In the last blog post we mentioned that members of Guiding Hands take the matter of confidentiality very seriously. Confidentiality is vital to a group like Guiding Hands. What does confidentiality look like to us? How is Guiding Hands expected to maintain confidentiality? The following questions and answers will explain how we will deal with confidentiality and what it means to those that reach out and ask for our help or support.
What is confidentiality?
Confidentiality is preserving the restrictions on access and disclosure of information as a means of protecting personal privacy and sensitive information. This means that when a person reaches out to Guiding Hands and talks to a support member, that support member is the only person who will ever know what that person shared. The Guiding Hands support member will never share any information about the contact person. This includes name, what congregation they are from, any leading information or what they called about.
Will what a person shares with Guiding Hands be discussed at meetings?
At our monthly meetings, we will never discuss any calls/emails that a support member receives. Our meetings are a way to discuss how we can better reach out and help our community as well as to help educate us about issues that people in the community might face. The only thing that will be shared at meetings is if a support member has been contacted, so we know we are being useful to the community. It will be an extremely brief statement such as, “I was contacted by someone in the community in the last month.” The rest of the conversation that a person has with a support member is between them and no one else.
What if the support member doesn’t know how to help a person that contacts them?
If a person contacts a Guiding Hands support member and they share an issue that the support member isn’t very knowledgeable about or that they struggle with themselves and are uncomfortable talking about, there are a couple different things that can happen.
First, the support member can share that they are uncomfortable with this topic and would like to recommend you contact another person in the group who might be more helpful. A name will be recommended to the contact person and if they are ok with contacting the other support member, then the initial support member that was contacted will still maintain confidentiality with all that was shared with them but will no longer be the support person for the contact.
Second, if the name that was recommended to the contact person is someone who the contact person isn’t comfortable getting in touch with, the support member may ask if it is possible that they can contact the other support member and ask for advice on how to move forward to benefit the person who reached out for help. With the approval of the contact person, the support member will reach out to another support member and ask for advice. When they do this, they will never share names or any other information that can lead back to the other support member being able to figure out who the contact person is. An example of how this would be stated would be, “I had a person who contacted me that is struggling with anxiety. Can you share any tips or resources that would be most beneficial to helping them.” As stated before, this will only ever be done with the approval of the person that contacted us.
What if the person that contacts you is a minor? Will you be sharing what is said with their parents?
If a person that contacts us is a minor, confidentiality will still be maintained. However, we will strongly encourage the people that contact us to reach out and share their struggles with their parents or guardians as well. We also understand that not every child has a close relationship with their parents and could be reaching out and asking for help from Guiding Hands as a result of this. It is not the intention of Guiding Hands to keep information from parents and break the bond of trust between parent and child; our purpose is to be a support to our community in any way we possibly can. Just as when adults contact us, nothing that is shared between a contact person, even a minor, and a support member will ever be shared with anyone, including parents of a minor child. As previously mentioned, we will strongly encourage the minor to share their struggles with their parents, especially if more help is needed, such as therapy or other interventions, but it is not our responsibility to share that information: this is the minor’s responsibility. We will be a support to them as they navigate what is best and at the same time encourage them to reach out and ask for help from their family as well.
Are there any instances where confidentiality will be broken?
There are instances where confidentiality can and will be broken. These include threats of harm to self and others, suicidal thoughts and tendencies, as well as cases of child abuse (sexual, physical, and neglect). Confidentiality will still be maintained within the group in these instances, and nothing will be shared within Guiding Hands or the community; however, proper authorities will be contacted as instances like these require professional intervention. If a person shares information like this with a support member, we will still be a means of support for them, but they just need more help than we can give. A support member will clearly tell the person that shares information like this that they will be contacting the authorities so they can get the help they need but that they will also still be a phone call, text message or email away if need be. Sharing instances like these can be a very difficult step for a person and asking for help can be very daunting and very brave, so getting the professional help that a person needs is very important to us.
This is how we have discussed confidentiality within Guiding Hands and how we will maintain your confidentiality and privacy. If you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to guidinghandsab@gmail.com or any other of our support members through the Contact Us page on our website.
