Hnc Social Care Values Analysis

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Glasgow City Council HNC Social Care Assessment Task 1: Values Essay Elizabeth McKeever Social Care Worker Values provide general guidelines for behaviour. They provide the overall beliefs about what is good or bad, desirable or undesirable (HARALAMBOS &. HOLBORN 7TH edition p8). Value is the worth we place upon something it may be monetary (e.g. a house to the value of £150,000) but for social care, we focus on the intrinsic worth of individuals Sometimes this can be known as unconditional positive regard. Social work values are a ‘set of fundamental moral/ethical principles to which workers are committed’ (Banks, 1995, page4) it is also important to realise that, in social care, ultimately our professional conduct is not negotiable:…show more content…
First, legislation and agency policy and procedure demand that workers work in an anti-discriminatory manner. Secondly, the social care task involves challenging negative stereotypes that exist in relation to minority groups within our society. Thirdly, we cannot work effectively with individuals if we collude with discrimination and stereotypes. It is important to recognise that many individuals will need the support of care organisations due to the effects of prejudice. For example, the Carers of disabled older people may need to seek residential respite placements due to barriers experienced in accessing local facilities. Lastly, anti-discriminatory practice is a means of demonstrating respect towards others that forms the basis of trusting working relationships. Discrimination involves a range of processes and takes place on a number of levels: personal, cultural and structural (Thompson 2001). On a personal level, discrimination is evident through personal prejudice. An example would be the use of derogatory racist language or assumptions, such as ‘all fat people are stupid or…show more content…
Thompson and Thompson (2002) describe cultural discrimination as ‘the things we take for granted, the unwritten rules, and assumptions, common images and stereotypes, and so on’, (page 32). Cultural discrimination involves a set of beliefs and assumptions shared by a group. One example of cultural discrimination is the use of stereotypes, ie using generalisations about members of minority groups which lump them together and form the basis of prejudice. An example in relation to people with Dementia would be that they are characterised as ‘pitiful victims’ who make a limited contribution to society. Within my own workplace I have noticed that the some residents intolerant of people who suffer from Dementia. This is based on a stereotype that Dementia is a stigma. Structural discrimination reflects the way in which society allows some groups to retain more power than others. As such, some groups do not have the power to change the stereotypes that exist about themselves. For example, members of black and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately represented in low wage or unemployment statistics, reflecting their low status and position in society. There are key values that underpin anti-discriminatory practice which help to identify ways in which social care practice can challenge discrimination. I will look at
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