Board of Directors 
Employees - Policy 2.0 
A. RESPECTFUL TREATMENT
All persons receiving support from Kokua shall be treated with kindness, respect, care and consideration at all times. Abuse, neglect, and disrespectful treatment are not permitted under any circumstances.
B. ABUSE is defined as the willful action or inaction that inflicts injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation or punishment on a client. When a client is unable to express or demonstrate physical harm, pain or mental anguish, the abuse is presumed to cause same. Abuse includes sexual abuse, mental abuse, physical abuse and exploitation.
C. PHYSICAL ABUSE is defined as inflicting pain or discomfort on a client or inducing the client to inflict pain or discomfort upon him or herself or on another client. This includes, but is not limited to, slapping, biting, blows, pinching, hair pulling, ear pulling, dragging or any other action that may cause physical pain or harm to the client. It also includes the use of chemical or physical restraints, unless the restraints are consistent with licensing requirements and/or Division Policy.
D. VERBAL OR EMOTIONAL ABUSE is defined as behavior either overt or subtle, which causes mental injury or emotional distress to the client. Verbal abuse includes, but is not limited to, verbal teasing, humiliation, belittling or ridiculing a person, the person’s family or background or culture, disparaging the person’s appearance or disability; making the person a “scapegoat”; frequent or consistent use of profanity or obscenities in the presence of the client; shouting, yelling or screaming at clients; use of derogatory names, and so forth.
E. SEXUAL ABUSE means any form of nonconsensual sexual contact including, but not limited to, unwanted or inappropriate touching, rape, sodomy, sexual coercion, sexually explicit photographing and sexual harassment. Sexual abuse includes any sexual contact between a staff person and a client, or a staff person of a program authorized under Chapter 71A.12RCW, and a client living in that facility or receiving service from a program authorized under Chapter 71A.12RCW, whether or not it is consensual.
F. MENTAL ABUSE means any willful action or inaction of mental or verbal abuse. Mental abuse includes, but is not limited to, coercion, harassment, inappropriately isolating a client from family, friends, or regular activity, and verbal assault, that includes ridiculing, intimidating, yelling, or swearing.
G. EXPLOITATION means an act of forcing, compelling, or exerting undue influence over a client, causing the client to act in a way that is inconsistent with relevant past behavior, or causing the client to perform services for the benefit of another.
H. NEGLECT or ABANDONMENT means: (a) a pattern of conduct or inaction by a person or entity with a duty of care that fails to provide the goods and services that maintain physical or mental health of a client, or that fails to avoid or prevent physical or mental harm or pain to a client; or (b) an act or omission that demonstrates a serious disregard of consequences of such a magnitude as to constitute a clear and present danger to the client’s health, welfare, or safety.
I. FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION means the illegal or improper use of the property, income, resources, or trust funds of a client by another person for any person’s profit or advantage.
J. INJURY OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN means an injury that was not observed directly by the staff person and the injury is determined to not be reasonably related to the client’s condition, diagnosis, known and predictable interaction with surroundings, or related to a know sequence of prior events.
K. ASSAULT OF STAFF BY A CLIENT
An employee of a community residential agency assaulted by an adult client, so that life or limb is in jeopardy, may protect him/herself; however, the employee should summon assistance so that the client may be more easily controlled and the element of personal struggle removed from the situation.
L. TERMINATION DUE TO ABUSE OF A CLIENT
Any employee of Kokua that is guilty of abuse, neglect or mistreatment shall be subject to immediate dismissal and prosecution pursuant to the law.
M. All new employees must read and sign Kokua’s Anti-Abuse Statement prior to working with clients. All employees must sign a copy of this statement whenever it is updated.