Ethics and attitudes in compulsory care

Louise Andersson & Margareta Wihlborg

National board of institutional care

The board

Governmental authority

3000 employees

Mainly compulsory care

24 institutions: 600 places for young people with behavioral problems (criminality, drug abuse and other deviant behavior)

50 places for young people sentenced to closed juvenile care (criminal court)

11 institutions : 350 places for adults with serious substance abuse

Why work with ethics and attitude?

Treatment against the peoples will. They are depending on personnel

Their rights are prescribed by law and different conventions

Difficult to work with compulsory treatment. Special provisions and coercion in everyday life

Ethical conflicts and dilemmas are common

Why ethics and attitude?

Historically - an area of repression and punishment

A good attitude is the foundation for a safe and trusting relationship

Ethical reflection and support is necessary

Ethical guidelines

Ethical guidelines are used to govern and support the personnel in their work

Ethical guidelines since 1999, renewed in 2006

Guidelines are a product of their time

Critics: abstract and difficult to understand

Some problems with attitudes toward our young peoples and adults, colleagues and partners

Hand on heart

Yes, I agree – sit down No, I disagree – stand up (like in protest)

The Core value project Purpose: Assess and

agree on core values in attitudes – how we are towards the young peoples, adults and our colleagues

Bottom up – not orders from the head quarter

Structured organization and process

Short time-limit

Organisation and process

1. Every institution and office chose a people in leading position as ”responsible” for the ethical work.

2. Structured process with exercises led by the ”responsible”. Groups of personnel and groups of inmates discussed and agreed on their proposition for our new core values.

3. 2500 people (2000 personnel, 400 young people and 100 adults) where involved and gave their view of what is important – words and definitions

Our new core valuesWe put all the propositions in a file and looked at them from different angles – three words emerged:

Respect, consideration and clarity

-With young people and adults, and their relatives

-With colleagues

-With partners

The leaders are role models Top

management participating in one of the exercises.

Establishing the core values

”The responsibles” are establishing the core values at all workplaces during this year.

Information to and practical exercises for all staff to establish the values in practice, posters in every workplace and written material.

Integrated in different processes like staff meetings, staff introductions, staff appraisal, educations etc.

Integrated in treatment methods for example ART and MI, and in our leadership educations.

Next step

The ethical guidelines are renewed and integrated with our new core values. This will be our ethical foundation and is a responsibility for all of us.

During 2015 we will establish the ethical guidelines through exercises, discussion of ethical dilemmas, education, structured activities etc.