Introduction
What are professional boundaries?
Professional boundaries are a set of guidelines, expectations and rules which set the ethical and technical standards in the social care environment. They set limits for safe, acceptable and effective behavior by workers.
The earliest known set of professional boundaries within Western society is the Hippocratic Oath. This was a code written in ancient Greece in roughly the fifth century bc and was intended as an ethical code for doctors and physicians. A translated and modernised version of the code is still used by some medical colleges around the world. The oath included, amongst other things, the following boundaries:
• You must understand the limits of your knowledge and not work beyond …show more content…
It is one of the most important professional boundaries and one that you need to keep an eye on constantly. You will have access to all sorts of information about a client that you are obliged to keep confidential. It is important that clients are able to trust you with information about themselves, whether it is their medical history, sensitive information that they divulge to you or their personal history. There are both legal and ethical reasons for keeping information confidential. Beginnings
First impressions count – the start of a relationship sets the tone and can create patterns of behaviour and assumptions that will impact on how the relationship progresses. Most of us make a judgement very quickly about people we meet, and then look for behaviour that meets or justifies this judgement.
When a client first meets you or one of your team, how are they greeted, how much time are they given, what impression to they get? Sometimes something as little as a welcoming smile, a handshake and some good eye contact can be enough to get a wary client to relax and engage.
The first meeting is a chance for the worker to get to know the client, create expectations and to lay out you have to offer. It is also a chance for the client to decide whether the service that you offer is right for …show more content…
It is important to have a good understanding of what happens when boundaries are crossed. As a worker you have to make frequent, off-the-cuff, decisions as you are working, often in difficult or pressured situations requiring an instant response
Reasons for boundary crossings
Boundary crossings occur for a variety of reasons:
• As a result of an action by a worker. This could be the result of forgetfulness or a mistake, poor training, poor decisionmaking, lack of information, a deliberate but well intentioned decision, or in some cases a malicious and intentioned piece of boundary breaking and abuse.
• As a result of an action by a client. Through lack of understanding of boundaries, an inability to keep within boundaries, intoxication or a deliberate breaking of boundaries.
• Accidentally. There are many situations where a boundary can be crossed through no fault of the worker or client. For example, they both visit the same pub/club on the same night, or both get invited to the same wedding.
• Organisational failure/negligence. Mismanagement, lack of funds or lack of staff can all lead to boundaries being
What are professional boundaries?
Professional boundaries are a set of guidelines, expectations and rules which set the ethical and technical standards in the social care environment. They set limits for safe, acceptable and effective behavior by workers.
The earliest known set of professional boundaries within Western society is the Hippocratic Oath. This was a code written in ancient Greece in roughly the fifth century bc and was intended as an ethical code for doctors and physicians. A translated and modernised version of the code is still used by some medical colleges around the world. The oath included, amongst other things, the following boundaries:
• You must understand the limits of your knowledge and not work beyond …show more content…
It is one of the most important professional boundaries and one that you need to keep an eye on constantly. You will have access to all sorts of information about a client that you are obliged to keep confidential. It is important that clients are able to trust you with information about themselves, whether it is their medical history, sensitive information that they divulge to you or their personal history. There are both legal and ethical reasons for keeping information confidential. Beginnings
First impressions count – the start of a relationship sets the tone and can create patterns of behaviour and assumptions that will impact on how the relationship progresses. Most of us make a judgement very quickly about people we meet, and then look for behaviour that meets or justifies this judgement.
When a client first meets you or one of your team, how are they greeted, how much time are they given, what impression to they get? Sometimes something as little as a welcoming smile, a handshake and some good eye contact can be enough to get a wary client to relax and engage.
The first meeting is a chance for the worker to get to know the client, create expectations and to lay out you have to offer. It is also a chance for the client to decide whether the service that you offer is right for …show more content…
It is important to have a good understanding of what happens when boundaries are crossed. As a worker you have to make frequent, off-the-cuff, decisions as you are working, often in difficult or pressured situations requiring an instant response
Reasons for boundary crossings
Boundary crossings occur for a variety of reasons:
• As a result of an action by a worker. This could be the result of forgetfulness or a mistake, poor training, poor decisionmaking, lack of information, a deliberate but well intentioned decision, or in some cases a malicious and intentioned piece of boundary breaking and abuse.
• As a result of an action by a client. Through lack of understanding of boundaries, an inability to keep within boundaries, intoxication or a deliberate breaking of boundaries.
• Accidentally. There are many situations where a boundary can be crossed through no fault of the worker or client. For example, they both visit the same pub/club on the same night, or both get invited to the same wedding.
• Organisational failure/negligence. Mismanagement, lack of funds or lack of staff can all lead to boundaries being