The practitioner's personal qualities are of the utmost
importance to clients. Many of the personal qualities considered important in
the provision of services have an ethical or moral component and are therefore
considered as virtues or good personal qualities.
It is inappropriate to prescribe that all practitioners
possess these qualities, since it is fundamental that these personal qualities
are deeply rooted in the person concerned and developed out of personal
commitment rather than the requirement of an external authority. Personal
qualities to which practitioners are strongly encouraged to aspire include:
Empathy with children, adolescents and their carers: the
ability to communicate understanding of another person's experience from that
person's perspective. Carer is used generically to include anyone who looks
after a child at any time and includes for example nurses, teachers and social
Sincerity: a personal commitment to consistency between what
is professed and what is done.
Integrity: commitment to being moral in dealings with
others, personal straightforwardness, honesty and coherence.
Resilience: the capacity to work with the client's concerns
without being personally diminished.
Respect: showing appropriate esteem to others and their
understanding of themselves - not to patronise.
Humility: the ability to assess accurately and acknowledge
one's own strengths and weaknesses and to show this to clients.
Competence: the effective deployment of the skills and
knowledge needed to do what is required given the resources available.
Fairness: the consistent application of appropriate criteria
to inform decisions and actions.
Wisdom: possession of sound judgement that informs practice.
Courage: the capacity to act in spite of known fears, risks
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