Maintaining professional boundaries

Professional boundaries help ensure the safety of both the worker and service user and reduce anxiety as the roles and boundaries of the relationship are clear, allowing for a therapeutic environment rooted in mutual respect. They increase the wellbeing and efficiency of the worker as they stop professionals taking on some kind of "rescuer" role, helping prevent burnout. Professional boundaries also provide physical and emotional safety by avoiding unhealthy service user dependency.

Maintaining professional boundaries is not only important for individual professionals and service users, it also protects whole organisations and the integrity of the services they provide. Sheffield Futures is a young people's charity with extensive experience of maintaining professional boundaries and delivering training on this subject. Here are some of the key areas leaders and managers in children's services need to consider.