Ethical boundaries for people who work with youth

Representatives of the people who work with youth are reminding employers about the need for a strong code of ethics in their workplaces following the announcement that Waipareira Trust is considering Clint Rickards for a youth development position.

New Zealand Aotearoa Adolescent Health and Development (NZAAHD) executive officer Sarah Helm said that there is a significant power imbalance between people who work with youth and the young people they serve. Therefore a code of ethics and employment processes had to meet stringent measures, she said.

³A well enforced code of ethics would consider what is an appropriate and inappropriate relationship between a youth worker and a young person. A sexual relationship with a young person would never be okay in our work because of the professional relationship.²

There is a code of ethics that has been drafted for consultation with youth workers, and existing ones for social work and other professions.

³Ethical codes also consider issues like privacy and confidentiality, duty of care, self-reflection, and collaborative practice. They help to ensure the safety of the professional person and their clients²

Employers should also consider the criminal background of staff, which in some cases might make someone unemployable in our field, Ms Helm said.

³Mr Rickards has not been convicted of a crime. We must remember that he was found not guilty. However in his admission he had repeated sexual encounters with a young woman while he was in a professional position of power. He has yet to apologise for this, or admit that he made a mistake.²

An employer of any practitioner who is being asked to work with youth should consider this concerning, and at the very least put some processes in place to ensure this wouldn¹t happen again.

³An employer of Mr Rickards who was considering him for a role with young people should be quizzing him on his attitudes to engaging in intimate relationships with any young people he meets in his work.²

It is up to all services to ensure that all young people in their duty of care are as safe as possible, Ms Helm said. Employers also have a duty to ensure their staff are safe by putting procedures and mechanisms in place to prevent and minimise opportunities for abuse.

ENDS