Ellia Worker Code of Conduct

This Code of Conduct sets out the standards of behaviour and professional conduct that Ellia expects from all workers. It applies from your first day of engagement and remains in force throughout and, where stated, after your engagement ends.

These standards exist to protect our clients, to maintain the trust that families and referral partners place in us, and to uphold the reputation of Ellia as a professional and caring organisation. We ask every worker to read this document carefully, ask any questions they may have.

1. Professional Conduct

1.1 General Standards

Treat every client with dignity, respect, and kindness at all times. Arrive punctually for all scheduled visits and notify your supervisor as soon as possible if you are unable to attend. Present yourself in a clean, tidy, and appropriate manner. Communicate clearly and courteously with clients, their families, and colleagues. Never attend a client visit under the influence of alcohol or any substance that may affect your judgement or performance. Use your mobile phone only where necessary during a client visit, and never in a way that detracts from the service you are providing.

1.2 Scope of the Role

Your role is to provide non-medical home help and companionship support. You must not provide personal care, intimate care, or any clinical or medical assistance, administer medication of any kind, or perform tasks you have not been trained to carry out. If a client requires any assistance that falls outside your role, contact your supervisor immediately.

2. Client Relationships and Professional Boundaries

2.1 Professional Boundaries

Do not accept gifts valued at more than £10 without prior written permission from Ellia. Never accept money directly from a client or their family. Do not share personal contact details, including your personal phone number, email address, or social media profiles, with clients or their families. Do not form personal relationships with clients or their families outside of your Ellia engagement.

2.2 Private Arrangements

Workers must not, under any circumstances, arrange private meetings with clients outside of scheduled Ellia visits, offer to provide or agree to provide any services to clients privately or outside of Ellia arrangements, or accept payment directly from a client or their family for any service. Any approach from a client or their family seeking to arrange private services must be declined and reported to your supervisor immediately.

2.3 Non-Solicitation of Clients

During your engagement with Ellia and for a period of twelve months after it ends, you must not approach, contact, or solicit any Ellia client for the purpose of providing services privately or through any other organisation, accept an approach from an Ellia client seeking to engage you privately without first notifying Ellia in writing and receiving written consent, or use your knowledge of or relationship with an Ellia client to secure work for yourself or any other person or business. This applies regardless of how the initial contact is made, including through mutual acquaintances, social media, or indirect approaches.

3. Confidentiality and Data Protection

3.1 Client Confidentiality

All information you learn about clients in the course of your work, including their personal circumstances, health, family situation, address, and contact details, is strictly confidential. Never discuss a client or their circumstances with anyone who does not need to know. Never post anything about a client or their home on social media, including photographs. This obligation continues in full after your engagement with Ellia ends. There is no time limit on your duty of confidentiality in respect of client information.

3.2 Use of Client Personal Information

Client personal data, including names, addresses, telephone numbers, and any other identifying information, belongs to Ellia and is held in trust for our clients. You must not retain any client personal information after your engagement ends, use client contact details or personal information for any purpose other than carrying out your assigned Ellia visits, or use client information to set up, build, or operate any competing business or private arrangement. Any breach of these requirements may constitute a violation of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, for which you could be held personally liable.

3.3 Ellia Business Information

Do not disclose information about Ellia's business operations, pricing, client base, policies, or internal processes to any third party, including prospective employers, competing businesses, or anyone seeking to replicate the Ellia model.

4. Safeguarding

The safety and welfare of our clients is paramount. You must comply with all Ellia safeguarding policies at all times. Report any concerns about a client's welfare, safety, or wellbeing to your supervisor immediately. If you witness or suspect abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a client, report it immediately through Ellia's safeguarding reporting procedure. Never take any action that could put a client at risk. Maintain a valid DBS check at all times throughout your engagement. Safeguarding concerns must always be raised, even if you are unsure. It is always better to report and be wrong than to stay silent.

5. Health, Safety and Wellbeing

Follow all health and safety policies and procedures relevant to your role. Familiarise yourself with the risk assessment for each client's home and follow all specified safety arrangements. Report any hazards, accidents, incidents, or near misses immediately using Ellia's incident reporting procedure. Never attempt tasks for which you have not been trained or that fall outside your role. Take reasonable care of your own health and safety and that of the clients you visit.

6. Social Media and Public Communications

Never identify Ellia clients on social media, whether by name or by implication. Do not post photographs taken in a client's home or of a client without explicit written consent from Ellia and the client. Do not make any public comment, online or otherwise, about Ellia's clients, business, or operations that could damage the reputation of Ellia or cause distress to clients or their families. If you are in any doubt about whether something is appropriate to share, do not share it.

7. Conflicts of Interest

You must disclose to Ellia promptly and in writing if you are setting up or intending to set up a business that provides similar services to Ellia, if you begin working for another organisation that provides home help, companionship, or care services, or if you have any personal or financial interest that could conflict with your duties to Ellia or to our clients. Disclosure does not automatically mean your engagement will end, but concealment of a material conflict of interest may be treated as gross misconduct.

8. Compliance and Consequences

Ellia expects all workers to comply with this Code of Conduct at all times. Breaches may result in immediate termination of your engagement without notice, recovery of losses suffered by Ellia as a result of the breach, referral to relevant authorities including the Information Commissioner's Office in the case of data protection breaches, and legal action where appropriate.

Breaches of the non-solicitation, confidentiality, and client personal data provisions are treated with particular seriousness. Ellia will not hesitate to pursue all available remedies where client data has been misused or where clients have been solicited in breach of this Code.

If you have any questions about this Code of Conduct or are unsure whether a particular situation is covered, please speak to us before taking any action.