Our Code of Ethics

As most of our employees and partners are BACP registered and members, our code of ethics is aligned closely with the BACP code of ethics.

Our commitment to our clients: Our educational organisations, their staff and the young people they serve.

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1. Put clients first by:

• Making clients our primary concern while working with them
• Providing the most appropriate standard of service to our clients.

2. Work to professional standards by:

• working within our skill range
• continuing our professional developement and staying up to date
• collaborating with colleagues to improve the quality of our services
• ensuring that we are well enough to work safely
• keeping factually accurate and brief records

3. Show respect by:

• valuing each individual as a unique person
• protecting client confidentiality and respecting thei privacy
• having a shared understanding with individuals on how we work together
• working in partnership with clients

4. Build an appropriate relationship with clients by:

• communicating clearly what clients or individuals have the right to expect from us
• respecting the boundaries between our work with individuals and what lies outside that work; keeping professional boundaries at all times
• not exploiting or abusing clients
• listening out for how clients experience our working together

5. Maintain integrity by:

• being honest about our work
• communicating with our qualifications, experience and working methods accurately
• working ethically and with careful consideration of how we fulfil our legal obligations

6. Demonstrate accountability and candour by:

• being willing to discuss with clients openly and honestly any known risks involved in the work
• ensuring that clients are promptly informed about anything that has occurred which places the client at risk of harm or causes harm in our work together, whether or not the clients are aware of it, and quickly taking action to limit or repair any harm as far as possible
• reviewing our work with clients in supervision
• monitorng how clients experience our work together and the effects of our work with them

Ethics: The values, principles and personal moral qualities that underpin our commitment and practice.

Our fundamental values include a commitment to:

• respecting human rights and dignity
• alleviating symptoms of personal stress or suffering
• enhance people’s wellbeing and capabilities
• improving the quality of relationships between people
• increasing personal resilience and effectiveness
• facilitating a sense of self that is meaningful to the person(s) concerned within their personal and cultural context
• appreciating the variety of human experience and culture
• protecting the safety of clients
• ensuring the integrity of practiitioner-client relationships
• enhancing the quality of professional knowledge and its application

Connecting is routed in the guiding principles of:

• Everybody needs somebody (even if they think they don’t)
• Support is offered by those that have. ‘walked a day in their shoes!’
• ‘Right Time plus Right Support’ (is essential)
• ‘One size DOES NOT fit all’
• As human, individuals, ‘We need, what we need’
• We MUST treat the root cause not just manage the symptoms

Our guiding principles underpin our work, but alongside this we CONNECT with key influences/ers in young peoples’ lives and decision making to truly understand what barriers, challenges and pressures our young people face. We use this information to evaluate our services and ensure we are providing exactly what is needed. Our Steering Group meet quarterly to focus on evaluating and developing our provision.