4.1 Explain how the likelihood of abuse may be reduced
The contents for Unit 7: ‘Promote Person-Centred Approaches in Health and Social Care’ may also be of help in completing Learning Outcome 4)
a) Describe in your own words what person centred support is and then explain how the likelihood of abuse may be reduced by this.
Abuse will be reduced by the person centred values because for example intuitional abuse this can often accelerate from things being done to people because what is appropriate for the staff. The individual’s emotional state and preferences are not being considered, so for example the person who requests pain relief is left to wait because it isn’t time for the medication to be administered or reviewed.
Person-Centred Values – You will learn more about person-centred values and what they mean in Standard 7.
They include:
• Individuality -Assumptions should never be made about any individuals that we support. The individual does not need to fit in with you or your employer. Individuals should be acknowledged and supported to make their own choices. Care and support has to be tailored to suit each individual. By upholding the individual’s dignity and individuality, we are showing respect, this would also include respecting the individuals’ personal beliefs.
• Independence -Allow the individuals you support to do things for themselves, however small. Being independent does not necessarily mean being completely alone, but being supported to do things for themselves. Take time to enable the individuals you support to be independent. Don’t do things for them because it is quicker. Support them to do things that they can do or almost do. Independence makes people feel in control of their lives and gives them a sense of self-worth
• Privacy- I will need to understand that each individual has a need for privacy and support in my work. The convenience of private space will differ in residential care home, home care environments and community care. Regardless of which environment, you should always ask consent before entering an individual’s room by knock on their door. All visitors must ask permission before entering rooms regardless of who they are. Always close doors when carrying out personal care but first check with the individual to see if they are happy with you doing so. Every person should have their own time and space to do things in private if they want to, for example, meeting their friends and family or making personal phone calls.
• Partnership-Working in partnership with other professionals, such as colleagues, families and carers is a vital part of giving care and support. Person-centred care and support is about working together with other people to develop the lives of the individual.
Partnership is good communication, sharing suitable information and putting the individual’s wellbeing at the centre of everything that we do.
• Choice- Each individual you are supporting has the right to make their own choices. It is in our job to support the individual to make their choices by presenting enough information where needed. This will help them to consider the pros and cons of each choice they make. You must stay impartial and recognise the values of their choices. Never try to take over as you can do things a lot faster or you might think it should be done a specific way. Always involve the individual in deciding their own care and support. You need to communicate and listen well.
• Dignity -Dignity is about how we feel when or how we are respected and to make us feel important in the society, in the community or in our lives. Whether the person we are supporting is eating, sleeping, washing, shopping or dying, all staff are to respect that person’s dignity. We need to be aware of the significance of maintaining an individual’s dignity, by asking them how they would wish to be addressed; we should not try to rush them and need to take time to listen; always use towels or clothing to cover them up while carrying out intimate care tasks. It is essential not to typecast or make presumptions about individuals and their needs. Always follow care plans.
• Respect- Respect is to show the individual that you support them in things that they believe are important to them, it doesn’t matter what their age, culture, disability, gender, belief or sexual orientation is. When working with people or professionals, it is best not to ignore the individual that you are supporting. Make sure that you include them in the conversation.
• Rights- The individual has the right to exercise their choice and to live in an environment where they are free from abuse, but most essentially to be involved in any safeguarding decisions that are made. The people you support have the same rights if they were living independently. Individuals we support have the right to say no, they the right to have a relationship, they have the right to have a say about how they want to be supported. They have the right to choose what they would like to eat and when, how they would like to dress and when. They choose their friends and what they would like to do with their time. There may be times when we have to make changes to taken in the individual’s rights into reason. Where we will have to balance an individual’s rights against our accountabilities and think through if they or we are at risk.
b) Explain how the likelihood of abuse may be reduced by encouraging active participation.
Encouraging active participation builds self-esteem, and the person can refuse to tolerate abuse and will be inclined to report it. Also they are around others who help build up friendships in which they can share things they may tell one of them if abuse may happen and one of them may pass it on to help.
Active participation empowers the individuals to be involved in their own care and care planning and to have a better say in how they want to live their life in the ways that matter to them.
The benefits of an active participation can be split into a primary benefit and a secondary benefit.
Primary benefit includes:
1. Physical they have more activity levels.
2. Improved independence and freedom in what people do.
3. A chance for the individual in the health and social care settings to have an opinion in issues of complete concern to their lives.
4. Improved opportunities to socialize and interactive relationships.
5. Promoting participation and self-awareness. Individuals will become more included in the community and more conscious of opportunities.
6. Better prospects for learning and development of important skills, knowledge, education and employment.
7. Greater well-being, with growths in self-confidence, self-esteem and self-belief.
The secondary benefits can be defined as assistances that can occur as an outcome of active participation, but are not a direct aim of active participation. These include:
1. Declining the likelihood of abuse. As the individual participates positively by actively participating in the area of their life, such as in personal care, the possibility for abuse by others is decreased.
2. Reducing vulnerability. As the individual increases in their self-confidence and self-esteem they are less liable to manipulation and harm from others.
So in conclusion
Active participation is a tactic that will empower the individual in the activities and relationships of everyday life that will lead to them living as independently as feasible. The importance of the individual to be an active partner in their own care or support is that it will bring physical, psychological, relational and over all wellbeing benefits.
c) Explain how the likelihood of abuse may be reduced by promoting choice and rights
Is all the above that working with person centred values and encouraging active participation. Encouraging empowerment is about allowing the individual to think and do things for themselves, for example, making choices and decisions about how they want to live and knowledgeable consent. We all make our own decisions in our own homes so why not in a residential home, by including a resident in their care it allows them to still be an individual to have rights and wishes recognised even if they do not verbally contribute to be included is a good practice.
4.2 Explain the importance of having an accessible complaints procedure for reducing the likelihood of abuse
-Describe in your own words what accessible information means to you
Every employer should have a procedure in place for raising any concerns or a complaint about abuse so that it is a simple process and encourages people to raise their concerns, however small they might appear to be. Complaints are very important as they often lead to an improvement in the services that are provided.
Referring to your organisation’s complaint procedure, describe in your own words how a person you support could make a complaint about the service they receive
The complaints procedure can usually be found in the Safeguarding Adults policy and procedures. They will need to be informed of the contact details for the Local Authority’s Safeguarding team.
The person I support can make a complaint by telling a member of staff or go directly to the manager or supervisor, they can do this verbally or in writing if they do not feel comfortable. They will be protected by the ‘no secrets’.
How is your organisation’s complaint procedure accessible to all the people who use your service?
I can make a complaint verbally or in writing to any member of staff or straight to the local director for my area or to the chief executive of United Response. I can complain to the local authority or to the health authority that pays us to provide support, to the Local Government or to the Care Quality Commission.
The Department of Health has made available guidance on how to ensure that there is a “No Secrets and No Hiding Place when it comes to exposing the abuse of adults at risk” in place. This document is called No Secrets, a copy of this can be available at my work place under the title safeguarding and prevention of harm manual.
Explain the importance of this procedure for reducing the likelihood of abuse.
If a complaints procedure is clear and easily accessible abusers would be more likely to be challenged on their behaviour. Knowing this would make them less likely to abuse. It also helps vulnerable individuals to feel more protected and more empowered and therefore less likely to accept abuse.
Complaints are a good way of seeing how well a service is provided, it can also help to recognize any weaknesses e.g. possible abuse and neglect. A complaints procedure has to be simple to follow, this way it will encourage people to raise their concerns and points across and it shows that an organization will respond to those concerns instead of ignoring them. If it's very difficult to make a complaint, then it is likely that the abuse will continue. If it's is easy to make a complaint the abuse will be dealt with sooner. complaints make the government to make changes in their policies according to peoples’ demands.