Alright, so imagine this. Say you have a great unique idea for a website. Something better than FaceBook/Twitter/etc. You are no programmer though, and have no knowledge at all on how to code anything. So you would need to hire a programmar/coder to develop this unique site for you. Can the programmar/coder steal your idea and create his own site using your idea? Or is it possible to protect your idea by patenting it?
Note - not legal advice. As far as I am aware, patenting an 'idea' isn't generally possible in most countries. Your best bet might be to split the work into chunks, and assign each chunk to a different programmer, so no individual can steal the whole thing. If you go with one programmer, make sure you know exactly who he/she is, where they live, take up references etc. And even then it's probably not much protections.