Policy Statement
BS Care professional boundries policy sets out the principles and values underlying our approach to professional boundaries in relationships with service users and their relatives, friends, visitors and representatives, and that behaviour outside those boundaries should be regarded as abusive and a reason for disciplinary action. BS Care aims to have an open and transparent culture in which everyone is clear about their roles and responsibilities, and the boundaries in which they carry out their work.

Our policy is in line with the principles of a safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led service as required by the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 in which staff know their roles and responsibilities to their service users and their limits and can work to the respective codes of practice and conduct.
They will also be aware of the possible consequences of breaching their professional boundaries.
BS Care considers that staff need to observe professional boundaries in their relationships with service users and their relatives, friends, visitors and representatives, and that behaviour outside those boundaries should be regarded as potentially abusive and a reason for disciplinary action.

We recognise that it is often difficult to draw precise lines defining appropriate behaviour, so we encourage staff to be transparent in their dealings with service users and others, and to discuss with managers any ambiguities which arise. The starting point is that the needs of service users should be at the centre of our care practice; any relationship that might jeopardise that objective should be questioned.

The Policy
The aim of this policy is to lay down the principles and values underlying our approach to professional boundaries in relationships with service users and their relatives, friends, visitors and representatives.
The Parties Involved
Staff
This policy applies to all staff of BS Care, including temporary staff and volunteers, not merely those who have regular contact with a service user in a care-giving capacity.
Service Users
The term service user is used in this policy to include current service users, past service users, and anyone whose contact with the organisation is concerned with either their being currently, or having previously been, a user or potential user of services.

People Associated with Service Users
This policy includes relationships with people directly associated with service users in a personal capacity, i.e. their relatives, friends, visitors and representatives.
Professional Boundaries
Professional relationships must be distinguished from personal relationships. staff are trained and aware that professional relationships must be distinguished from personal relationships. BS Care staff are aware they should not have physical contact with clients unless they are harming themselves or others. Although we believe that staff can, quite properly, gain satisfaction from developing and sustaining relationships with service users, the key consideration should always be the needs of the service user, as opposed to the personal or mutual satisfactions that characterise personal relationships. Staff must therefore on occasions refrain from allowing a relationship to develop to the extent that they would find personally satisfying or to include a dimension that they would find personally satisfying in order to ensure that the needs of the service user remain paramount. Any member of staff who feels that a relationship is developing that might be judged as inappropriate should discuss the situation with their manager. The action to be taken may include varying the staff member’s duties in order to limit contact with that person; discussing the situation frankly with the person in order to re-establish appropriate boundaries; or, in extreme circumstances, controlling an individual’s contacts with the organisation.

This includes relationships between staff members regardless of their job title.
Inappropriate behaviour from any member of staff should be discussed in an open and honest manner with the home manager.
If the inappropriate behaviour involves the manager, then it should be discussed with a senior member of staff.
It is important to recognise that any purported abuse of power leads ultimately to inappropriate behaviours becoming acceptable and therefore it is the responsibility of all staff where they have concerns to flag up such concerns as early as possible.

Professional Codes of Practice

All staff should be familiar with and comply with the Skills for Care Code of Conduct, copies of which are supplied to all staff. Nursing and other professional staff should also comply with the standards of conduct and practice set by their own regulatory bodies. A breach of any of these codes by staff will be reported and the organisation will cooperate with any action taken by a regulatory body.

Action Outside the Work Situation
Although we do not, in general, seek to regulate the private behaviour of staff, we recognise that occasionally an individual’s behaviour outside of work may call into question their suitability to work in social care services. It is the responsibility of all staff therefore to behave, both at work or otherwise, in ways that uphold their own credibility and the organisation’s reputation.

Related Policies
• Code of Conduct for Workers
• Monitoring and Accountability
• Recruitment and Selection
• Social Media and Public Relations
Related Guidance
Skills for Care Code of Conduct:
https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk
Training
All staff All staff receive training to understand and apply this policy and related policies. During induction, staff are made aware of our organisation’s policies and procedures, all of which are used for training updates. All policies and procedures are reviewed and amended where necessary, and staff are made aware of any changes.
Observations are undertaken to check skills and competencies. Various methods of training are used, including one to one, online, workbook, group meetings, and individual supervisions. External courses are sourced as required.

Signed: _____ BA _____________
Date: ______1st June 2022_________
Policy review date: _____30th Jan 2023______________