Disability support workers and Gossip,

 

 Hey guys so this is  the start of the new year and I am going to be focusing on the YouTube and podcast a lot more but this is a topic that is very close to my heart and it goes right to the heart of disability culture and it’s support worker culture, and I know I have to be very careful about what I say but can I say that some of you need to have a refresher in ethics in support. As some of you are doing one of two things that people that doesn’t help people with a disability.

Either treating them like a friend and gossiping with them, and forgetting that this is a massive breach of ethics and privacy for support workers, friends and family and depending on the client a massive risk to yourself.

Or going the extreme other way and treating  a clients right to privacy as an excuse to not check in with them, and to leave them isolated and without support and favouring other clients. So we need to find the middle ground of what support they needs. I am also needing to make it clear about that I am talking mainly about support workers in a housing situation so in disability housing or Sil house’s.

The gossip I am privy to isn’t cool guys, to say “ it stays between us is not something I tolerate” its something that we teach our children not to do and a lot of support is delayed parenting, but we can’t say that to parents but they were so busy catching us up on the basics that they kind of forget to do the “ finer things” about  life, the things that we need consent to talk about, but then you go and start freely gossiping about us and tell us it’s wrong, hang on can you be consistent about leading by example and what your role modelling about.

Also it’s a job  so no you aren’t our friend you can be friendly and have a friendship with us but the cold hard truth is it’s a job  and there is basic tasks that need to be meet and one is keeping things private.

But then some of you all are swinging to the other extreme and don’t know how to  find that balance between support and privacy and are using a clients right to privacy as an excuse, I know I have been their not recently but I have been their when a less than motivated support worker really got myself and my house mate breached because she didn’t know how to handle the housemates behaviours of concern and   it ended up in lets say a massive shit storm where I was by a provider made to feel like I was the problem and the excuse was well I thought she wanted privacy.

The key word hear is I thought, in disability communication is everything, I need to stress that I am in a better place now and can self advocate but it needs to be said that there is going to be some situations where privacy is  by necessity is breached,  so for example when a person needs help with personal care such as showering or eating, or even when a positive behaviour support plan is in place so restrictive practices can be used, and I strongly believe with well-trained workers they have a place, but if its not good for the person to have access to items checking for them might be needed.

Yes it’s on you to find the balance and it’s not easy but you all need to find  it and realise gossip and running other workers down isn’t ok or even going on power trips isn’t ok.