
Where someone is in immediate danger, contact the appropriate emergency service.
Professionals must follow:
their employer’s safeguarding procedures;
applicable reporting duties;
professional standards;
local referral pathways; and
information-governance requirements.
21. Educational and professional disclaimer
Membership content is provided for general education and professional development.
It does not constitute:
individual clinical advice;
legal advice;
immigration advice;
safeguarding advice for a specific case;
professional supervision;
diagnosis or treatment; or
a guarantee of any particular professional or academic outcome.
Human trafficking, modern slavery and safeguarding law and practice may vary between jurisdictions and change over time.
You are responsible for:
checking current primary sources;
following current legislation and professional guidance;
using your own professional judgement;
working within your competence;
obtaining supervision where appropriate; and
following the policies applicable to your role and organisation.
22. Continuing professional development
Where membership materials refer to continuing professional development, CPD hours or certificates:
you remain responsible for determining whether the activity meets the requirements of your regulator, employer or professional body;
completion of a resource does not guarantee that it will be accepted for a particular accreditation or registration purpose;
certificates confirm participation or completion only, unless expressly stated otherwise; and
we may require reasonable evidence that completion requirements have been met.
We do not guarantee professional registration, employment, promotion, academic credit or accreditation.
23. Intellectual property
Unless otherwise stated, membership content is owned by or licensed to us.
When you purchase a membership, we grant you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable and revocable licence to use the content for:
your own study;
your own professional development; and
internal professional reference.
This licence does not transfer ownership of the content.
Unless expressly permitted, you may not:
reproduce or republish substantial parts of the content;
distribute paid content to non-members;
sell, sublicense or commercially exploit it;
modify and rebrand it as your own;
use it to train a competing commercial service;
upload it to public repositories;
record live sessions;
remove copyright or attribution notices; or
use our trademarks without permission.
You may make brief quotations where permitted by law and properly attributed.
Specific resources may be supplied under separate licence terms. Those terms will take priority for that resource.
24. Downloads
Where downloads are included:
you may retain lawfully downloaded materials for your personal professional use, unless the resource states otherwise;
access to new downloads ends when membership access ends;
updates are available only while your membership remains active, unless stated otherwise;
you must store downloads securely; and
you must not distribute them to unauthorised persons.
We may use reasonable download limits to prevent misuse.
25. Live events
Where live webinars, workshops or meetings are included:
dates and times may change;
places may be limited;
attendance may require separate registration;
recordings are not guaranteed;
participants must comply with conduct and confidentiality requirements; and
we may remove a participant whose conduct is disruptive, unsafe or unlawful.
Where we cancel a separately paid event, we will provide an appropriate remedy, which may include rescheduling, credit or refund.
26. Availability of the service
We aim to make the membership service reasonably available, but continuous uninterrupted access is not guaranteed.
Access may be interrupted because of:
maintenance;
updates;
security incidents;
internet or hosting failures;
supplier outages;
circumstances beyond our reasonable control; or
urgent legal or safeguarding concerns.
We will take reasonable steps to restore access. Planned maintenance will be notified where reasonably practicable.
27. Suspension and termination by us
We may suspend or terminate your membership where you:
fail to pay;
materially breach these terms;
share access unlawfully;
misuse membership content;
compromise another person’s confidentiality;
behave abusively or unlawfully;
create security risks;
infringe intellectual-property rights; or
use the service in a way likely to cause harm.
Where appropriate, we will give you notice and an opportunity to remedy the breach.
Immediate suspension or termination may be necessary in serious cases, including security threats, unlawful conduct, confidentiality breaches or threats to safety.
Termination does not affect rights or obligations arising before termination.
28. Closing the membership service
We may discontinue a membership plan or the membership service.
Where this affects a prepaid period, we will provide reasonable notice and an appropriate remedy, which may include:
continued access until the end of the paid term;
transfer to a comparable service;
account credit; or
a proportionate refund.
We will not retain advance payment for a service that we do not provide, except where the failure results from your breach.
29. Consumer rights and content quality
Nothing in these terms limits rights that consumers have under applicable law.
Digital content and services must meet applicable legal standards.
Where membership content is faulty, materially misdescribed or not supplied with reasonable care and skill, you may be entitled to remedies under consumer law.
Please contact us promptly at info@emerge-ot.com and provide:
your name;
the email associated with your account;
a description of the problem; and
any relevant screenshots or error messages.
30. Our responsibility to you
We are responsible for foreseeable loss or damage caused by our breach of these terms or failure to use reasonable care and skill.
We are not responsible for loss or damage that:
was not reasonably foreseeable;
results from your misuse of the membership;
results from reliance on general educational information without appropriate professional verification;
arises from a failure to follow safeguarding or organisational procedures;
results from unauthorised sharing of your account;
is caused by third-party systems outside our reasonable control; or
could reasonably have been avoided by following instructions or maintaining suitable systems.
Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability where it would be unlawful to do so, including liability for:
death or personal injury caused by negligence;
fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or
breach of rights that cannot legally be excluded.
31. Business users
This section applies where you purchase wholly or mainly for purposes connected with your trade, business, craft or profession.
To the fullest extent permitted by law:
we are not liable for loss of profit, revenue, business, opportunity, anticipated savings, goodwill or indirect loss;
our total liability arising from the membership will not exceed the membership fees paid by you during the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim; and
implied terms are excluded to the extent they may lawfully be excluded.
These limitations do not apply where liability cannot lawfully be limited.
32. Privacy
We process personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
You must not submit identifiable trafficking, safeguarding, health or case information unless we expressly provide an authorised and secure process for that purpose.
33. Third-party services
The membership may use third-party services, including:
website hosting;
video platforms;
payment processors;
email services;
webinar platforms;
learning-management systems; and
community platforms.
Those services may be subject to separate terms and privacy notices.
We are not responsible for third-party services to the extent that the issue arises outside our reasonable control, but this does not affect rights you may have against us under applicable law.
34. Communications
We may contact you by email concerning:
your account;
payments;
renewals;
cancellations;
security;
service changes;
live events; and
changes to these terms.
You must keep your contact details current.
Operational messages are not marketing and may continue even where you have opted out of promotional communications.
35. Complaints
Please send complaints to:
Email: info@emerge-ot.com
Please include:
your name;
the email associated with your membership;
your order or transaction reference;
a description of the issue; and
the outcome you are seeking.
We will acknowledge and consider complaints within a reasonable period.
Where we subscribe to an alternative dispute resolution scheme, details will be provided here:
36. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms to:
reflect changes in law;
reflect changes to the membership;
address security or technical matters;
improve clarity; or
reflect changes in our suppliers or business.
Minor changes may take effect when published.
Where a change materially affects an active paid membership, we will provide reasonable notice.
A material change will not apply retrospectively to take away rights already accrued.
37. Transfer of the contract
You may not transfer your membership or rights under these terms without our written consent.
We may transfer our rights and obligations to another person or business where:
this forms part of a sale or reorganisation;
the transfer does not materially reduce your rights; and
we notify you where required.
38. Severability
If any provision of these terms is found unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in effect.
39. No waiver
If we delay enforcing a right, this does not mean that we waive that right.
40. Third-party rights
A person who is not a party to the contract has no right to enforce these terms under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999, except where these terms expressly state otherwise.
41. Governing law and jurisdiction
These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
If you are a consumer resident in another part of the United Kingdom, you retain any mandatory rights to bring proceedings in your home courts.
If you are a business, the courts of England and Wales will have exclusive jurisdiction.
42. Contact details
Questions about these terms should be sent to:
Suné van der Merwe & Kezia Llewelyn
trading as Emerge Occupational Therapy
Email: info@emerge-ot.com
Website: Emerge-ot.com
Model Cancellation Form
Complete and return this form only if you wish to cancel your contract.
To:
Suné van der Merwe & Kezia Llewelyn
info@emerge-ot.com
I hereby give notice that I cancel my contract for the following membership:
Membership name: __________________________________
Ordered on: __________________________________________
Member’s name: _____________________________________
Member’s address: ___________________________________
Email associated with the membership: _____________
Signature, only where submitted on paper:
Date: ______________________________________