Scope of Practice & Professional Boundar

Scope of Practice & Professional Boundaries Policy

Léa Morris Postnatal Doula

About This Policy

This policy explains what you can expect from me as your postnatal doula, the boundaries of my role, and how I work alongside parents, families and other professionals.

My role is to provide compassionate, non-judgemental support during the postnatal period. I believe parents deserve to feel heard, respected and supported as they find their own way through this transition.

I am not here to tell you what to do. I am here to listen, support, share information, and create space for you to make informed decisions that feel right for you and your family.

This policy works alongside my Client Terms & Conditions and Postnatal Doula Service Agreement.

1. My Role as a Postnatal Doula

My role is centred around emotional, practical and informational support.

Depending on your individual needs and the service we have agreed, I may:

Provide a listening ear without judgement.
Offer emotional support and reassurance.
Help you feel less alone during the postnatal period.
Provide practical support around the home.
Support you as you adjust to life with your baby.
Provide non-clinical support with everyday infant care.
Offer information and resources relating to postnatal life, recovery, infant care and feeding.
Support you to explore your own thoughts, preferences and options.
Encourage you to trust your own knowledge of yourself and your baby.
Help you identify questions you may wish to discuss with a healthcare professional.
Signpost you to appropriate professionals, organisations and community services.
Support partners and other loved ones as they adjust to life with a new baby.

The exact support I provide will depend on your circumstances, my training and experience, and what we have agreed together.

2. Supporting Your Choices

I believe that parents are experts in their own families.

My role is not to make decisions for you or tell you what you should do.

Where appropriate, I may share reliable, evidence-informed information or resources and help you explore different options. I will encourage you to consider what feels right for you, your baby and your circumstances.

You remain responsible for your own decisions and those relating to your baby.

I will respect your choices, even where they differ from what another family might choose.

I will not intentionally pressure you towards a particular parenting approach, feeding method or decision.

3. Non-Judgemental Support

Families are not all the same, and there is no single way to experience the postnatal period.

I aim to provide support without judgement and without making assumptions about your choices, circumstances, family structure or parenting style.

My role is to meet you where you are and support you as an individual.

If I do not know the answer to something, I will be honest about that rather than presenting myself as an expert outside my area of knowledge.

4. Information and Evidence-Informed Resources

I aim to share reliable, evidence-informed sources and keep my knowledge within the boundaries of my training and experience.

Information provided by me should not be understood as a diagnosis, medical recommendation or substitute for professional healthcare advice.

Where a question requires clinical expertise, I will encourage you to speak to the appropriate healthcare professional.

5. Infant Feeding Support

I can support families with infant feeding, this may include breastfeeding, combination feeding, expressed milk, formula feeding or other feeding arrangements.

I may provide practical and emotional support around feeding within my training and scope of practice.

My role is not to judge or pressure you about how you feed your baby.

I will not diagnose feeding problems or medical conditions, prescribe treatment or provide clinical feeding care.

Where specialist support is needed, I may signpost you to an appropriate professional, such as:

Your midwife
Health visitor
GP
Your local infant feeding team
IBCLC
Paediatrician
Other appropriately qualified healthcare professional

My support around feeding does not replace specialist clinical or lactation care.

6. What Is Outside My Scope of Practice

I am a postnatal doula, not a healthcare professional.

I do not:

Diagnose medical or mental health conditions
Provide medical advice
Provide clinical treatment
Perform clinical or midwifery procedures
Prescribe medication
Recommend prescription medication
Interpret medical tests or results
Make clinical assessments
Make medical decisions for you or your baby
Replace your GP, midwife, health visitor, paediatrician or other healthcare professional
Provide specialist therapy or counselling unless separately qualified and working within that professional role
Provide emergency medical care
Provide services for which I am not appropriately trained, qualified or insured

If something falls outside my scope of practice, I will be honest with you and, where possible, help you identify an appropriate source of support.

7. Working Alongside Healthcare Professionals

My role is complementary to the care provided by your healthcare team.

I will never intentionally discourage you from seeking appropriate medical or professional care.

If you have a health concern about yourself or your baby, please seek advice from the appropriate healthcare professional.

8. Mental and Emotional Wellbeing

The postnatal period can bring a wide range of emotions and experiences.

I can provide a safe, supportive and non-judgemental space to talk about how you are feeling.

However, I am not a mental health professional and cannot diagnose or treat mental health conditions.

If I am concerned about your wellbeing, I may encourage you to speak with an appropriate healthcare or mental health professional.

If you are experiencing an emergency or believe that you or someone else is in immediate danger, appropriate emergency support should be contacted.

9. Infant and Childcare Boundaries

I can provide non-clinical support with everyday infant care within my training and role.

My purpose is to support you in caring for your baby and developing confidence, rather than replacing you as your baby’s primary caregiver.

I am not a registered childminder or childcare provider.

I will not undertake medical procedures or specialist care for which I am not appropriately trained and qualified.

Any arrangement involving me caring for your baby or another child without you being present must be discussed and agreed beforehand and must remain within my role, training and insurance.

10. Practical Household Support

Practical support is intended to make your postnatal experience a little easier.

This may include light household tasks such as:

Preparing simple meals or snacks
Washing dishes
Loading or unloading a dishwasher
Light laundry
Tidying areas used during the visit
Other reasonable tasks that support the family’s wellbeing

I do not provide deep cleaning, heavy lifting, hazardous cleaning or specialist household services.

11. Professional Boundaries

Maintaining healthy professional boundaries helps create a safe and respectful relationship for both you and me.

This means:

Our relationship remains a professional one
I will respect your privacy and personal space
I will be honest about what I can and cannot provide
I will not intentionally create dependency on my support
I will respect your decisions and autonomy
I will maintain appropriate confidentiality
I will not accept requests that fall outside my professional role
I will communicate within the agreed boundaries and availability
I expect respectful communication in return

Professional boundaries do not mean that support has to feel cold or impersonal. Compassion, warmth and genuine care are important parts of my work.

12. Confidentiality

I will treat information shared with me as confidential and will respect your privacy.

There are, however, circumstances where confidentiality cannot be absolute.

Information may need to be shared where:

There is a serious safeguarding concern
Someone is at significant risk of harm
I am legally required to disclose information
Sharing information is necessary to protect someone’s safety

Further information about how I handle your personal information can be found in my Privacy Policy.

13. Safeguarding

The safety and wellbeing of babies, children and adults are important considerations within my work.

If I become concerned that someone may be experiencing or at risk of significant harm, I may need to take appropriate safeguarding action.

Where appropriate and safe to do so, I will discuss concerns with you.

However, I cannot promise confidentiality where doing so could place someone at risk or prevent appropriate safeguarding action.

14. When I May Refer or Signpost

Signposting is an important part of my role.

I may suggest another professional or service when:

Your needs fall outside my scope of practice
You require clinical assessment or treatment
You would benefit from specialist feeding support
You need mental health support
You have a medical concern
You require specialist information or advice
Another service may be better placed to support you

Being signposted to another professional does not mean that I am withdrawing my support. Where appropriate, I can continue to provide doula support alongside other professionals.

15. Emergencies

I am not an emergency service.

If you or your baby require urgent medical attention, please contact the appropriate emergency or healthcare service.

If an emergency occurs during a visit, I will take reasonable steps to help keep you and your baby safe while appropriate assistance is obtained.

I will not attempt to provide treatment outside my scope of practice.

16. My Responsibility to Work Within My Scope

I have a responsibility to recognise the limits of my own knowledge, training and experience.

If I am unsure whether something falls within my role, I will seek appropriate guidance or signpost you to a suitably qualified professional rather than providing advice outside my competence.

I will continue to develop my knowledge and skills through appropriate learning and professional development.

17. Respect, Inclusion and Individuality

I aim to provide a welcoming and respectful service to families from different backgrounds, circumstances and family structures.

I will treat clients with dignity and respect and will not intentionally discriminate against or judge someone because of their personal circumstances, choices, family structure or identity.

I ask that the same respect is extended to me.

18. If You Are Unsure Whether Something Is Within My Role

You never need to worry about asking.

If you are unsure whether something is something I can help with, please ask me.

If I can support you, I will.

If it falls outside my role, I will explain why and, where possible, help you find someone who can.

Contact

If you have questions about this Scope of practice & professional boundaries policy, please contact:

Léa Morris Postnatal Doula

Name: Léa Morris

Email: leamorrisdoula@gmail.com

Telephone: +447888 472653

Policy effective from: 22.08.23

Policy review date: 22.08.24