Gift Giving and Receiving

Young people should be tactfully discouraged from buying presents for staff. Any gifts offered should be politely refused. If this is not possible, acceptance needs to be reported to the Registered Manager, who will make the decision, as to whether the gift should be returned, if the gift is intended for the Registered Manager, then the Quality Assurance manager should be informed.

If staff members purchase a gift for a young person it must be done in consultation with the Registered Manager who will agree to its appropriateness.

Christmas can be a particularly difficult time. It is not unusual for young people and keyworkers to exchange gifts at this time. It is accepted that on special occasions such as on birthdays or religious festivals, staff may wish to buy a child a gift separate from those given by the home. Additionally, there are situations where young people and parents wish to express their thanks for the support provided by Residential Child Care Workers by offering gifts when a young person moves on. The general rule must always be to seek to discourage such gifts and they should be politely refused. If this is not possible, acceptance should be reported to the Registered Manager who will make a decision as to whether the gift should be returned with the appropriate explanation.

It is most important in such situations to protect staff members from any suggestion of improper motives or conduct. This is obviously an area however, which needs to be handled with tact and sensitivity to avoid giving needless offence to the individual. The general principle must be that gifts or money of any denomination should be politely refused with a proper explanation given as to the reason why.

A modest gift of a promotional nature given to a wide range of people and not uniquely to one employee. These gifts are often given at Christmas time and include calendars, diaries, desk sets, pens, flow charts, tape measures and other articles of relatively low value for use in the office. These items will usually feature the company logo, donors name or trade mark. Such gifts need not be recorded.