Do you jump in with a suggestion when the group is quiet or seems stuck or do you tend not to make any suggestions at all?
Are you lively and noisy in a group setting or quiet and retiring?
Do you like to talk with others about your ideas or do you like to just get on with it?
Do you think your ideas are the best or do you think others always have better ideas?
Are you able to be flexible or do you tend to like to hold onto your own ideas or sense of what the group should be doing?
Are you a team player or are you more of an individualist?
Do you like to get to know the people in your group on a personal level or are you quite happy just getting together without knowing intimate details about others?
Do you let others know how their behaviour affects you or do you keep your feelings to yourself?
Learning Topic 3: Work with the young person as the focus
By the end of this topic you will be able to use your knowledge and skills to:
Apply youth centred practices when working with young people
Respect the rights needs and responsibilities of the young person and worker
Establish professional relationships and boundaries with a young person and recognise and manage power inequities in working with young people
Section 3.3: Establishing professional relationships and boundaries with a young person
In order to leave your personal values out of the client - worker relationship, you need to
be aware of the impact they may have in your interactions. Clients, and particularly young people often have different
values and beliefs to you. You may find that with young people you become judgmental
or notice that you are encouraging clients to make a decision that reflects what you
think they should do (based on your values and beliefs) rather than working with the
young person to come up with their own ideas about how to resolve the issue.
That is why it is so important to have ethical standards, so that we are operating by a
professional set of guidelines - not by what we personally think is right or wrong.
Boundaries
In all our relationships, we set limits. We all have a boundary around ourselves to
preserve our identity as an individual. The strength of that boundary, and its nature,
depends on who the relationship is with and the context of the relationship. A client
enters into a relationship, entrusting you with their well-being, and expecting that
throughout the relationship you will provide them with a safe environment in which to
work towards realising their hopes and dreams.
The client - worker relationship is not an equal relationship and inevitably, whether the
worker wishes it or not, he or she is in a position of power and influence, often working
with clients who are in a highly emotional state and consequently very vulnerable.
It may, at times, be hard to refuse invitations to get closer to your clients than you feel
comfortable with. If you do not set appropriate boundaries, you will have abused your
special position of trust with the potential of serious experiences. Be aware of the
danger signals if your relationship with a client is becoming too close, and bring the
issue into the open by discussing it with your supervisor and, if appropriate, the client.
It cannot be stressed enough the importance of maintaining a professional distance. If you allow clients to hug and kiss you, or you do this to them, you are sending a false
message of friendship or family-like intimacy to them.
This doesn’t mean you have to be cold and aloof, but you need to set clear
boundaries. When a client tries to hug and kiss you, gently pull yourself away while
holding your hand out to shake. Reinforce to them that they are to save their hugs and
kisses for their friends and family and that you are different from these people,
because you are their paid support worker. Be friendly, not a friend.
Responsibility of the worker
Professionals frequently experience a sense of conflict between their responsibilities
to the client, to the employing organisation and to the community. First do no harm:
aim for client independence and resilience through the supporting of incremental
learning. You will, at times, need to make your own decisions about which
responsibilities need to come first. Generally, the worker’s responsibility to the client
must take precedence.
Clearly though, you cannot ethically fulfil the client’s needs if doing so would:
involve working in opposition to the policies of your employing organisation
In order to leave your personal values out of the client - worker relationship, you need to
be aware of the impact they may have in your interactions. Clients, and particularly young people often have different
values and beliefs to you. You may find that with young people you become judgmental
or notice that you are encouraging clients to make a decision that reflects what you
think they should do (based on your values and beliefs) rather than working with the
young person to come up with their own ideas about how to resolve the issue.