by Bronagh MiskellyAt this year's Community Care Live Question Time session, compère Jeremy Vine noted that every year there is a question about social workers having sex with clients. And sadly, we often find ourselves reporting conduct cases around this issue - the General Social Care Council has already dealt with 24 such cases in its relatively short existence.
This is clearly an issue that social workers are concerned about and at a time when the profession must do more to increase respect, it is essential that regulators are seen to be setting high standards. And yet we are still waiting for the GSCC to produce guidance specifically on the boundaries for relationships with service users. The regulator has carried out research and is considering how to move forward on the issue.
But it should not be that difficult to produce guidance. Other sectors where people's jobs bring them into contact with vulnerable groups, such as teachers and nurses, have clear guidance on these issues. Surely the social care sector can use these codes as a basis for its own guidance and not leave those working with service users in any doubt over their behaviour.
But it should not be that difficult to produce guidance. Other sectors where people's jobs bring them into contact with vulnerable groups, such as teachers and nurses, have clear guidance on these issues. Surely the social care sector can use these codes as a basis for its own guidance and not leave those working with service users in any doubt over their behaviour.
The GSCC, develop a code of practice/quickly, using other practices mentioned in the blog as a template.
Some of the cases outlined in Community Care are a disgrace. We are there to protect vulnerable children and adults. When the boundary is crossed and there is clear evidence of that the police need to be called in certain cases, and certainly people should not be practising as social workers. A line has been crossed with such behaviour.
There is clearly something lacking in social work education if social workers are having to wait for "guidance" from the GSCC in order to appreciate the difference between personal and professional relationships with clients.
In fact, all social workers, in my experience, do understand the concept of "boundaries". A very few choose to ignore it, and almost make a virtue of being extremely friendly with clients, thus losing sight of their professional role.
At this stage there is a clear need for adequate supervision. The reality of supervision, however, is that the supervisor depends entirely on what he or she is told by the social worker.
I can see no obvious way round this, short of appointing someone to visit randomly selected clients in order to discuss with them their perception of the role of their social worker.
This is clearly unrealistic. It is just as well therefore, that the vast majority of social workers do understand their role, and have a natural appreciation of the ethics of social work.