Difficulties that may be encountered when implementing anti-discriminatory practice.
The very nature of health and social care work suggests that the individuals being supported are vulnerable. As we seen through this unit, this vulnerability is often related to ‘difference ‘in terms of capability or levels of independence. Vulnerability may be related to physical, emotional, financial or social well-being. Sometimes this vulnerability may include being vulnerable to discrimination but views of which is likely to be prejudice. For example, staff can label clients as being ‘difficult’; or having, challenging behaviour’. Promoting equality by treating everyone the same denies the reality that everyone is different and so we should be striving to promote equity where these essential differences are acknowledged and people are seen treated as individuals but with an equal amount of care, respect and attention, and the quality is the same but the responses are individual.
Ethical principles
Ethical principles are those which can be judged fair. Positive ethical approaches to health and social care practice are essential if individual being supported are to be treated with equity.
Dealing with conflict
Conflict should be managed in as clam a manner as possible and, if possible, help from colleague should be sought so that everyone involved can be adequately supported and listened to in order to avoid assumptions and judgements, which may be discriminatory, being made. An important part of anti-discriminatory practice is ensuring that health and social care workers to challenging the attitude view or behaviour, and not the person as an individual.
Putting the patients or service user at the heart of service provision.
Ensuring that every individual who comes into contact with any type of health or social care service is treated as a unique individual is essential if this is to be achieved. Health and social care workers need to take time to get to know and build relationships with individual s if they are to be beliefs, culture and preferences. This will enable the worker to better understand the individual’s past and thus their present situation, and will inform decisions regarding their future.
Balancing individual rights with the rights of others.
Having rights also means the individual has responsibilities and this includes not infringing the rights of others. Balancing individual rights with the rights of others can present health and social care workers with some difficult dilemmas, tensions and potential and actual conflicts. These can occur between service users, the service user and the organisation, and between the worker and the organisation. For example, if one service user has a hearing impairment and consequently when they listen to music it is louder than others have a right to peace and quit. This can lead to conflict. One way of easing this tension and avoiding conflict is to provide earphones for the service user.
Identifying and challenging discrimination
Challenging discrimination shows that in fact, you are not discriminating against those whose behaviour, view; attitudes and so on are discriminatory. If we fail to challenge such views or behaviours, it suggests that we have made a decision or assumption about person’s capacity to change, and we assume their views are so entrenched that they are incapable capacity, which in itself is discriminatory. The way we challenge is what is important. It is therefore essential to challenging the attitude, view or behaviour, and not the person as an individual. Being respectful and assertive are key attitudes and values when challenging someone. Challenging discrimination may be on an organisation or society level. Although individual can feel powerless to change things outside their immediate sphere of influence, it is not impossible to challenge discrimination that is institutional or structural.
How personal beliefs a value systems may influence own anti-discriminatory practice.
Personal beliefs and value systems.
Our personal beliefs and values play role in our responses to difference. We are all unique individuals and our identity develops as we grow, learn and experience life and new things. Many different factors influence that we all have an individual views of the world which is unique and unless we share our views with other people remains unknown to them.
Developing greater self- awareness and tolerance of differences
If individual are given access to appropriate opportunities, such as learning about equality and diversity, personal experiences of relationships with people from diverse backgrounds, they respect and trust, this can assist them to develop greater self-awareness and tolerance of difference. However, it is important to recognise that our views and beliefs can change as we travel through life and our experiences teach us new things about the world and about ourselves, so there is always the potential for change whatever someone’s age.
Working within legal, ethical and policy guidelines
Health and social care practice is underpinned by legislation, ethics and other from research and government. All of those will be reflected within organisational policies. However, their mere existence dose not guarantees automatic implantation and adherence. In reality, this can be achieved through the day-to –day practice, attitudes and behaviours of all those who work within care setting. There have to be regular supervision of practice will enable the health and social care workers to make them work within legal, ethical and policy guidelines.
Committing to the care value base
To enable became a health and social care worker will involve you considering you own beliefs and values and how theses impact on your life, behaviour, decision and relationships with others. Some care workers are often not aware of the prejudices and assumption they hold as they are so ingrained in their thinking. We need to be open to challenging our thinking and to exploring these aspects of ourselves. If we are to be effective in developing supportive relationships with individuals then we must understand ourselves first, otherwise we are in danger of discriminatory action and becoming part of the problem and not of the solution in that individual’s life. To enable an effective health or social care worker you need to internalise these values and demonstrate them in every aspect of life.
