PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES IN SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL CARE understood good practice, and some will be found in organisations olicies and procedures. c They are driven by many different factors: health and safet erapeutic process, practical considerations, funding, client and worker safety. The result of this is that boundaries' is a catch-all term for a very varied collection of rules and guidelines. Professional boundaries are not the same as the day-to-day boundaries/rules of your workplace. For example, many projects have a rule that clients must not attend whilst intoxicated this rule is local policy and procedure, while the related professional boundaries would be that policy and procedure should be followed and enforced fairly and consistently. Ultimately, being professional is about being good at your job and acting in a way that matches up with the expectations placed on you. Working in social work or social care, there is an expectation of responsibility that comes with the job. As the worker you will always be in a position of power with respect to your clients. In most settings the worker will be thought of as the expert. Clients will believe that you have the knowledge and experience to give your opinions authority. In most settings you will also literally have authority; you have a title, a place of work, other workers to support you and the right to refuse the client access to a service that they need or want. You may also provide a client with access to other services, funding or various forms of support or recognition. All of these factors add up to putting you in a powerful position in relation to your clients. Clients will by definition be in need of some support and will often be vulnerable. Even if they are not vulnerable in any other setting, the power imbalance means that they are vulnerable in relation to you and your relationship with them This puts you in a position of power and control, and with this power comes resp You will be expected to do the following Help and support clients to the best of your ability and ensure that what you do does not harm them Ensure that your actions are based around the needs of the clients wherever possible
12 Professional Boundaries in Social Work and Social Care understood good practice, and some will be found in organisations’ policies and procedures. They are driven by many different factors: health and safety, therapeutic process, practical considerations, funding, client and worker safety. The result of this is that ‘boundaries’ is a catch-all term for a very varied collection of rules and guidelines. Professional boundaries are not the same as the day-to-day boundaries/rules of your workplace. For example, many projects have a rule that clients must not attend whilst intoxicated. This rule is local policy and procedure, while the related professional boundaries would be that policy and procedure should be followed and enforced fairly and consistently. Ultimately, being professional is about being good at your job and acting in a way that matches up with the expectations placed on you. Working in social work or social care, there is an expectation of responsibility that comes with the job. As the worker you will always be in a position of power with respect to your clients. In most settings the worker will be thought of as the ‘expert’. Clients will believe that you have the knowledge and experience to give your opinions authority. In most settings you will also literally have authority; you have a title, a place of work, other workers to support you and the right to refuse the client access to a service that they need or want. You may also provide a client with access to other services, funding or various forms of support or recognition. All of these factors add up to putting you in a powerful position in relation to your clients. Clients will by definition be in need of some support and will often be vulnerable. Even if they are not vulnerable in any other setting, the power imbalance means that they are vulnerable in relation to you and your relationship with them. This puts you in a position of power and control, and with this power comes responsibility. You will be expected to do the following: • Help and support clients to the best of your ability and ensure that what you do does not harm them. • Ensure that your actions are based around the needs of the clients wherever possible
INTRODUCTION Act in a trustworthy and responsible manner in all your dealings with and for clients. Be truthful and honest in your interactions with client Respect the clients rights as individuals Ensure that all current and potential clients have an equal opportunity to access and benefit from your service Work for the good of your team and the organisation that you work for This means that your boundaries are not only about how you work with clients but extend to how you manage yourself and your Managing boundaries is somewhat like walking a tightrope, trying to get a balance l between various different elements. As a social care worker you need to be able to build up a good, close, trusting relationship with your clients whilst still maintaining a suitably professional detachment. The skill is learning where to draw the line Given the never-endingly complex nature of human nature, the line is ever-changing and you have to try to keep on top of it as best you can. It would be an impossible task to try to draw up a rule book that covers every possible situation. Each situation needs to be judged on its own merits. This book will lay out the guidelines and signposts that will help you draw the line in the right place. Who is this book for? This book is aimed at front-line workers delivering services to clients, or those training for similar roles. It is a basic introductory guide to the main issues that you need to have an understanding of. The guidelines and boundaries within this book are intended to ide guidance for social work and social care professionals in a wide range of social care fields. The ideas and concepts are generic and can be applied across most sectors of social care. In addition, whilst teachers in schools and colleges are not generally seen as part of the social work and social care industry, these boundaries are also applicable to them
Introduction 13 • Act in a trustworthy and responsible manner in all your dealings with and for clients. • Be truthful and honest in your interactions with clients. • Respect the clients’ rights as individuals. • Ensure that all current and potential clients have an equal opportunity to access and benefit from your service. • Work for the good of your team and the organisation that you work for. This means that your boundaries are not only about how you work with clients but extend to how you manage yourself and your emotions. Managing boundaries is somewhat like walking a tightrope, trying to get a balance between various different elements. As a social care worker you need to be able to build up a good, close, trusting relationship with your clients whilst still maintaining a suitably professional detachment. The skill is learning where to draw the line. Given the never-endingly complex nature of human nature, the line is ever-changing and you have to try to keep on top of it as best you can. It would be an impossible task to try to draw up a rule book that covers every possible situation. Each situation needs to be judged on its own merits. This book will lay out the guidelines and signposts that will help you draw the line in the right place. Who is this book for? This book is aimed at front-line workers delivering services to clients, or those training for similar roles. It is a basic introductory guide to the main issues that you need to have an understanding of. The guidelines and boundaries within this book are intended to provide guidance for social work and social care professionals in a wide range of social care fields. The ideas and concepts are generic and can be applied across most sectors of social care. In addition, whilst teachers in schools and colleges are not generally seen as part of the social work and social care industry, these boundaries are also applicable to them
PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES IN SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL CARE The book is aimed primarily at those whose work involves talking to and supporting clients, rather than those involved in physical or medical therapies, although there is still much that could be learnt if you are involved in more physical hands-on work. It is particularly social work, homelessness/housing, addiction/drugs/alcohol, mental health, probation, youth work, supported housing and hostels, care homes, criminal justice, education, home care, care of the elderly, victim support, domestic violence, employment support and for key/support workers of all types. The book works as an excellent primer if you are training to be a counsellor. However, if you are getting to Diploma level and intend to deliver intensive one-to-one therapy then the guidance will the issues around professional-client boundaries in greater deplh ers inevitably need supplementing with further reading which cow If you work in private practice providing any kind of support and therapy, then it will be useful to you in terms of day-to-day working practice, but again, it is beyond the remit of this book to ver particular policy and procedures, insurance, supervision, and legal and ethical responsibilities. As a generic book it does not deal with the specific applicat tion of boundaries in more specialist areas of work. Each sector will have its own ways of applying the concepts and each group of clients will have their own complications and needs. The sector and the setting that you work in will have an impact on how you apply the rules and guidelines given here. If you have been working in the field for a long time and have experience and knowledge of boundaries, most areas discussed in this book should be familiar to you. However, reading it is a good chance to reflect on your practice Dealing with your own boundaries is a constant process of awareness and you will still find something u here Why write a book dedicated to boundaries? Professional boundaries are the cornerstone of effective social care work. There may be some disagreement amongst professionals about
14 Professional Boundaries in Social Work and Social Care The book is aimed primarily at those whose work involves talking to and supporting clients, rather than those involved in physical or medical therapies, although there is still much that could be learnt if you are involved in more physical hands-on work. It is particularly suitable for workers in the following sectors: social work, homelessness/housing, addiction/drugs/alcohol, mental health, probation, youth work, supported housing and hostels, care homes, criminal justice, education, home care, care of the elderly, victim support, domestic violence, employment support and for key/support workers of all types. The book works as an excellent primer if you are training to be a counsellor. However, if you are getting to Diploma level and intend to deliver intensive one-to-one therapy then the guidance will inevitably need supplementing with further reading which covers the issues around professional–client boundaries in greater depth. If you work in private practice providing any kind of support and therapy, then it will be useful to you in terms of day-to-day working practice, but again, it is beyond the remit of this book to cover particular policy and procedures, insurance, supervision, and legal and ethical responsibilities. As a generic book it does not deal with the specific application of boundaries in more specialist areas of work. Each sector will have its own ways of applying the concepts and each group of clients will have their own complications and needs. The sector and the setting that you work in will have an impact on how you apply the rules and guidelines given here. If you have been working in the field for a long time and have experience and knowledge of boundaries, most areas discussed in this book should be familiar to you. However, reading it is a good chance to reflect on your practice. Dealing with your own boundaries is a constant process of awareness and you will still find something for you here. Why write a book dedicated to boundaries? Professional boundaries are the cornerstone of effective social care work. There may be some disagreement amongst professionals about
INTRODUCTION exactly where to draw the line, but almost everyone agrees that a line needs to be drawn For such a vital area of knowledge, there is a remarkable lack of training and resources. There are many thousands of social care workers who are not trained counsellors but who have long, complex and deep professional relationships with their clients, dealing with a wide variety of issues. Whilst anyone who has worked in social care for any time will know what boundaries are and will be dealing with them on a regular basis, it is amazing how few of us have had any formal training. Even trained social workers(who are more extensively trained than most) have frequently said they have not had such detailed information on professional boundaries. Much of the deeper theory of boundaries comes from a unselling and psychotherapeutic background. Increasingly, social care workers in many roles are being required to deliver counselling style interventions, with aspects of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), motivational interview being introduced. There are many workers going on short courses and then being expected to deliver relatively in-depth interventions without full counselling training, and therefore with a lack of boundaries training Organisations have increasingly sophisticated codes of conduct, so we have all been made aware of what the basic rules are. However many codes of these focus on the broad issues and do not provide enough detail about the day-to-day dealing with boundaries. Use of language There are many debates about the correct terminology to use within the social care field. Given the wide-ranging scope of this book and its intended audience. there has been a need to make some decisions about what words to use. These decisions have been made for simplicity or because it is the language that feels most comfortable Social care. This term is used in the book as a sweeping generalisation to cover many sectors and industries that provide support, care or advice to individuals or groups in
Introduction 15 exactly where to draw the line, but almost everyone agrees that a line needs to be drawn. For such a vital area of knowledge, there is a remarkable lack of training and resources. There are many thousands of social care workers who are not trained counsellors but who have long, complex and deep professional relationships with their clients, dealing with a wide variety of issues. Whilst anyone who has worked in social care for any time will know what boundaries are and will be dealing with them on a regular basis, it is amazing how few of us have had any formal training. Even trained social workers (who are more extensively trained than most) have frequently said they have not had such detailed information on professional boundaries. Much of the deeper theory of boundaries comes from a counselling and psychotherapeutic background. Increasingly, social care workers in many roles are being required to deliver counselling style interventions, with aspects of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing and solution-focused therapy being introduced. There are many workers going on short courses and then being expected to deliver relatively in-depth interventions without full counselling training, and therefore with a lack of boundaries training. Organisations have increasingly sophisticated codes of conduct, so we have all been made aware of what the basic rules are. However, many codes of these focus on the broad issues and do not provide enough detail about the day-to-day dealing with boundaries. Use of language There are many debates about the correct terminology to use within the social care field. Given the wide-ranging scope of this book and its intended audience, there has been a need to make some decisions about what words to use. These decisions have been made for simplicity or because it is the language that feels most comfortable. • Social care. This term is used in the book as a sweeping generalisation to cover many sectors and industries that provide support, care or advice to individuals or groups in need
PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES IN SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL CARE Support worker/social care worker/worker. These terms are used loosely to describe anyone who interacts on a professional basis with individuals or groups who require care, suppe advice Client. This is a term for individuals who receive a service from a /social care worker,. Other terms commonly used include service users, guests, pupils or tenants. Relationship. This term covers the interaction between a support worker and a client. The word does have obvious connotations(e.g 'in a relationship or having a relationship with); however, it is the word that best encapsulates the nature of the interaction. The fact that there is a blurring between personal and professional illustrates exactly why boundaries are important in this setting
16 Professional Boundaries in Social Work and Social Care • Support worker/social care worker/worker. These terms are used loosely to describe anyone who interacts on a professional basis with individuals or groups who require care, support or advice. • Client. This is a generic term for individuals who receive a service from a ‘support/social care worker’. Other terms commonly used include service users, guests, pupils or tenants. • Relationship. This term covers the interaction between a support worker and a client. The word does have obvious connotations (e.g. ‘in a relationship’ or ‘having a relationship with’); however, it is the word that best encapsulates the nature of the interaction. The fact that there is a blurring between personal and professional illustrates exactly why boundaries are important in this setting