If you’re a new live-in carer then this may be a question you need to have clarified. There are some things about your new placement that you can share with others, and there are things which you should not discuss with anyone else.

So, can you tell your family?

It is a grey area because there are two situations you can find yourself in.

Working for/through an agency

If you are working through an agency, either directly employed by them or self-employed where they find your placements then the answer to this question is ‘no.’ Under no circumstances should you tell your family where you are working.

Because your client is a vulnerable adult, they are always entitled to have their personal data protected. You should not tell anyone where you are working. It is acceptable to say that you are working in Bath but not okay to give the complete address to anyone else.

You should not tell your family because, even though you may trust them implicitly, you do not know who hears them talk about where you are and who you are looking after. If a burglary did occur and it was found that you inadvertently gave the address away, you may find yourself in a lot of trouble.

Your agency should have all your contact details and if a family member wants to write to you, they should do it via the agency, who will forward your letters.

It is perfectly ok for your friends and family to have your own email address, but they should never be a part of the information about where you are staying with your client.

If your agency does not have a mail forwarding system, then you must talk to the family and get their permission for sharing the address with anyone else. They may prefer to give you their own address so that mom’s information is not released.

Working as a private live-in carer

In this situation, where there is no forwarding agency, you need to let your own family know where you are staying. Family members may ask you to use their address so that their loved one’s information is kept private.

They may give you permission to share the address with your own family, and in this case, you must have this in writing to cover yourself. You should also make sure that your family knows not to share this information with anyone else.

To sum up

Giving out the information of a vulnerable adult is a risky thing to do. If anything happens to them because you shared the address, you may find yourself out of work and even prosecuted.

If you must give address details to anyone, be sure you have written permission to do so. Be careful who you give this information to and ask them to keep it confidential.

Be aware that there are people who will use that information in a bad way and the last thing you want is to be implicated in anything that will damage your career.

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