As a social care worker, you must strive to establish and maintain the trust and confidence of service users and carers which includes being honest and trustworthy, communicating in an appropriate and straightforward way, respecting confidential information, being reliable and dependant and adhering to policies and procedures about accepting gifts and money from service users and carers. 3. As a social care worker, you must promote the independence of service users while protecting them as far as possible from danger or harm. You can follow this by following practice and procedures designed to keep you and other people safe from violent and abusive behaviour at work, promoting independence of service users and assisting them to understand and exercise their rights. 4.
Unit 304 Principles of implementing duty of care Outcome 1 1.1 The definition of duty of care is A requirement that a person act toward others and the public with watchfulness, attention, caution and prudence that a reasonable person in the circumstances would. If a person’s actions do not meet this standard of care, then the acts are considered negligent I can apply this to my job role as a support worker through working with vulnerable adults and young persons. When supporting clients we must work in a way that meets a duty of care to protect them from negligence. This is also supported by the national minimum care standards which work as a framework for duty of care from a legal standing. Some examples of duty of care may include a client’s hygiene and personal care where if they appeared unkempt and dirty this would be perceived as not meeting our duty of care towards the client.
They also have to do everything in their power to keep people safe from harm and exploitation. As a care professional, you must ensure that you do not do something, or fail to do something, that causes harm to someone. You have a professional duty of care to act only within your own competence and not to take on something you are not confident about. Your duty of care underpins everything that you do; it is what underlies the code of practice and it should be built into your practice on a day to day level. Exercising your duty of care is also a legal requirement, you have to recognise that you are responsible for the welfare of a vulnerable person.
This is the basis on which your professional conduct will be judged. 2. Duty of care is a fundamental part of safeguarding and protecting individuals. Embedded within your duty of care is your responsibility to keep people safe from harm. By following a Code of Practice and considering your duty of care means that you can ensure your practice is safer and ensure the
All individuals have the right to be safe and to be treated with respect and dignity. In my role I have a responsibility to ensure the safety and well being of those in my care. By doing risk assessments and taking necessary precautions to avoid accidents or the spread of infection I am carrying out a duty of care in my work role and therefore contributing to the safeguarding of the individual. Outcome 2 Sometimes in my work role a potential conflict or dilemma may arise between my duty of care and the individual’s rights. An example of this may be that the individual may have a disability that restricts them from using resources within the setting, in which case the setting would need to be adapted as their individual rights are not being met.
2.1 Describe dilemmas that may arise between the duty of care and an individual’s rights My first action must/will be the interest and safety of the individual. My role is to help to make things as independent. Dilemmas are appearing when the individual wants to do something but my view is that is not safety for him. As a carer I must know how to address these dilemmas, I must do all that I can to keep them safe but at the same time I will respect the individual’s rights and choices. Like example if the person keep refusing to use his Zimmer frame and in his care plan states that he needs to move from place to place using that frame I must encouraged him to use and I should explain him why he needs to use his frame for his support.
1.2 Explain why it is important to work in a way that embeds person – centred values. It is important we work in this way in order to promote individuality, this allow individuals to make informed decisions and choices, as well as understand the consequences as well as possible risks of such decisions and choice that may well relate to their own health and wellbeing. We must do this within the appreciation of rights within the care value base. We can uphold this by empowering individuals to maintain their own independence. Each individual should have the right to privacy which encourages that person to maintain dignity and self-respect.
1.1 Explain what it means to have a duty of care in own work role To meet the individuals’ needs (hunger, warmth, shelter, mobility) in a safe environment whilst respecting their human rights. 1.2 Explain how duty of care contributes to the safeguarding or protection of individuals Our duty of care involves protecting individuals from harm as a result of outsiders (strangers), other potential threats within the environment (potentially threatening carers and residents) and from harm to themselves. Any indication of such failures in that individual’s care must be notified to management immediately. 2.1 Describe potential conflicts or dilemmas that may arise between the duty of care and an individual’s rights If an individual refuses personal care for an extensive period of time we are failing our duty of care to maintain the person’s hygiene however by forcing the issue we would be denying the individual of their human rights and freedom of choice especially if they are capable of making their own decisions. 2.2 Describe how to manage risks associated with conflicts or dilemmas between an individual’s rights and the duty of care Speak with the manager to implement protocols in regards to the situation.
Implementing Duty of Care 1. Explain what it means to have duty of care in your job role. Duty of care as a care assistant refers to your role and responsibilities in care such as health and safety of individuals and yourself, protection from harm and abuse or unnecessary risks. This includes responsibilities to act in the best interest of individuals and to do everything possible to keep them safe from harm, may it be physical or emotional. Your duty of care is also that you act within your own competence and do not do anything which you cannot do safely.
It means being updated on any new training, following all and any security procedures in order to keep things safe. 2.1 Sometimes dilemmas can arise between the duty of care and individuals rights. This could be someone who may not wish to use their walking frame anymore. You have a duty of care to keep this person safe, but they have the right to not want to use it anymore. You could come to a compromise where they use a walking stick instead for a while and see how things go.