Gender Specific Care:

In 1:1 meetings, wherever possible care will be provided by a Listener of the same sex. Where this isn’t possible, a second person should be present (ideally of the same sex as the Client).

Confidentiality:

All conversations are kept private and respect the confidentiality between Client and Listener. In some instances there may be a need to refer a Client to professionals or agencies such as healthcare providers or social care and wherever possible the Client will give permission for information to be divulged.
The exceptions to this rule are:
Risk of harm to oneself or someone else
Breach of criminal law

Safety is Key:

Meeting in a public place is advised and it is important to ensure someone knows where you are. This protects both Client and Listener parties in terms of personal safety and also offers greater mitigation against allegations of inappropriate behaviour / conduct. Public places provide neutral non-threatening territory and space should either party need/want to pause conversation. If on the phone or zoom meetings happen instead of in-person we ask for this to be in a private place to ensure safety and confidentiality.

Spiritual Care:

Ivy Care is primarily about bringing people back to God, helping to restore relationships and provide spiritual support. We are not aiming to fix people, just to listen and pray the Holy Spirit is at work and Ivy Care intends to facilitate and host a conversation in order to enable change. Ivy Care is all about supporting people, walking with them and loving them throughout.

Action plan:

Communication is key and both sides must be aware of and agree to the extent of what is being offered and how this will take place.
This prevents an unhealthy dependency on individual Listeners and focuses efforts to see progress in a finite amount of time. All aim to be three sessions and may be extended to another three if agreed by both.

Debrief with Pastoral Care Leader/Mentor:

Ivy Church has a duty of care to look after Ivy Care Listeners and therefore regular debriefing will take place. The debrief is solely focussed on the welfare of the Listener and is not to discuss the confidential content of any meetings with Clients.
It is expected that Listeners engage in a debrief at least every six months if they have had regular Clients, but at any point Listeners can request support and prayer with a pastoral mentor.

Sign Agreement:

We ask that both Listeners and Clients sign in order to confirm they understand and agree to this Code of Conduct.