Good practice guide: Maintaining professional boundaries with learners and young people

Download Good practice guide: Maintaining professional boundaries with learners and young people

Introduction

As an EWC registrant, you hold a unique position of trust, responsibility, and influence with learners and young people. This leads to a natural imbalance in authority and control between you. This is why maintaining clear professional boundaries in your relationships with learners and young people safeguards them, and protects you.

However, some teaching and training methods used to engage learners and young people may lead to more relaxed, informal behaviours that can, perhaps unknowingly, blur those boundaries.

This guide aims to help raise your awareness and understanding in this complex area of professional life.

This is not regulatory or mandatory guidance. Scenarios have been included to help you think about and explore some of the issues which might arise, and how our advice might apply. We have also included examples of unacceptable practices where professional boundaries have clearly been crossed.

The Code

All Education Workforce Council (EWC) registrants are subject to the Code of Professional Conduct and Practice (the Code), which sets out the key principles of good conduct and practice for registrants. This guide should be read in conjunction with the Code.

The principles and expectations in the Code which refer to professional boundaries with learners and young people are:

1. Personal and Professional Responsibility

Registrants:

1.1 recognise their personal responsibility as a role model and public figure, to uphold public trust and confidence in the education professions, both in and out of the workplace
1.2 conduct relationships with learners and young people professionally by:

• communicating with learners and young people respectfully, in a way which is appropriate for them
• using all forms of communication appropriately and responsibly, particularly social media
• ensuring any physical contact is necessary, reasonable, and proportionate
• contributing to the creation of a fair and inclusive learning environment by addressing discrimination, stereotyping, and bullying
• maintaining professional boundaries

2. Professional Integrity

Registrants:

2.1 are accountable for their conduct and professional competence

The Code is an important point of reference. Think about the five key principles and the expectations they place upon you. The Code will help you make the right decisions when faced with the challenges covered in this guide.

The Code is available on our website.

Professional boundaries

Professional boundaries are breached when a registrant misuses their authority or control in their relationship with a learner or young person. Conduct that breaches those boundaries is often easily recognisable. However, there may be some more subtle behaviours where the boundary breach is less obvious. But in all situations, it is your responsibility to establish and maintain professional boundaries with those in your charge.

When interacting with learners and young people, think carefully about the implications of your behaviour with, and towards them, and the potential consequences. For example, even where it is not your specific role, think about how easily you might unwittingly become a confidante or counsellor to a learner or young person, even where the behaviour is professionally motivated and well-intended. Nonetheless, a relationship is still created which can blur the registrant–learner/young person relationship as the professional role becomes less defined.

Recognise as well that sometimes, learners and young people can intentionally or unintentionally cross boundaries with you in the way they speak, or by initiating inappropriate contact, perhaps via social media. In such circumstances, it is important for you to remove yourself from any inappropriate contact or conversation at the earliest sign of a boundary breach and also report the event to the relevant safeguarding lead. You must do this not only to protect yourself, but also the learner or young person involved.

Even outside of the workplace, you may have to manage a private or professional relationship with a learner or young person, such as in extra-curricular activities or as a sports coach. Remember - you are always in a position of trust and authority with learners and young people, and your conduct should remain professional, no matter what the setting.

Raising your awareness

The way you relate to learners and young people should involve a careful balance of professional engagement and professional distance. The following are examples of breaches of professional boundaries. They are not mutually exclusive and breaches may span a number of them.

Emotional boundary

Ensuring appropriate and measured levels of emotion is used when interacting with learners and young people.