Guideline 1:

Knowing and Being Known

Addresses the fundamental human need for authentic relationships where individuals are recognised, valued, and understood as whole persons. Many providers and their staff already work hard to get to know individuals, learn their life stories, build trusting relationships, and ensure care reflects the whole person.

OVERVIEW

This section does not seek to dismiss or diminish that work. Rather, it draws on research and consultation to identify the structural and systemic barriers that can make it difficult to sustain this practice consistently across all staff, all shifts, and all individuals, including those who are hardest to reach. These barriers represent common challenges across the sector; some will be familiar, others may not apply in your setting at all.

Guideline 1 Knowing and Being Known establishes the essential groundwork for Guidelines 2–6. It is foundational to understanding each individual’s unique sources of meaning and enables personalised support for spiritual growth and purpose. It strengthens Connectedness and Belonging (Guideline 3) by helping individuals find significance through relationships and contribution. It becomes particularly crucial in Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care (Guideline 4), where questions of meaning intensify as mortality approaches. Support Workforce Wellbeing (Guideline 5) is essential for ensuring staff have the support they need to care for others. Diversity and Inclusion (Guideline 6) ensures that diverse cultural, spiritual, and personal frameworks for meaning are equally honoured.

This Guideline provides practical strategies for implementing person-centred care systems, consistent staff assignment, trauma-aware approaches, safeguarding practices, and culturally responsive relationship-building that honours each individual’s dignity whilst simultaneously improving organisational outcomes and workforce wellbeing.

Who will benefit?

Individuals will:

Know the staff and feel known by staff;
feel seen, heard, valued, and respected as unique human beings with identity, meaning, and capacity for growth;
experience support for their relationship with the transcendent, enabling spiritual growth, meaning-making, and connection to what is ultimately sacred to them;
experience genuine relationships built on mutuality, where they know the staff as real people, not interchangeable workers.

Staff

build meaningful relationships and access person-centred information that enables personalised, effective care and greater job satisfaction.

Supporters

gain confidence that their loved one is genuinely known, understood, and respected in everyday care.

Organisations

improve quality outcomes, increased satisfaction levels, staff retention, and reduce incidents, complaints and behaviours.

What strategies will be used?

Strategy A

Workforce Development and Culture Change

Strategy B

Implement Organisation-Wide Person-Centred Care Framework

Strategy C

Consistent Staff Assignment

Strategy D

Spiritual screening, assessment and practice

Strategy E

Individual Summary Profiles and Information Systems

Strategy F

Life Story Work

If you want to know more about it please

View Guideline 1 Here

The related appendix

Guideline 1 – Knowing and Being Known Strategies	Relevant Standards	Outcomes & Key Actions Referenced	Demonstrated Alignment
Strategy A – Workforce Development & Culture Change	Standard 2; Standard 1	S2: 2.2a; 2.2b; 2.8; 2.9 S1: 1.1.2(e–g); 1.2.1	Establishes organisational culture of quality, safety and inclusion; clarifies spiritual care roles; embeds accountability, training and cultural humility.
Strategy B – Organisation-wide Person-Centred Care Framework	Standard 1; Standard 2; Standard 3	S1: 1.1 S2: 2.1; 2.2b; 2.3 S3: 3.1; 3.2.1	Embeds validated person-centred frameworks into governance systems; strengthens cultural safety and structured assessment processes.
Strategy C – Consistent Staff Assignment	Standard 1; Standard 2; Standard 3	S1: 1.1.4 S2: 2.8 S3: 3.2.8; 3.4	Promotes continuity, trust and coordinated care; strengthens workforce planning and early identification of changes.
Strategy D – Spiritual Screening, Assessment & Practice	Standard 1; Standard 3; Standard 5	S1: 1.1.2 S3: 3.1; 3.2.1; 3.3 S5: 5.4; 5.6; 5.7	Formalises spiritual screening using validated tools; links care planning to meaning and transcendent connection; supports referral pathways.
Strategy E – Individual Summary Profiles & Information Systems	Standard 1; Standard 2; Standard 3	S1: 1.1.2; 1.2.4 S2: 2.7; 2.3 S3: 3.1.4; 3.3.1	Ensures rich person-centred information is documented and accessible with informed consent; strengthens continuity and privacy.
Strategy F – Life Story Work	Standard 1; Standard 3; Standard 5; Standard 7	S1: 1.1–1.3 S3: 3.1; 3.2; 3.4 S5: 5.4; 5.7 S7: 7.1	Deepens understanding of identity, culture and meaning; informs care planning and activities; strengthens belonging and response to distress.

Guideline 1 – Knowing and Being Known Strategies	NGSCAC Domain	NGSCAC Statement No.	Alignment Explanation
Strategy A – Workforce Development & Culture Change	Domain I – Organisational Leadership and Alignment	1.1; 1.3; 1.6; 1.9	Embeds leadership responsibility, governance accountability and workforce capability for spiritual care across organisational systems.
Strategy B – Organisation-wide Person-Centred Framework	Domain I & III	1.2; 1.4; 3.3; 3.8	Integrates spiritual care into governance frameworks and structured assessment pathways.
Strategy C – Consistent Staff Assignment	Domain II	2.3; 2.6; 2.8	Strengthens continuity, relational depth and connection, reducing fragmentation in spiritual support.
Strategy D – Spiritual Screening and Assessment	Domain III	3.1–3.7	Formalises spiritual screening, assessment, referral and review consistent with Domain III requirements.
Strategy E – Individual Profiles & Information Systems	Domain I & III	1.5; 3.2; 3.5	Ensures documentation systems capture and communicate spiritual preferences across teams.
Strategy F – Life Story Work	Domain II & V – Enabling Spiritual Expression	2.5; 2.9; 5.1; 5.4	Facilitates narrative identity, meaning-making and expression of spirituality through storytelling and culturally meaningful practices.

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