3.4 Explain the importance of understanding the limits of personal competence and when to seek advice

This guide will help you answer 3.4 Explain the importance of understanding the limits of personal competence and when to seek advice.

Working in the children and young people’s workforce requires skill, knowledge and appropriate judgement. Every worker has a personal competence level. This means the range of tasks, responsibilities and decisions you can carry out safely, correctly, and legally.

Competence is shaped by several factors such as training, qualifications, practice experience, supervision, and professional standards. Each person’s competence will be different depending on their role, knowledge, and confidence.

Having clear boundaries on personal competence protects children, young people, the worker and the organisation. If a worker acts outside their capability, mistakes and harm can occur. Recognising and respecting the limits of competence is central to safe practice.

Why Knowing Your Limits is Important

Workers are responsible for their actions. If you go beyond your training or experience, you may not have the skills to manage situations. This can lead to risks like:

Giving wrong advice to a young person or family
Carrying out a task incorrectly
Breaching laws such as safeguarding or health and safety regulations
Damaging trust between the worker, child, family and organisation

In care and education settings, small mistakes can have big consequences. These may include harm to a child’s wellbeing, legal action against the worker or employer, or loss of reputation for the service.

Knowing your limits is not a weakness. It is a sign of professionalism and self-awareness. It helps keep practice safe and standards high.

Examples of Staying Within Competence

Recognising boundaries can be simple in some cases and more complex in others. Examples include:

Healthcare tasks such as administering medicine must only be carried out by trained and authorised staff
Giving counselling advice requires specific qualifications and should not be attempted by untrained workers
Conducting specialist assessments such as speech and language evaluations should be done by trained professionals in that field
Managing a safeguarding disclosure may require you to report directly to your designated safeguarding lead rather than trying to deal with it alone

By following these boundaries, workers protect themselves and those they care for.

Legal and Organisational Factors

Law and organisational policy set clear limits. For example:

The Children Act 1989 places duties on certain professionals to protect and promote the welfare of children
Health and Safety at Work legislation requires competence when using equipment or carrying out certain tasks
Data protection laws control who can process and access sensitive information

Organisations usually have policies and procedures that outline the responsibilities of each role. By following these, workers stay inside competence boundaries and protect children and young people from harm.

Risks of Working Beyond Competence

Ignoring limits can lead to serious consequences. Some risks include:

Poor quality of care
Breaching safeguarding regulations
Creating unsafe environments
Loss of professional registration or employment
Emotional impact on the child or young person

Acting without the correct skills or training can damage relationships and reduce trust. For example, if a child tells you about a serious issue and you try to handle it without informing the safeguarding lead, the child may not get the help they need.

When to Seek Advice

Seeking advice means asking for guidance from a more experienced or qualified person when you face a situation that goes beyond your competence. This keeps practice safe and effective.

Reasons to seek advice include:

You have not done the task before and are unsure of the correct process
You are dealing with a child’s needs that fall outside your training
You have concerns about safety or safeguarding
You are unsure about legal requirements or how to apply policy
A child’s behaviour or emotional needs become more complex than you can manage

By seeking advice early, you prevent mistakes and make better decisions for the children and young people in your care.

Who to Ask for Advice

Sources of advice include:

Your line manager or supervisor
Designated safeguarding lead
More experienced colleagues
Specialist professionals such as social workers, therapists, nurses or educational psychologists
External agencies such as local authority children’s services or NHS professionals

Choose the person or agency based on the nature of your question or concern. Safeguarding issues must always go to the designated safeguarding lead. Medical questions should go to authorised health staff.

Situations Where Advice Is Needed

Examples include:

A child makes a disclosure about abuse and you are unsure of the correct procedure
You are asked to carry out a healthcare procedure beyond your training
You notice a child’s behaviour has changed in a worrying way and do not know the best approach
A parent asks questions about their child’s diagnosis that you cannot answer
You face a legal query about consent or data handling rules

In each case, taking action without advice could cause harm. Asking for guidance protects everyone.

How to Seek Advice Effectively

Seeking advice works best when you follow clear steps:

Act quickly if the issue is urgent
Explain the situation clearly without leaving out important details
Share any actions already taken
Listen carefully to the guidance provided
Record advice in line with organisational policy

Always follow up to check you have understood the information and can carry out the recommended action. This ensures you use the advice correctly.

Supervision and Support

Supervision is a planned meeting between you and a supervisor to discuss work, progress and challenges. It is an important way to get advice and understand competence boundaries.

Regular supervision can cover:

Reviewing tasks and responsibilities
Discussing professional development needs
Identifying areas where more training is required
Talking about difficult cases or situations

Support can also come informally through chats with colleagues or mentors. These conversations help you check decisions, share experiences and learn from others.

Professional Development

Improving competence over time is part of working in this sector. This can happen through:

Attending training courses
Gaining qualifications
Observing experienced staff
Reflecting on practice and feedback
Reading professional guidance documents

By increasing knowledge and skills, you can take on more responsibilities safely. But even with improvement, all workers must still recognise when a situation needs specialist input or extra support.

Personal Reflection

Reflection means thinking about your work, decisions and actions to see what went well and what could be better. By reflecting you can spot times when you acted within your competence and times when you needed advice.

Reflection helps you learn from experiences and plan for future situations. It can be done alone, with a supervisor or as part of a team discussion.

Questions to ask yourself include:

Was I confident and capable when I handled that task?
Did I follow policy and procedure?
Did I need more knowledge or skills to manage it well?
Should I have asked for advice sooner?

The Role of Confidence and Self-Awareness

Confidence is helpful but can be risky if not balanced with self-awareness. Overconfidence can lead to taking on tasks beyond your competence, while too little confidence can delay necessary action.

Self-awareness means knowing your strengths and limits, and using both in a balanced way. By combining appropriate confidence with a clear view of your boundaries, you make safer decisions.

Impact on Children and Young People

Children and young people rely on workers to act in ways that protect them and meet their needs. If you act beyond your competence, they may receive poor or unsafe care.

Seeking advice means they benefit from the right expertise at the right time. It builds trust and shows you are committed to their wellbeing.

An example is if a young person shows signs of mental health concerns. Without training, you may not recognise the signs correctly. By seeking advice from a mental health specialist, the young person gets the correct support more quickly.

Raising Concerns

Workers may sometimes notice other staff acting beyond their competence. In this case, it is important to raise concerns through the correct organisational process.

This may involve informing a manager or safeguarding lead. The aim is to protect children and young people, not to criticise colleagues. Reports should be factual and respectful.

Final Thoughts

Recognising the limits of personal competence is an important part of safe and professional practice in the children and young people’s workforce. It protects you, your colleagues, your organisation and most importantly, the children and young people you work with.

Seeking advice when needed shows responsibility, care and professionalism. It ensures that each child and young person receives the best possible support from the right person at the right time.

By staying within your competence, asking questions, and using available support, you maintain high standards and protect wellbeing. This approach benefits everyone in the care environment and builds a safe, trusted service.