Purpose
The purpose of this code is to set down the conduct
expected of social care workers and to inform service
users and the public of the standards of conduct they
can expect from social care workers. Social care workers
are responsible for ensuring that their conduct does not
fall below the standards set out in this code and that
they safeguard the well being of service users.
| Social
care workers must to the best of their ability: |
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Safeguard and promote
the interests of service users and carers |
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Strive to maintain
the trust and confidence of service users and carers |
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Respect the independence
of service users and protect them as far as possible
from danger or harm |
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Balance the rights
of service users and carers with the interests of
society |
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Take responsibility
for their practice and learning |
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Justify public trust
and confidence in social care services |
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As a social care worker you
must safeguard and promote the interests of service
users and carers. This includes:
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supporting people's
rights to control their lives and make choices about
the services they receive; |
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listening to, respecting
and, where appropriate, promoting the views and
wishes of service users and carers; |
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valuing and treating
each person as an individual; and, |
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respecting and maintaining
the dignity and privacy of service users and carers. |
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As a social care worker you
must strive to maintain the trust and confidence
of service users and carers. This includes:
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being honest and trustworthy; |
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communicating in an
open, accurate and straightforward way; |
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being reliable and dependable;
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honouring as far as
possible work commitments, agreements and arrangements;
and, |
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declaring conflicts
of interest and striving to ensure that they do
not influence your judgement or practice. |
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As a social care worker you
must respect the independence of service users
and protect them, as far as possible, from danger
or harm. This includes:
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challenging dangerous,
abusive, discriminatory or exploitative behaviour
and using established processes and procedures to
report it; |
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taking complaints seriously
and responding to them or passing them to the appropriate
person; |
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respecting confidential
information and gaining permission from those it
concerns to share it for specific reasons e.g. consultation
with managers or other members of the care team.
Disclosures of confidential information without
consent should only be made where they can be justified
in the public interest (usually where disclosure
is essential to protect the service user or someone
else from risk of death or serious harm) or, where
disclosure is required by law or order of a court; |
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recognising the potential
for power imbalances in working relationships with
service users and carers and using authority in
a responsible manner; and, |
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following practice and
procedures designed to keep you and other people
safe from violent and abusive behaviour at work. |
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As a social care worker you
must, to the best of your ability, balance the
rights of service users and carers with the interests
of society. This includes:
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taking necessary steps
to avoid service users from doing actual or potential
harm to themselves or other people; and, |
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balancing the rights
of service users whose behaviour represents a risk
to themselves or other people with the paramount
interest of public safety. |
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As a social care worker you must take responsibility,
wherever possible, for your practice and learning.
This includes:
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working openly and co-operatively
with colleagues and other professionals, recognising
their role and expertise and treating them with
respect; |
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adhering to legal requirements
and relevant standards of practice, and promoting
and maintaining good practice; |
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being free from the
influence of alcohol and drugs (other than proper
use of proprietary or prescribed medicines) while
at work; |
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informing your employer
or the appropriate authority about any physical,
mental, emotional or legal difficulties that might
affect your ability to do your job competently and
safely; |
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undertaking learning,
training and development, wherever possible, to
continually improve your knowledge and skills and
ensure that you work, in a lawful, safe and effective
manner; |
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being responsible for
the quality of your work and contributing to the
learning and development of others; |
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informing your employer
or the appropriate authority if you do not feel
competent to carry out any aspect of your work and
seeking necessary supervision and training; and, |
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dealing, as far as is
reasonable, with the concerns of colleagues about
their ability to carry out work you have delegated
to them. |
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As a social care worker you must justify public
trust and confidence in social care services.
You must not:
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abuse, neglect or harm
service users or carers; |
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exploit service users,
carers or colleagues sexually, physically, emotionally,
financially or in any other way; |
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abuse the trust of service
users and carers or the access you have to their
property, home or workplace; |
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discriminate unlawfully
against service users, carers or colleagues for
any reason or condone any such discrimination on
their part; |
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put yourself or other
people at unnecessary risk; |
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accept personal gifts
from service users or their carers, or gifts or
payments from any service providers that would,
or might appear to, place you under an obligation;
or, |
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behave in a manner that
might damage the reputation of social care or social
work, or reduce the trust and confidence of the
public. Dishonest, indecent, violent or abusive
behaviour even if not directly connected to your
work practice, may call into question your suitability
to work in social care services. |
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