Well done, you made the correct decision.
Here are some points that you need to consider. You should have included all of these in your reflective activity.
- You were right not to respond to the friend request as this could have led to you crossing professional boundaries. Although Jenny is no longer in your direct care and support, you and your organisation may still have statutory responsibilities towards her. By forming any personal relationship with Jenny, you could place yourself in a conflict of interest. For example, what would happen if she disclosed something to you as a friend and asked you to keep it confidential but you felt you should pass on to a worker?
- You have now chosen the right action to help Jenny get the appropriate help and support. However, if you had informed her care manager as soon as you received the friend request, you might have helped to prevent harm to Jenny. Remember that you may also be accountable for what you don’t do as well as for your actions.
- Also, because Jenny has sent you a friend request, this means that she is active on social media. Now that she is living more independently she may need guidance on how to stay safe online. Because you did not contact the care manager right away, she may be at more risk of online harm and abuse. By doing nothing, you could have breached the SSSC Code of Practice for Social Service Workers which states that you must take the necessary steps to minimise the risk of Jenny doing harm to herself or others.
When you received the initial friends request from Jenny, right thing to do was to not to respond to it and to contact her care manager right away. You can find more about why this was the right thing to do here.
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