Is it moral & acceptable for social/care workers to meet with their clients in public places?

[Misty P]

This afternoon I was in a small cafe when a middle-aged woman & a teenage girl came in & sat down at a nearby table. The elder of the two was clearly some sort of social or care worker & the young girl was her client.
Although we didn't deliberately listen-in, my friends & I could clearly hear some of the conversation about this girls troubled life etc. We found it a little disturbing that this kind of meeting should be carried out in such a public place.
We ended up rushing our afternoon tea in order to get out as we all felt rather uncomfortable. We did cautiously mention it to the staff & it seemed they were not over-thrilled by the meeting taking place their either.
Do any other ABers have any similar experiences or opinions about this??
My friends & I wondered if this is standard protocol & if so, is that morally correct?
Would love to hear other Abers thoughts.

[radiogaga]

absolutely not the procedure to be followed for obvious reasons.
this reads like the woman wasbreaking service user/ client confidentiality, by discussing the girls personal life/ problems.
all care workers must commit to basing their work values to follow the codes of practice set down by the regulatory authority, these include, showing dignity and respecting privacy etc.
i would say this was a very insensitive thing for the care worker to do, as the young girl needs support she may have had the decency afforded to her.

[China Doll]

It doesn't sound too horrid to me. The girl herself may have chosen to speak in a neutral place. Or perhaps was just being taken out for the day and she felt comfortable enough to talk. Perhaps not very tasteful but it doesn't sound so terrible to me.

[Octavius]

There are many reasons why she may have been taken to a �safe� place to discuss her issues. For all you know she may be under protection.

As CD has said, it is not so horrid. I have heard worse schoolgirl conversations in cafes, you either stop listening or walk out. Its up to the caf� manager to evict them if they feel the need.

[Hermia]

I work in a public library and they are constantly arranging meetings in the library. It drives me mad as they hold them in the silent study area rather than the non-silent areas. So, this disturbs people studying and they also hold them on the group study/newspaper reading tables and get funny if anyone else wants to sit down. They also arrange the contact visits between kids in care and their birth parents so we end up with hysterical people weeping and wailing in the library. I wouldn't mind so much if they first asked us first and secondly let us come to some agreement over where they hold them in the library. I have just found the care/social workers to be quite rude when approached which I find odd for someone in a caring profession!

[Ethel]

This sort of meeting place 'normalises' the situation, making the client far more comfortable than a formal office or workplace situation.

Hopefully the relaxed surroundings helps the client open up and talk more freely rather than a stilted interview type situation

I'm all for it.

[CAJ1]

I was fostered and my social worker took me to cafes and restaurants for lunch and to talk things over. It was nice to have someone take you out and show a bit of interest (even if it was a social worker). And why should fostered children have to be hidden away and have to sit in an office and talk to someone like they're some kind of weirdos or troublemakers not accepted in society.

[shaneystar2]

I have a relative who has a social worker . He is a lad with a major problem .He has a severe eating disorder ..His social worker often takes him out for a coffee to discuss his problem and what they are doing to help him away from his parents and other things that may distract him . He feels calmer when it is just one to one with his social worker. The social worker actually told his mother that this is normal practice .In a public place he is far more comfortable and knows he has to behave rather than in an office or surrounded by people who in spite of wanting the best for him only add to his problem just by being there.

[Misty P]

Steve. 5 :
We were minding our own 'bloody business'
There was no tittle tattle involved
we were merely concerned that this young girls issues were being broadcast openly. If she was happy with that then fine.
Please dont bother to answer if you have nothing constructive to say.

p.s. you mis-spelt 'friends'

Thanks to everyone else for your comments, it was good to get some more open views from other angles.

[Ethel]

There is another consideration. Some people with 'behavioural difficulties' behave better in public than in a private room.

This girl may be prone to temper outbursts and even violence but is known to behave in cafes and other public places. It may the safest option for that girl and her 'carer'.

[CAJ1]

I would just like to point out that its not always the child with the problem, sometimes its the parents!

[cruella]

Misty P,
This is quite normal for a CPN, or Social Worker/Care Manager to meet with their clients for a coffee. As most abers have pointed out, it can be a more relaxed atmosphere meeting on neutral ground. It can also help towards building that person's confidence, being out and about.
It is common practice now and I think it can only be for the good, instead of having to turn up at an office, more informal.

[bednobs]

so when you said "i would love to hear other abers thoughts" you didn't really mean it!

i am all for meeting in normal places. When i worked as a macmillan nurse, if relatives needed support away from the home/situation they were in i had no-where to take them, except an office with 6 others in and the phone going all the time - cafes were ideal for this. It is inevitable that some people might overhear, but i would expect people to be having their own conversations really, not listening out for mine. Also, ask yourself what you really know about the situation being played out in front of you - the girls full name? Her address? Date of birth? Unless these were all stated and noted by you, what danger is there. You will in all probablility never meet her again

[josie48]

My Asperger son often meets his advocate in a cafe he's more at ease. Nothing wrong with social workers and their cases doing the same.

[misterL]

Have seen this around and about in cafes and even even in the snug of a local pub. You can't help but overhere whats been talked about and it can be embarassing. We were out in a local macdonalds a few weeks ago and there were are mum/dad sitting with 2 kids. It all looked normal til the woman sitting at the next table took the kids away with her and the man had a cuff round his sankle.

[RevFunk]

Who cares?

Or they could have done it in private. I've heard all sorts of conversations when I've been out.

[wakeover]

May I respectfully suggest that the young person may have been on mobility from a secure unit or similar and being institutionalised, (perhaps) would only be able to engage in conversation relative to her case.
I would have taken no notice.