Assignment 304 Task A (Ai) What is meant by the term “Duty of Care?” In our line of work we have a responsibility to make sure that people we come across on a daily basis are safe and free from harm. Highlight any concerns we have, and report any facts we become aware of. Duty of Care is defined simply as a legal obligation to: * Always act in the best interest of individuals and others. * Not act or fail to act in a way that results in harm. * Act within your competence and not take on anything you do not believe you can safely do.
Duty of Care contributes to safeguarding individuals by obligating a level of care towards them as is reasonable in all circumstances to avoid injury to either themselves or their property. It is supported by the health and safety act and the health and social care act. By following their guidance we will ensure that we abide by the social care workers code of
Unit 1 Principles for implementing duty of care in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings 1 Understand how duty of care contributes to safe practice (a) What it means to have a duty of care in one’s own work role A duty of care is a legal obligation to all Health and Social carers and professionals who have to act in the best interests of individuals and others, also not to act or fail to act in a way that results in harm. This duty of care can be a general implied minimum standard of care or can be outlined in different codes of practice or guidelines in various legislation. This duty of care can also be more specific and defined in specific legislation for example Equality Act 2010 or the COSHH regulations 2002. Carers and employers have to ensure that this duty of care is practiced and achieved. Employers adopt this duty of care into their training and operating procedures so it is central to how they conduct their practice.
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.
Unit 13 Principles for Implementing duty of care in health social care or children's and young peoples settings 1 understand how duty of care contributes to safe practice. 1.1 Explain what it means to have a duty of care in own work roles A duty of care is a legal requirement and would be tested in court in the event of negligence or malpractice that all health and social care professionals that provide a health and care service is that you must put the interest of the service users you help and support first and to do everything in your power to keep them safe from any harm. In your work role to have duty of care underpins everything that you do, it underlies the codes of practice and this should be built into your practice on a day-to-day level. and would be tested in court in the event of negligence or malpractice. 1.2 Explain how duty of care contributes to the safeguarding or protection of individuals.
Aii) How the duty of care affects the work of a social care worker It means the duty of care you have in your job is to keep yourself safe and your service user safe. Keep up to date on your training. All ways wash your hands before attending a service user before and after, and wear the protective aprons and gloves that are supplied by your work the duty is in exercising caution and to refrain from causing another person injury or loss. In law, a duty of care is a legal obligation imposed on an individual requiring that they adhere to a standard of "reasonable care" while performing any acts that could foreseeable harm others. Aiii) What having a duty of care means for a care giving organisation When an employer adheres to the duty of care in a setting such as a residential care home it protects residents as well as the staff.
Assignment 304 Ai The term “duty of care” is used in the care setting to refer to the working practice of the support staff. This means that they must do what they can to keep the individuals they are supporting safe and well whilst ensuring the care given is person centred care, promoting independence and maintaining their dignity at all times. This should be achieved to the highest level to prevent any form of abuse coming to the individual being supported. Aii The duty of care affects the work of social care worker because it is a set of guidelines which outline what there job role is and how they can best support the individuals within the care setting to the highest level to prevent them coming to any harm. This could be from themselves or others so all tasks needs to be assessed prior to undertaking them to ensure the risks are reduced to the minimum level and that they receive the appropriate level of support.
Legal requirements and codes of practice ensure care workers maintain confidentiality by setting out guidelines that state all information should not be handed out to anyone outside of those involved in the care of the individual. It also ensures care workers gain consent before passing on any confidential information. If health care professionals receive information that may put the individual or others at risk then they have a duty of care to report to their manager immediately. If the individual does not give consent, in this incident, the care worker would need to explain to the individual that it is their duty of care to report any information that puts the individual or others at risk. The legal requirements and codes of practice also ensure care workers protect daily recordings by keeping them in a secure place where they can only be accessed by those necessary.
Outcome 2 Know how to address conflicts or dilemmas that may arise between an individual’s rights and the duty of care 1 Sometimes individuals may want to do something which could be a risk to their Health and safety. As a carer you have a duty of care to that person and you must do all that you can to keep them safe but you also have a duty to respect the individuals rights and choice, so you have a dilemma. It could be that the individual no longer wishes to use her walking frame, but her care plan states that she needs it to move from place to place and you are to ensure you encourage it’s use. In this scenario you could carry out a risk assessment to ensure that it is managed as safely as possible. 2 There are many ways to manage risks associated with conflicts and dilemmas:- * Allowing individuals to explore with guidance, * Making individuals aware of potential hazards and dangers, * Allowing individuals to acquire life skills through learning how to cope with risky situations, * Staff ignorance, * Parents are a risk to staff if reported to social services.
Your responsibility as a care worker would be to protect the rights and promote the interests of an individual. You will establish and maintain the trust and confidence of an individual, and encourage independence whilst keeping them safe from harm. You must always ensure you are adequately trained to perform tasks and if not ask for relevant training to increase your knowledge and skills. It is your duty of care to keep up to date with regulations and best practice, and to ensure you are implementing it in your day-to-day work. All actions must be recorded and where necessary give the reasons for such actions.