Boundaries and safeguarding

Awareness of, and respect for, boundaries is essential for building the safe, secure, trusted and supportive relationships that visiting is all about. Some boundaries will be decided by you and/or the person you meet in detention, others will be set by your visitor group.

Drawing and maintaining boundaries will help the person you are visiting to understand your role and remit as visitor, and can protect you and the person in detention you visit from harm. Some boundaries might feel useful to you, and others may feel frustrating and restrictive.

Your visitor group might set out boundaries in a Volunteer Agreement document or Code of Conduct, along with other policies such as safeguarding and confidentiality policies. It is important to be aware of these, and know what is expected of you when you are acting on behalf of the group. There will also be areas in which you will need to decide on your own boundaries, based on your own preferences and wellbeing.

Navigating boundaries when you are involved in a relationship of care and solidarity with someone can be incredibly difficult. Boundaries might also shift depending on the circumstances of the person you are supporting, the nature of your relationship with them, the wider political situation, and your visitor group's resources and capacity at a particular time. Bringing challenging decisions to your group and reflecting on the different factors affecting decisions around boundaries can be really helpful for your wellbeing.

It can help to think before you start visiting about possible situations that might arise and how you might respond, as well as make sure you understand relevant group policies. This will help you to respond more thoughtfully in the moment, and prevent you from making a promise you cannot keep. These situations could include:

• Whether or not you will share any of your personal details, such as your phone number or email address

• Whether or not you can offer money or phone credit

• Whether or not you can collect people’s belongings (e.g from their home, a friend or a police station)

• How you will respond to someone who holds beliefs you strongly disagree with or if they say something disrespectful or offensive

• Whether or not you will act as a financial supporter for someone as part of their bail application

• Whether or not you will remain in touch with someone after they leave detention

It is likely your group will have guidelines on how to respond to in these situations. For example, many groups will recommend you don’t give out your personal phone number and leave responsibility to make follow-up phone calls to a group co-ordinator or specific volunteer. If you do agree to call someone, you might decide to get a simple phone specifically for your volunteering and agree the times when you will be available to call or message.

While boundaries can vary by group and individual relationship, here are some important do’s and don’ts, drawing on the experience of the AVID network:

Do:

• Keep everything shared with you confidential unless you are concerned someone is at immediate risk of harm, according to your groups policies. Make sure the person you are visiting is aware of this policy

• Support the person you are visiting to make their own decisions that are right for them, and only act on their behalf with explicit consent

• Follow your groups procedures and the rules of the centre you are visiting

• Clearly explain the limits your role as a visitor at the start of your relationship and again if you need to, including the fact you cannot give legal advice

• Make sure you can keep your word before you agree to doing something - if you are unsure about your group's policy, explain that you don’t know if you can help and you need to find out!

Don’t:

• Stray into giving someone legal advice, unless you are qualified to do so

• Share your personal address or give more personal information than is necessary

• Initiate physical contact - although if you feel comfortable you might respond to appropriate physical contact initiated by the person you are visiting (e.g a handshake or a hug)

• Get involved in an intimate relationship with the person you are visiting

• Accept harassment, aggression or other inappropriate behaviour. People will often need to express anger and frustration, but aggression or abuse directed at volunteers should not be tolerated.

• Give items or money to the other person other than what is agreed in your group’s guidelines