1. Governance
1.1. This is the Maintaining Professional Boundaries Policy and Procedure for The Good Place Home Care Services Limited.
1.2. The Good Place Home Care Services Limited will be referred to in this document as "The Good Place Home Care Services Limited","The Good Place","We","Us", or "Our".
1.3. Our registered address is: 186 Wetmore Road, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 1QZ.
1.4. We can be contacted by:-
- a. Telephone: 01283 296 337
- b. Email: [protected:ahello][protected:athegoodplace.care]
- c. Post: The Good Place, 186 Wetmore Road, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 1QZ
1.5. Words importing one gender include all genders, and words in the singular include the plural and vice versa, unless the context requires otherwise.
1.6. Document control sheet:-
| Metadata | Value |
|---|---|
| Document fingerprint | GOV-2159-V1 |
| Document owner | Dean Hill (Nominated Individual) |
| Document version | 1 |
| Document status | Approved on 18/04/2026 by the Dean Hill (Nominated Individual) |
| Document review cycle | Annually or sooner if legislation or guidance changes. Next review planned for April 2027 |
2. Purpose
2.1. To define the standards expected of staff in maintaining professional boundaries.
2.2. To protect service users from exploitation, abuse, and discrimination.
2.3. To ensure staff conduct themselves with integrity, respect, and professionalism.
2.4. To clarify the boundaries between professional and personal relationships in care settings.
2.5. To ensure that we fulfil the legal and regulatory responsibilities.
2.6. To support us to meet, and be able to evidence compliance with, the following CQC Single Assessment Framework quality statements:-
| Safe | |
|---|---|
Safeguarding | We work with people to understand what being safe means to them as well as with our partners on the best way to achieve this. We concentrate on improving people’s lives while protecting their right to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect. We make sure we share concerns quickly and appropriately. |
Safe and effective staffing | We make sure there are enough qualified, skilled and experienced people, who receive effective support, supervision and development. They work together effectively to provide safe care that meets people’s individual needs. |
| Effective | |
Delivering evidence-based care and treatment | We plan and deliver people’s care and treatment with them, including what is important and matters to them. We do this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards. |
How staff and teams work together | We work effectively across teams and services to support people. We make sure they only need to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when they move between different services. |
| Caring | |
Kindness, compassion and dignity | We always treat people with kindness, empathy and compassion and we respect their privacy and dignity. We treat colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. |
| Responsive | |
| Person centred care | We make sure people are at the centre of their care and treatment choices and we decide, in partnership with them, how to respond to any relevant changes in their needs. |
| Well-led | |
| Learning, improvement and innovation | We focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across our organisation and the local system. We encourage creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. We actively contribute to safe, effective practice and research. |
3. Scope
3.1. This policy applies to all staff, including carers, managers, administrative personnel, volunteers, and contractors. It covers all settings where care is provided, including service users' homes and community environments.
4. Policy Statement
4.1. At The Good Place, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism when delivering domiciliary care services. Professional boundaries are essential to ensure that relationships between care staff and service users remain respectful, ethical, and person-centred. This policy outlines our approach to establishing, maintaining, and monitoring professional boundaries in all aspects of care delivery.
4.2. Maintaining professional boundaries protects service users from harm, ensures fair treatment, and upholds the integrity of the care relationship. It also safeguards staff from situations that could lead to accusations of misconduct.
5. Legal & Regulatory Framework
5.1. This policy is guided by:-
- a. Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, including Regulations 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17 and 18.
- b. Care Act 2014 (including adult safeguarding duties and the wellbeing principle).
- c. Equality Act 2010.
- d. Relevant professional guidance such as that produced by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE).
5.2. The Good Place is fully committed to meeting the requirements of the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), as set out by NHS England. This means we will ensure that people with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss receive information and communication support that they can understand and use effectively. This may include large print, easy-read versions, audio formats, or the use of interpreters and communication aids. See our Accessible Information Standard (AIS) Policy and Procedure for further details.
5.3. We also comply with the Equality Act 2010 and are fully committed to promoting diversity, and human rights in all aspects of our service provision and employment practices. We are dedicated to ensuring that all individuals, including staff, service users, and stakeholders, are treated fairly, with dignity and respect, and without discrimination. We will also make reasonable adjustments so that no individual is treated less favourably when using our service. This includes supporting people with protected characteristics such as age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. See our Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Policy and Procedure for further details.
6. Definition of Professional Boundaries
6.1. Professional boundaries refer to the limits that define the appropriate and safe relationship between care staff and service users. These boundaries ensure that care is provided in a respectful, ethical, and non-exploitative manner. They recognise that there is an inherent power imbalance in the care relationship and are designed to prevent any misuse of that power. They protect both the service user and the care worker from harm, conflict of interest, emotional dependency, abuse, coercion or exploitation.
6.2. Boundaries encompass:-
- a. Physical Boundaries: Respecting personal space and only engaging in physical contact when necessary for care delivery.
- b. Emotional Boundaries: Providing compassionate care without developing personal attachments or becoming overly involved.
- c. Psychological Boundaries: Maintaining clarity in roles and avoiding situations that blur the lines between professional and personal relationships.
- d. Financial Boundaries: Avoiding any financial transactions with service users, including borrowing, lending, or accepting gifts.
- e. Digital and communication boundaries: Ensuring that all communication (including telephone, text, email, messaging apps, video calls and social media) remains professional, is recorded where required, and respects confidentiality. Staff must not connect with service users on personal social media or use personal accounts for work purposes.
7. Principles of Maintaining Professional Boundaries
7.1. Our approach to maintaining professional boundaries is guided by the principles detailed below.
7.2. Respect and Dignity
7.2.1. Staff must be aware of, and challenge, any conscious or unconscious bias that might lead them to treat some people differently. This includes being alert to the impact of disability, age, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment and other protected characteristics, in line with the Equality Act 2010.
7.3. Transparency and Accountability:
7.3.1. All interactions between staff and service users must be transparent and accountable. Staff must maintain clear records of care activities, ensuring that any concerns or boundary issues are promptly reported to the Registered Manager.
7.4. Avoidance of Personal Relationships
7.4.1. Staff must not engage in personal relationships with service users, including friendships, romantic relationships, or family-like attachments. Such relationships compromise objectivity and can lead to conflicts of interest.
7.5. Clear Communication
7.5.1. Effective communication is key to maintaining boundaries. Staff must communicate in a professional, respectful manner, using clear language that promotes understanding. Personal opinions, advice outside of care provision, or discussing personal matters should be avoided.
7.6. Equal Treatment
7.6.1. All service users must be treated equally, without favouritism or discrimination. Staff must not form special relationships with specific service users, as this can undermine the quality of care for others and lead to ethical concerns.
7.7. Consent, choice and the Mental Capacity Act
7.7.1. Staff must always seek valid consent before providing care or support and must respect a person’s decisions about how care is provided, in line with Regulation 11 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Respecting professional boundaries includes clearly explaining their role, checking the person is comfortable with how support is delivered (for example with intimate or personal care), and recording any specific preferences in the care plan.
7.7.2. Where a person may lack capacity to make a specific decision, staff must follow the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Code of Practice, including carrying out a decision-specific capacity assessment and acting in the person’s best interests. Professional boundaries must still be maintained and any best interests decision must involve appropriate consultation with others, not just individual staff members.
7.8. Safeguarding and raising concerns
7.8.1. Boundary crossings or violations may be indicators of, or lead to, abuse or neglect. Staff must treat any concern about professional boundaries as a potential safeguarding issue and follow the Safeguarding Adults Policy and Procedure, including reporting to the Registered Manager without delay.
7.8.2. Where there is an immediate risk of harm, staff must take urgent protective action and contact emergency services or the local authority as appropriate, in line with local safeguarding procedures.
8. Roles and Responsibilities
8.1. Maintaining professional boundaries is a shared responsibility among staff, management, and service users. Clear roles and expectations ensure accountability and adherence to this policy.
8.2.7.2A. Provider/ Nominated Individual
8.2.1. The Provider/ Nominated Individual is responsible for:-
- a. Ensuring that this policy is in place, implemented and reviewed in line with changes in legislation, guidance or CQC requirements.
- b. Ensuring that systems for recruitment, induction, supervision and appraisal include clear expectations about professional boundaries and safeguarding.
- c. Ensuring that learning from any boundary breaches (including complaints, incidents or safeguarding enquiries) informs service improvement, training and governance processes.
8.3. Registered Manager
8.3.1. The Registered Manager is responsible for:-
- a. Providing training and guidance on professional boundaries during staff induction and refresher courses.
- b. Monitoring staff conduct through observations, feedback, and performance reviews.
- c. Investigating any breaches of professional boundaries and taking appropriate action.
- d. Ensuring that all care plans reflect clear boundaries and ethical practices.
- e. Liaising with the local authority, safeguarding adults board and other agencies where boundary breaches amount to safeguarding concerns, in line with multi-agency procedures.
8.4. Care Staff
8.4.1. Care staff are responsible for:-
- a. Understanding and adhering to professional boundaries in all interactions.
- b. Reporting any potential or actual boundary breaches to their line manager.
- c. Respecting service users' rights, privacy, and autonomy.
- d. Ensuring that care delivery remains within the scope of their professional role.
8.5. Service Users and Families
8.5.1. Service users and their families play a role in maintaining boundaries by respecting staff roles and avoiding requests or behaviours that could lead to boundary violations. Staff will educate service users about the importance of professional boundaries where necessary.
9. Practical Guidelines for Staff
9.1. To uphold professional boundaries, staff must follow these practical guidelines.
9.2. Personal and Professional Relationships
9.2.1. Staff must not share personal contact details with service users or their families. Communication should be conducted through official channels.
9.2.2. Staff should avoid discussing their personal lives with service users. Conversations should focus on the care and well-being of the service user.
9.2.3. If a staff member has a pre-existing relationship with a service user (e.g., a neighbour, family friend or relative), they must inform the Registered Manager immediately so that any potential conflict of interest can be assessed and managed, which may include reallocating care visits.
9.2.4. Staff must not start, or attempt to start, any romantic or sexual relationship with a service user or with a recently discharged service user. If a staff member believes that a relationship may develop once care has ended, they must seek advice from the Registered Manager before any contact takes place, so that risks can be assessed and a clear time period agreed.
9.2.5. Where there are communication or cultural barriers (for example where a person does not speak English as a first language, or uses alternative communication methods), staff must ensure that explanations about their professional role and boundaries are provided using appropriate interpreters, communication aids or family/advocates in line with the person’s wishes and best interests.
9.3. Physical Contact
9.3.1. Physical contact should be limited to what is necessary for care delivery, such as assisting with mobility, personal care, or medical tasks.
9.3.2. Staff must always seek consent before initiating physical contact, ensuring that service users feel comfortable and respected.
9.3.3. The type and level of physical contact required for personal care and support must be clearly recorded in the person’s care plan and risk assessments, including any preferences about gender of staff, cultural or religious needs, and how consent will be obtained and reviewed.
9.3.4. Any inappropriate or unsolicited physical contact must be reported immediately.
9.4. Emotional Boundaries
9.4.1. Staff should provide emotional support within the scope of their role but avoid becoming personally involved in service users' personal problems.
9.4.2. If a service user becomes overly reliant on a particular staff member for emotional support, the situation should be reported to the line manager for appropriate action.
9.4.3. Staff must not offer counselling, psychotherapy or other specialist emotional or psychological interventions unless they are specifically qualified, authorised and commissioned by The Good Place to do so. Where a person appears to need more specialised emotional or psychological support, staff must raise this with their line manager so that appropriate referrals can be considered.
9.5. Financial Boundaries
9.5.1. Staff must not solicit, expect or accept gifts, loans, or money from service users. If a service user offers a gift, staff should politely decline and report the incident to the Registered Manager.
9.5.2. Staff must not engage in any private financial arrangements with service users, including buying or selling items, borrowing or lending money, or managing finances outside what is agreed in the care plan. Staff may only carry out shopping or financial transactions where this is clearly documented as part of the person’s agreed care and support plan and they follow the organisation’s procedures for handling money.
9.5.3. Handling of service users' money for care-related purposes must be documented in line with our financial procedures, with receipts provided for all transactions, countersigned records kept, and, where possible, the person (or their representative) confirming the accuracy of the records.
9.6. Social and Digital Boundaries
9.6.1. Staff must not engage with service users on personal social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp. Where The Good Place provides secure, approved digital communication systems or work-based messaging apps, these may be used in line with our Confidentiality and Data Protection (UK GDPR) Policy and Procedure.
9.6.2. Personal phone numbers and personal email addresses must not be shared with service users. All communication must be conducted through official channels (for example work phones, work email accounts or agreed office contact numbers).
9.6.3. Staff must not socialise with service users outside of their care duties, including meeting socially, attending events as a friend rather than as a worker, or inviting service users to their own home.
9.6.4. Any agreed recording (photographs, audio or video) for care purposes must be clearly documented in the care plan, have the person’s consent (or a best interests decision where appropriate), and be carried out using secure organisational equipment and systems in line with our Confidentiality and Data Protection (UK GDPR) Policy and Procedure.
10. Training and Awareness
10.1. Maintaining professional boundaries requires continuous education and awareness. To support staff in adhering to this policy, we will provide:-
- a. Induction Training: All new staff will receive comprehensive training on professional boundaries as part of their induction programme. This will include case studies, and clear expectations regarding conduct.
- b. Supervision and Support: Staff will participate in regular supervision sessions with their line manager where they can discuss boundary-related challenges and seek guidance.
- c. Refresher Training: All staff will receive refresher training on professional boundaries at appropriate intervals (at least every 3 years) and sooner where learning from incidents, complaints or safeguarding enquiries indicates this is needed.
- d. Linked Training: Training on professional boundaries will be integrated with, and reinforced through, safeguarding adults, Mental Capacity Act, equality and diversity, record keeping and confidentiality training.
- e. Evaluation: We will evaluate the effectiveness of training through supervision, observations, audits, staff surveys and feedback from people using the service, and will update training materials in line with changes to legislation, guidance or CQC requirements.
11. Monitoring and Compliance
11.1. To ensure adherence to this policy, The Good Place will implement robust monitoring and compliance measures, including:-
- a. Observation: Managers and senior staff will conduct regular spot checks to observe staff interactions with service users. Any concerns will be documented and addressed promptly.
- b. Feedback: Service users and their families will be encouraged to provide feedback on staff conduct, including any concerns regarding boundaries.
- c. Incident Reporting: Any suspected or actual breach of professional boundaries must be reported immediately to the Registered Manager. Reports will be investigated thoroughly, with findings documented and acted upon.
- d. Audits: Regular audits will be conducted to assess compliance with this policy. Audit findings will inform continuous improvement initiatives.
- e. Complaints: Concerns raised via the complaints process that relate to staff conduct or suspected boundary issues will be investigated in line with our Complaints Policy and Procedure and cross-referenced with this policy.
- f. Whistleblowing: Staff will be reminded of, and supported to use, our Raising Concerns, Freedom to Speak Up and Whistleblowing Policy and Procedure where they feel unable to raise concerns about professional boundaries through normal line management routes.
11.2. Non-compliance with this policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment, in line with our Disciplinary Policy and Procedure, depending on the severity of the breach. Where boundary breaches meet the threshold for safeguarding concerns or professional misconduct, we will also make appropriate referrals to the local authority, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and/ or relevant professional bodies.
12. Managing Boundary Issues and Breaches
12.1. Despite best efforts, boundary issues may occasionally arise. In such cases, staff must:-
- a. Identify the Issue: Recognise when a boundary is at risk of being crossed. This could include personal attachments, excessive self-disclosure, or favouritism.
- b. Report the Concern: Immediately report the situation to the Registered Manager. Prompt reporting allows for timely intervention and resolution.
- c. Document the Incident: Maintain clear records of the incident, including dates, times, and details of the interaction.
- d. Take Corrective Action: The Registered Manager will investigate the incident, interview relevant parties, and determine appropriate corrective action. This may include additional training, supervision, or disciplinary measures.
- e. Escalation: Where initial enquiries indicate that a boundary breach may constitute abuse, neglect or a criminal offence, the Registered Manager will escalate the concern in line with local safeguarding adults procedures, including making referrals to the local authority and, where appropriate, the police.
- f. Support: The Good Place will offer appropriate support to the person affected (and to staff and others involved), which may include additional visits, advocacy, debriefing and signposting to independent support services.
12.2. If the breach involves, or may involve, actual or potential harm, abuse or neglect of a service user, safeguarding procedures will be initiated in accordance with the Safeguarding Adults Policy and Procedure and local multi-agency safeguarding arrangements.
13. Promoting a Culture of Professionalism
13.1. To foster a culture that prioritises professionalism and boundary adherence, The Good Place will:-
- a. Promote open communication and encourage staff to seek guidance if they face boundary-related challenges.
- b. Celebrate positive examples of professionalism through staff recognition programmes.
- c. Provide clear guidance on navigating complex situations, such as when service users develop emotional attachments to staff.
- d. Encourage staff to engage in reflective practice, considering how their conduct aligns with professional standards.
- e. Use learning from incidents, complaints, safeguarding enquiries and audits relating to professional boundaries to inform team discussions, reflective practice sessions and service improvement plans.
13.2. By promoting professionalism, we ensure that care remains focused on the needs, rights, and well-being of service users. We will evidence this culture through supervision records, team meeting minutes, training evaluations and feedback from people who use our service and their families.
