In this assignment I will be discussing the success of promoting anti-discriminatory practice for Isaac.
It is extremely important that equality and diversity is promoted, and discrimination is prevented, or reduced as much as possible, not only in life in general but more specifically the health and social care sector. This is so that service users will feel more confident and comfortable using the services when and if they need treatment.
Equality means that everyone should have equal access to all the services they require. It does not just mean giving everyone the same care as that may not meet every individual’s needs. Therefore, it looks more at the equal quality of care that meets everyone’s individual needs, regardless of how they live their lives, for example religions they follow or don’t follow (Billingham, 2016). In Isaac’s case, it is crucial that he receives the correct care for his particular needs so that he is supported and care for as much as possible in order for him to progress.
Diversity refers to a range of differences, so people, specifically professionals working in the health and social care sector, must respect the cultures and beliefs of others. This is even more so important in the UK because Britain is such a multicultural society and many health care professionals are from a diverse range of backgrounds, as well as the service users (Billingham, 2016). For Isaac, he should value and respect other people’s cultures and beliefs because some of his caregivers may come from different backgrounds to him and it’s important for him to understand and learn about the different diverse cultures.
Discrimination comes in many different forms, but the main idea is that a preconception is made by someone about another person or group. Some of the possible reasons for this could be due to their race, religion, social class, sexuality or disability. The 4 types of discrimination are unfair, direct, indirect and positive discrimination. Unfair discrimination is when someone is treated unjustly compared to somebody else, for example a woman doesn’t get a job even though she has exactly the same qualifications and skills that a male did who got the job. Direct discrimination is fairly easy to prove as it is when someone calls another person or group nasty names or is rude or offensive just because they see them as different. For example, someone from another ethnicity or culture is called offensive names. On the other hand, indirect discrimination is much harder to prove as it is harder to recognise. For example, someone may appear friendly to another person, yet they may show disrespect behind their back. Finally, positive discrimination is where something is decided in an individual’s favour due to the fact there’s something different about them (Billingham, 2016). An example for this could be that a female patient could ask for a female doctor as they feel uncomfortable being examined by a male doctor. It is essential for Isaac to be protected from discrimination because he is highly vulnerable to it due to his learning disabilities. This could then have an effect on his well-being as it will knock his confidence and lower his self-esteem and self-worth.
It is absolutely crucial that discrimination is minimal because it can have serious effects on people, specifically service users. It’s also important that everyone receives an equal service of care in order to meet their own personal needs and requirements. There are many effects that service users may experience as a consequence of discrimination. Some are stress, depression or anxiety, decrease in self-esteem/self-worth, constant fear of others, isolation, low confidence, unwilling to get support and treatment and not engaging in social activities. Some cases could possibly lead to neglect and abuse which will put patients at significant risk of injury or harm. If service users are being discriminated against or feel as if they are, then they may not feel comfortable going and getting support or the correct care they need. Consequently, their health could deteriorate. Instead they should complain or raise awareness to the fact that there is discrimination occurring so that it can be resolved. This may also prevent it from happening again in the future too (Billingham, 2016). When working with Isaac it’s crucial that the professionals do not discriminate against him because due to his learning disabilities, he may not understand what discrimination is and therefore, will not be able to recognise if he is being targeted due to his disabilities.
In order to prevent discrimination from occurring, there are initiatives in place to not only reduce the likelihood of discrimination happening but to also ensure that each individual’s needs are met. These initiatives are access, diet, support and the option of advocacy services. The access initiative refers to the adaption of the environment to suit the service user and their needs, for example disabled/downstairs toilet, lifts, counters at wheelchair height etc. This would help to prevent discrimination because if the environment is suited to wheelchair users then they will be able to use and go different places, just like other ‘normal’ users. The diet initiative allows service users a choice of what they can eat based on their medical conditions, cultural preferences or religious beliefs, for example Muslims only eat Halal meat (BBC News, 2018). This means that everyone has an option of food, so no one will have to go without. The support initiative provides service users with suitable resources and information in a wide variety of formats and languages to allow everyone from local cultures to understand. The option of advocacy services is where someone, called an advocate, speaks on behalf of a service user as they may not be able to communicate due to a disability or an illness, for example a dementia sufferer may have an advocate to decide which treatment is best for the individual (Billingham, 2016). These initiatives are especially crucial in Isaac’s case because he requires quite a lot of support and treatment, so it’s important for him to be treated fairly and provided a good quality of care that meets his individual needs. Isaac needs to have signs in the environment that are simple so that he is able to understand them. He also requires lots of support from others and should be given information that he is able to properly understand and resources that will help him meet his needs independently.
Anti-discriminatory practice (ADP) focuses on trying to reduce discrimination. Its main objective is to try to prevent the negative effects discrimination has on service user in particular. It aims to promote equality and deal with all forms of discrimination (First Steps, 2018). It is extremely important that professionals within health and social care do not discriminate those vulnerable to it. They must follow the initiatives to prevent it as best as possible and they should be able to recognise signs that someone is being discriminated against to stop it going any further and having any serious, long-lasting effects on the victim. Some ADP examples are giving people a choice of food to ensure their dietary needs are met, encouraging people of any gender to engage in any activities, like getting men to try out knitting or sewing. Due to Isaac’s learning disabilities, he is more vulnerable to discrimination than others without a disability therefore, it’s vital that the professionals involved in his care are promoting the use of ADP.
There are several decisions that have been made that ensures Isaac has been protected from discrimination as best as possible with the use of ADP. Firstly, Isaac uses Makaton and computerised picture boards to communicate with others. Makaton is a language programme using signs/actions and symbols, as well as speech, to help people communicate with those around them (www.snapperworld.com, 2018). Computerised picture boards are boards with pictures or symbols to aid communication for children/adults with limited speech or a disability (Verywell Family, 2018). This allows Isaac to be able to communicate with his carers so that he can convey his problems/feelings and his opinions. This will make him feel more understood and less alone as he is able to talk to people instead of isolating himself and not being able to tell people what is wrong with him. Also, the fact that the staff are being trained to understand these methods of communication further shows that discrimination has been significantly reduced. This shows others that they are willing to undergo training specially to understand these methods so that they are able to communicate with him. However, it’s not clearly specified whether all the staff have received training for this and not just those involved in Isaac’s care. This could be a limitation because if one of his usual carers are of sick or absent then there will not be anyone else to communicate with him. This could slow down Isaac’s progress and knock his confidence slightly. To try and improve this, it would be recommended that everyone who works within the supported living team and day centre should get trained to understand the various different communication methods or perhaps the more common ones so that when faced with a challenge regarding communication, everyone understands the communication alternatives. Additionally, it would probably be a good idea if all health and social care professionals, who are likely to come into contact with those who have alternative methods of communication, get the training too as it would be extremely beneficial and reduce the likelihood of discrimination occurring.
Another example of ADP in Isaac’s case is that he has complete choice over which activity he would like to do and what he would like to eat.