The
practitioner's personal qualities are of the utmost importance to
clients. Many of the personal qualities considered important in the
provision of services have an ethical or moral component and are therefore
considered as virtues or good
personal qualities.
It is inappropriate to prescribe that all practitioners possess these
qualities, since it is fundamental that these personal qualities are deeply
rooted in the person concerned and developed out of personal commitment
rather than the requirement of an external authority. Personal qualities to
which practitioners are strongly encouraged to aspire include:
Each of these qualities is explained below.
|
Empathy with children, adolescents and their carers: |
The
ability to communicate understanding of another person's experience from
that person's perspective. ‘Carers’ is used generically to include
anyone who has a responsibility for looking after a , is responsible for
and/or cares for a child at anytime. It includes for example
nurses, teachers and social workers as well as parents. |
|
Sincerity: |
A
personal commitment to consistency between what is professed and what is
done. |
|
Integrity: |
Commitment to being moral in dealings with others, personal
straightforwardness, honesty and coherence. |
|
Resilience: |
The
capacity to work with the clients' concerns without being personally
diminished. |
|
Respect: |
Showing appropriate esteem to others and their understanding of
themselves - not to patronise - especially important in working with
children. |
|
Humility: |
The
ability to assess objectively and accurately a acknowledging one's own strengths and
weaknesses. |
|
Competence: |
The
effective deployment of the skills and knowledge needed to do what is
required given the resources available. (See also the
Profession Structure Model which includes a competency framework) |
|
Fairness: |
The
consistent application of appropriate criteria to inform decisions and
actions. |
|
Wisdom: |
Possession of sound judgement that informs practice and is based on
sound clinical governance
procedures (quality management). |
|
Courage: |
The
capacity to act in spite of known fears, risks and uncertainty. |
Back to Introduction to the Ethical Framework
