In the coming months we will be publishing guidance on the important issue of professional boundaries in social work.
The term 'professional boundary' can be described as the difference between what is and is not acceptable behaviour from a professional person, both in and out of work. Some behaviour will always be unacceptable but professional boundaries relates to behaviour that is unacceptable in light of the fact that the individual concerned is a professional.
The case studies used in the guidance are drawn anonymously from actual conduct cases and in all examples the social worker was found to have committed misconduct. Of the social workers who have been taken through conduct proceedings, a considerable proportion of cases have arisen due to the blurring of professional boundaries. The guidance looks at a range of behaviours, both sexual and non-sexual, which have negative impact on service users and/or undermines public trust and confidence in social work services.
Here is an example from the guidance to give you an idea of what is to come:
The social worker was the allocated case worker for an adult service user. This service user was suffering from severe long term health problems and had discussed with the social worker his personal care needs.
In the course of her role as his allocated case worker, the social worker became increasingly personal with the service user, discussing her own experiences and views. She asked him if she could see him on a non-professional basis and provided him with her personal mobile phone number and email address. The social worker did not inform her employer of this relationship.
The relationship was not a sexual one. It was, though, a relationship outside of her role as his social worker. The relationship involved personal meetings at the service user’s home, outings, the exchange of gifts and discussion of spiritual matters and other common interests.
- Why is this behaviour misconduct?
- When should the social worker have informed her employer about this developing relationship? Why?
- What could the impact of this behavior be, both on the service user and on their significant others?
- Is it ever acceptable to give or receive gifts from service users?
- Should a social worker discuss their religious or spiritual beliefs with a service user?
- Is it appropriate for a social worker to disclose to a service user an experience they have had in their personal life? Why?
- How could this relationship have impacted upon the professional judgment of the social worker?
- Is it ever acceptable for a social worker to instigate a personal relationship with a service user when they are that individual’s social worker?
- Which aspects of social work values have been breached in this example?
- Which parts of the regulator’s standards for the profession might have been breached in this example?
This guidance is not a list of do's and don'ts for social workers but is intended as a tool for personal reflection and discussion in supervision or team meetings. The issue of professional boundaries is a subject that causes confusion and concern for some social workers, and there is an absence of resources to draw upon, so look out for the guidance over the coming months on our website and links on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
