Perspectives on the Standards

This Standard reduces the barriers between the staff and members through mutual understanding. Colleagues can keep confidences for each other, but no secret, closed files are kept on anyone. Staff members do not have information that could lead them to have pre-conceived notions about any member in the clubhouse. The clubhouse staff does not hold treatment planning sessions to decide for members what goals we should have. We appreciate this Standard because it requires that staff have enough confidence in members to share everything that is written about us. And when a person has to be accountable for their beliefs, they are usually less prejudiced and more responsible about them. In our clubhouses, we are all held accountable for what we say about each other.

If the clubhouse has to keep records on members, then the member and the staff person must complete the record together, or the member must at least review the record the staff person has completed. We can choose whether or not to sign any documents. The only records many clubhouses keep are ones that are helpful to members, not records having to do with therapy. However, clubhouses that are required to keep records so that they may qualify for essential funding must figure out how to keep records in a way, which does not violate the dignity of the members.