How we expect you to behave

This is our Code of Conduct.

It sets out how we expect you to behave and act, and the standards of professionalism we expect from you in your role as a Personal Assistant.

In addition to this Code, you must adhere to the general law and any other external regulations as required.

As a Personal Assistant (PA), you have been trusted by us to come into our family, into our home and into our lives.

We have chosen you as we saw something in you that we valued. We expect high standards from our PA’s – quite often, higher than the ‘care industry’ requirements. When we chose you, we believed that you would be able to perform against those standards.

This Code of Conduct will help you understand those standards and the actions that we will take if required. It should be read alongside our disciplinary and grievance procedures.

Our standards

Confidentiality

You must respect our confidentiality.

  • You must not talk about Thomas or any aspect of our family’s life with other people, such as friends or family, or other PA’s when you are not working.

We will respect your confidentiality.

  • We will not talk about you or any aspect of your life with other people, such as friends or family, or other PA’s.

Respect and dignity

You must respect our home, our property and our privacy.

  • We want you to treat Thomas, our family and home with respect.
  • We want to have an open and honest relationship and so want you to feel comfortable to talk to us about any concerns, accidental breakages and issues that arise whilst you are working.
  • You must make sure that our home and property are kept in good condition.
  • You must make sure that you do not purposely damage or break our property.
  • You must make sure that our privacy is maintained at all times.

We will respect you, your property and your privacy.

  • We will always treat you with respect.
  • We will protect your property when you are at work.
  • We will make sure that your privacy is maintained at all times.

Expected behaviour

You must behave with professionalism, calmness and friendliness.

  • We want you to develop a close bond with Thomas.
  • We want you to be friendly, positive and fun when you are engaging with Thomas.
  • We want you to follow our agreed consequences for Thomas when appropriate.
  • You must remain calm and collected when you are working with Thomas, especially during the times when they display behaviour that challenges.
  • You must not shout or use raised voices, unless there is imminent danger towards Thomas, you or others.
  • You must not use derogatory language directly towards, or about, Thomas.
  • You must not use unnecessary physical contact or force when Thomas are presenting with behaviours that challenge. We have specific guidance when you are supporting Thomas.
  • You must not use any form of punitive punishment.

We will behave in a professional and friendly manner with you.

  • We will seek to develop a close and friendly relationship with you built on our professional approach.
  • We will make sure that you have the information and support that you need to support Thomas appropriately.

Safety and safeguarding

You must make sure that you keep Thomas safe at all times.

  • You must not knowingly or deliberately put Thomas, our family or our home at risk.
  • You must not deliberately share or lose our personal information.

We will keep you safe whilst at work.

  • We will endeavour to maintain your safety at work.
  • We will make sure that we have the relevant employer liability insurance.
  • We have a duty to follow safeguarding regulations and policies if we have any relevant concerns regarding your practice.
  • We will promote safeguarding training courses that are available via the Kent Safeguarding Children Multi-agency Partnership and equivalent.
  • We will make sure that we keep your personal information secure.

Driving and car usage

  • You are not required to drive for this role.
  • However, being able to use a vehicle to facilitate Thomas’s community access would be beneficial.

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If you intend to transport Thomas in a vehicle:

You must make sure that you can safely transport Thomas.

  • You must have a clean driving license or, if you have any endorsements, these must be disclosed to us at point of employment or as soon as possible after the event
  • You must have business insurance and a copy of this must be shared with us every year
  • You must only use a vehicle which is safe and roadworthy and you must share your valid MOT certificate with us (when applicable) every year
  • You must make sure that you have a mobile phone with sufficient battery and our contact details when you make a journey with Thomas
  • You must only travel to the planned destination – with any deviations or changes to this must be agreed by us beforehand

We will …

  • We will pay you a mileage rate of 25p a mile – where feasible, we will pay this prior to the planned journey or, where this is not feasible, within 7 days of the journey.
  • We will calculate the mileage that you should drive using the driving directions on Google Maps.

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If you do not intend to transport Thomas in a vehicle:

If you drive to meet us at a location –

  • We will pay you a mileage rate of 20p a mile – where feasible, we will pay this prior to the planned journey or, where this is not feasible, within 7 days of the journey.
  • We will calculate the mileage that you should drive using the driving directions on Google Maps from our home (ME17 1FU) to the destination.

Alcohol, drugs and smoking

You must make sure that you are fit to work and maintain a healthy environment.

  • You must not smoke in our home or when Thomas are in your care, including when out in the community.
  • You must not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol when are are working.
  • You must not consume drugs or alcohol whilst at work.
  • You must not bring drugs or alcohol into our home.

We will provide a healthy environment to work in.

  • We will make sure that our home is smoke free.
  • We will make sure that there are no drugs or alcoholic drinks left laying around in our home.
  • We will arrange a time and safe place for you to have cigarette breaks if you are a smoker.

Mobile phones and social media

You must make sure that you use mobile phones appropriately and keep digital information secure.

  • We understand that there are times that you may need to leave your phone on or take an urgent call.
  • We want you to feel comfortable taking photos, videos or other media of Thomas to share their experiences and positive moments with us.
  • You must delete any photos, videos or other media at the end of your shift.
  • You must not share any photos, videos or other information about Thomas or our family with other people, on social media or the wider internet.

We want to capture Thomas’ experiences in photos, videos and other media.

  • We will store any photos, videos or other media securely.
  • We will not share your information on social media or other internet sites.

Meals and drink

You must make sure that you are eating and drinking as required.

  • We want you to feel comfortable in our home so please use our fridge, eat or drink our refreshments and use our kitchen as you need.
  • You must keep our kitchen environment clean and safe.

We will make sure that you can drink and eat as needed.

  • We will provide refreshments in our kitchen which you are free to use.
  • We will provide refreshments that meet your dietary requirements.

Other children and adults

You must not meet other children or adults whilst working.

  • We want Thomas to gain social experiences with other children so welcome times when they can interact with other children that we know.
  • You must not bring your children, family members or friends to work with you.
  • You must not meet with any other child or adult whilst supporting Thomas that we do not know and which we have not given prior approval for.
  • You must not leave Thomas with any other adult or child when they are in your care.

We will let you know when we are planning to meet with other children or adults.

  • We will make sure that you are introduced to others that we know.
  • We want you to feel comfortable in our home so you will meet other members of our family and our friends when you are working.

Action that will be taken

Please note that these standards are not exhaustive. If we think that you have behaved inappropriately, we will talk to you and expect you not to behave in that way again.

If you believe that we have behaved inappropriately, you can follow our grievance procedure.

If we believe that the action is serious, we will follow the disciplinary procedure. We have set out below that we consider to be gross misconduct.

Gross misconduct

This list of behaviours are those that we consider to be gross misconduct:

  • Deliberate and serious breaches in confidentiality
  • Deliberate and serious unacceptable behaviour
  • Deliberately or knowingly endangering Thomas, a member of our family or our home
  • Deliberate damage to our property
  • Theft or fraud
  • Threatening or abusive behaviour or harassment
  • Arriving at work in an unfit manner or consuming drugs or alcohol whilst working
  • Meeting with other people without our prior agreement

This list is not exhaustive.

Updated: 4 May 2024.