SFJ FB3
Maintain professional boundaries within the custodial environment
/ This unit is about maintaining professional boundaries within the custodial environment. It has been developed for staff who have to work closely with individuals and covers the importance of developing an appropriate relationship that does not run the risk of exploiting power or yielding inappropriate power to an individual.
This unit covers maintaining professional boundaries between prisoners and staff. It also covers mitigating the risk of manipulation, conditioning and corruption of staff by prisoners, ie when individual prisoners or a group of prisoners try to persuade, coerce, threaten, intimidate, blackmail or form inappropriate relationships with members of staff for their own personal benefit or gain.
There is one element
1Maintain professional boundaries within the custodial environment
Target Group
This unit applies to everyone who works in the custodial setting.
Performance criteria
You must be able to: / P1communicate in ways that can be understood by the individuals, responding to their different needs, abilities and preferences
P2explain clearly to individuals in custody:
P2.1your role and responsibilities
P2.2how your role fits with the roles and responsibilities of other team members
P2.3what confidentiality is and its limits
P2.4the importance of professional boundaries
P2.5the boundaries that come with developing a professional relationship with an individual
P3help individuals understand that the professional relationship is a joint pursuit, initiated and maintained by you, and how and when the individual can expect the professional relationship to terminate
P4be alert and respond appropriately to any form of manipulation, conditioning and corruption of yourself and others
P5avoid disclosure of personal information about yourself and others and when necessary explain why you are doing this
P6avoid disclosure of security procedures and information and when necessary explain why you are doing this
P7identify the nature and challenges of the professional relationships in your specific workplace
P8manage your emotional reactions to individuals who are attempting to manipulate and condition you and identify what impact these emotions have on yourself and others
P9carry out your working duties in accordance with legal and organisational requirements and procedures at all times
P10identify that structures are in place to provide supervison/support on a regular, on- going basis and use these
P11use your organisation's reporting mechanism to disclose potential vulnerabilities and conflicts of interest or when you believe that professional boundaries have been exceeded by yourself or others
P12debrief with your line manager or professional supervisor without delay if you think you might have behaved in a way that has exceeded professional boundaries, including manipulation and conditioning
Knowledge and understanding
You need to know and understand: / K1current, relevant legislation, policies, procedures, codes of practice and practice advice for maintaining professional boundaries
K2current, relevant legislation and organisational requirements in relation to race, diversity and human rights
K3current, relevant legislation and organisational requirements in relation to health and safety
K4methods of communication and how to communicate clearly and effectively
K5your role and responsibilities, and how they fit with the roles and responsibilities of other team members
K6the importance of confidentiality, what it is and its limits
K7what information may be given and to whom
K8the importance of professional boundaries
K9current policy and codes of practice in relation to professional conduct
K10the importance of understanding the boundaries that come with developing a professional relationship with an individual
K11the importance of being aware of professional boundaries being exceeded at any time and why this occurs
K12the importance of being alert and how to respond appropriately to any form of manipulation, conditioning and corruption of yourself and others
K13the different forms of manipulation, conditioning and corruption and the timescales these can happen over
K14what personal information about yourself and others should not be disclosed and why
K15what security procedures and information should not be disclosed and why
K16how to manage your own emotions, and how to identify what impact these emotions have on yourself and others
K17the importance of carrying out your working duties in accordance with legal and organisational requirements and procedures at all times and what the consequences are if you fail to do so
K18structures to provide supervision/support on a regular, on-going basis
K19how to identify when professional boundaries have been exceeded and what the consequences are
K20the importance of reporting vulnerabilities and conflict of interest in line with you organisation's requirements
K21how information obtained from individuals should be recorded and stored
K22how to record information when professional boundaries have been exceeded
K23the importance of having a debrief with your line manager or professional supervisor if you think you might have behaved in a way that exceeded professional boundaries
K24the types of documentation which must be completed and how to complete it correctly
Developed by / Skills for Justice
Version number / 1
Date approved / December 2009
Indicative review date / December 2014
Validity / Current
Status / Original
Originating organisation / Skills for Justice
Original URN / SFJ FB3
Relevant occupations / Public Services; Public Service and Other Associate Professionals
Suite / Custodial Healthcare
Key words / Maintain, professional, boundaries, custodial, environment
SFJ FB3Maintain professional boundaries within the custodial environment 1