Raising standards: Social work conduct in England 2003-2008
Review of codes of practice
The GSCC’s Codes of Practice for Social Care Workers and for Employers of Social Care Workers set out standards of conduct expected of care workers and standards and responsibilities of their employers.
The GSCC is keen to ensure that the codes are fit for purpose and that they continue to ensure that people who use services can expect the highest standards from their workers. The codes were initially evaluated in 2004.
In 2007 the GSCC and its UK partners commissioned further research among people who use services, social care workers and their employers. The research was designed to find out how the codes of practice are being used by employers and workers across the UK, if the codes needed to be supplemented by additional guidance and if people who used services were aware of the codes. The evaluation is expected to be completed before the end of 2008.
Code on professional boundaries for social workers
In January 2008 the GSCC announced a review of professional boundaries between social care workers and their clients. Codes of practice for social care workers stipulate that social care workers must not ‘form inappropriate personal relationships with service users’ (5.4).
The initial assessment of conduct hearings held by the GSCC showed that a high proportion of these involved inappropriate relationships between social workers and service users. Registrants who attended the GSCC annual conference in May 2008 expressed their support for review of professional boundaries, stating that there was a lack of clear and consistent guidance on professional boundaries from employers.
The work on review of professional boundaries will be done jointly with key stakeholders including the charity Witness, which represents people who have been harmed by health and care workers.