Sex with client earns reprimand

A community support worker who entered a sexual relationship with a vulnerable client he was cooking and cleaning for overstepped his professional boundaries, the Health and Disability Commissioner has found.

The worker said that during the 18 months he worked for the woman in her 60s they became friends which developed into a sexual relationship.

While the worker was aware the woman suffered from depression, anxiety and occasional paranoid ideation, he said the friendship developed into something stronger in 2018. They both consented to it.

He continued to help the woman with cooking meals twice a week, buying groceries and taking her to various appointments. The woman was also anorexic and needed help to eat and maintain a healthy weight.

He told the HDC he had not considered transferring her care to another support worker and was only stood down from the role when a social worker lodged a complaint to the HDC about the worker and the support service he was employed by.

The service began an inquiry in 2019, during which the man resigned.

The couple continued their relationship until the man said her family pressured her to leave him, saying he was only after her money.

He told the HDC he was aware he had failed to observe proper professional boundaries.

Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Rose Wall said by having a sexual relationship with the woman concurrently with a professional relationship, the man had breached the ethical standards and the standards required by his employer.

The service was not found in breach of the code because it had a code of conduct in place and gave training on professional boundaries.

The HDC recommended it use this case for wider education of its support workers. The worker was advised to do training in professional boundaries if he returned to practice.