What are professional boundaries A good definition of
What are ‘professional boundaries’? A good definition of the term ‘professional boundary’ is the “boundary between what is acceptable and unacceptable for a professional both at work and outside work”. The emphasis here should be placed on the word 'professional': some behaviour will always be unacceptable whether or not an individual is a professional. Professional boundaries, though, concern behaviour that is acceptable or unacceptable in light of the fact that an individual is a professional. The term ‘professional boundaries’ in this guidance is not restricted to sexual behaviour - it includes such behaviour but also other behaviour which has a negative impact on a service user(s) and/or which undermines public trust and confidence in social care services.
General professional boundaries questions: Would you be comfortable discussing all of • • your actions, and the rationale for those actions, in a supervision session with your manager? • • Would you be uncomfortable about a colleague or your manager observing your behaviour? • • If challenged, could you give an explanation as to how your actions are grounded in social work values? • • Do your actions comply with the relevant policies of your employer? YOUR THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS
As a social care and social worker you must remeber to: Ø Have respect for: • • individuals, families, carers, groups and communities regardless of their age, ethnicity, culture, level of understanding and need; • • the expertise and knowledge individuals, families, carers, groups and communities have about their own situation. Ø Empower individuals, families, carers, groups and communities in decisions affecting them. Ø Be honest about: • • the power invested in them, including legal powers; • • their role and resources available to meet need. Ø Respect confidentiality, and inform individuals, families, carers, groups and communities about when information needs to be shared with others. Ø Be able to: • • challenge discriminatory images and practices affecting individuals, families, carers, groups and communities; • • put individuals, families, carers, groups and communities first. Your comments and thoughts
Understanding the lack of client’s engagament: • • individuals may not be free to choose whether they engage with social workers, but may be under compulsion to do so or may feel they have to do so, for example, in order to gain access to resources; • • social workers have access to intimate knowledge about service users and about their significant others; • • at the point when social workers become involved, a service user may bedistressed, confused and/or suffering from mental illness; Your comments and thoughts
Social care areas of work • • social workers may be working with individuals where the possibility of statutory intervention is present: the removal of a child from a family or the compulsory admission ofsomeone who is mentally ill; • • social workers may be making significant decisions regarding service users’ access to resources. This power imbalance should not be regarded negatively, but should be acknowledged as a fundamental aspect of such relationships. The power that social workers have helps to put them in a position where they can help service users to make positive changes in their lives. However, this power can also be abused. The existence of this power imbalance should be a central consideration when social workers form and manage their relationships with service Your comments and thoughts
Having established a comprehensive understanding of risk factors, the next step to consider is the extent to which they apply to your business model, target market and/or client base; Ø Is your target market more susceptible to certain types of vulnerability? Ø Is the demographic of your firm’s client base linked with an increased likelihood of vulnerability? Ø Does your firm have a high concentration of clients in ethnically diverse areas where English may not be their first language? Ø If you offer focused advice for a particular demographic or market sector, what are the specific vulnerabilities your firm’s clients could be more exposed to? Your comments and thoughts
Good practice Establishing good practice is essentially about delivering appropriate levels of care relevant to vulnerable clients. Firms should consider taking a proactive approach and prepare all staff to identify, support and provide solutions for vulnerable clients. Whilst not an exclusive list, it should include the following: “One size doesn’t fit all”/treating clients as individuals Flexible, tailored responses that do not rely on outdated assumptions or automated processes Recording of communication and service needs accurately and in line with data protection and Mental Capacity Act requirements
Application not just to advice requirements, but also the presentation of information and an overall approach that tailors responses according to individual circumstances The avoidance of ‘digital exclusion’ At clients’ request, firms should make it easy for a friend or family members to help Flexibility around appointment locations, times of day and duration Considerations in respect of office accessibility (for those with health conditions and/or disabilities) Reflecting the complexity of advice and making reasonable adjustments (e. g. staggering advice over several meetings and/or time for greater reflection before execution).
Your comments and thoughts
Products and services that are clear and easy to understand Vulnerable clients should be able to access practical, jargon-free information and help in respect of products and of services that each firm provides A choice of ways to communicate Vulnerable clients should be able to communicate with firms through the range of communication channels in ways that best suits them as individuals. While digital technology allows for new communication channels, including new ways to deliver financial advice, there needs to remain a choice of alternative channels so that advice services are inclusive Should include methods of communication (e. g. face-to-face, phone, post, email, text, large print, web chat, audio, Braille, video relay, Type Talk or text relay, interpreting services) as well as service delivery (e. g. agreement to talk at a particular time of day depending on carers and medication).
Your comments and thoughts
Front line staff who will take time to listen and are sufficiently trained to spot and respond to vulnerability Recruiting for and encouraging listening skills, emotional intelligence and empathy Create an environment where staff are not fearful and can be empathetic and in so doing enable difficult conversations Ensure that frontline staff are: able to respond appropriately by taking time to listen to what the client is saying flexible enough to let the conversation take its natural course able to pick up on warning signs in the information being relayed to them and asking the right questions
Your comments and thoughts
Your comments and thoughts
Practical steps on creating a robust Vulnerable Client Policy/Strategy continued Develop Strategy A high level strategy to ensure a consistent approach that is embedded across all operations and staff and that is owned from a first line oversight perspective. To include: Ø A champion at a senior level Ø A definition of what vulnerability means to your fir Ø Key success indicators Ø A written approach (to propositions, markets, processes etc) via a policy for working with vulnerable clients. This should include how they are identified and/or encouraged to disclose potential known vulnerabilities, and how they are assessed against the various aspects of the policy.
Your comments and thoughts
Roll Out Ensure all relevant staff are aware of the strategy and have access to the written approach Create a training programme to embed appropriate behaviour within all relevant staff. Evaluate, change and review Evaluate performance against key success indicators Seek ongoing MI and feedback Maintain/change training Implement periodic reviews and re-evaluation.
Your comments and thoughts
Your comments and thoughts
Your comments and thoughts
Your comments and thoughts
- Slides: 22