Community care and management.

Authors Avatar
BA (Hons) Social work with Diploma in Social work

Candidate Number: 978454

HHSWD / SWD3

COMMUNITY CARE AND CARE MANAGEMENT

Title

The practice guidance from the Department of Health states:

The rationale for this reorganisation is the empowerment of users and carers. Instead of users and carers being subordinate to the wishes of service providers, the roles will be progressively adjusted. In this way, users and carers will be enabled to exercise the same power as consumers of other services (DOH 1991 P9).

Critically discuss this statement in relation to community care policy and service provision. Illustrate with examples from practice where possible.

The statement above is an ongoing issue and debate within social work care practice about whether; service users are able to be empowered as well as exercise their rights in choice. By recognising the dilemma, and acknowledging the possible conflict and how best practice allows social work professionals to be aware of these dilemmas. This also helps to find a balance to see both sides between these possible conflicting issues / dilemmas in social work practice.

For the purpose of this paper I will be looking at older people with dementia, the paper should then go on to examine the aims of social work practice with regards to empowerment and how service users rights in choice is not fully facilitated in regards to service provision.

This paper will then go onto look at community care policy, which facilitate these social work aims, and provide guidance for practitioners to promote changes for this service user group. This guidance will state whether the policy promotes service users and carers' rights as consumers.

I will be using examples from my very own practice as evidence, to highlight possible dilemmas, which may lead to issues of conflict with regards to social work practice. The paper shall then conclude by reflecting upon the importance of the awareness of these issues, so that hopefully demonstrates the need for developing skills and the need for more resources, in order to achieve a balance between these often competing aims.

Social work aims and role are diverse in order for social workers and practitioners to role facilitate and enable older people and other client groups, to enable to make change as well as maintaining areas such as health and well being.

How to achieve this is from using empowerment in service provision, an example of this maybe an older person having more of a say in the way their care is provided.

The issue, which may arouse around older people in care settings, is the conflict of what is considered to be best for the client. Their needs are weighed between empowerment and protection. Nolan et al (2001, p85) describes how both areas can be achieved, "yet involvement in decision making has positive benefits for the residents of nursing homes, with several studies demonstrating a relationship between the maintenance of personal control and resident outcomes such as psychological well being and satisfaction with care."

In terms of rights, laws, policies and legislations are available to provide support to an individual to live their life the way they wish to live. Laws, policies and legislations reflect, underpin and support the work social workers aim to achieve terms of empowerment and protection. In relation to law with older people, The Department Of Health's main function is to protect. Laws, policies and legislations underpin practice and place a duty and requirement on local authority to provide services, resources and funding for services and resources.

There are a few policy objectives, which have been the subject of such detailed analysis as such, Community Care. From my own observations it is evident that little has been done for older people apart from maintaining their lives within their own home. Walker (1995) book 'half a century of promises', explains how current policies continues to fail older people with the outlook of service providers and professionals still dominating, as agencies actively compete to discard responsibility for service provision to the most frail and vulnerable older people. The belief that the Community Care Act can provide an alternative to institutional care has not been assessed and not been proven properly, but the Audit Commission, Forget me not: Mental Health Services for Older People (2000) identifies the need for better service provision, services to be flexible and the need for better access to services. In regards to these recommendations, this may help a service user with dementia, to be empowered and rights are exercised by professionals in a method of working together.
Join now!


Service users are now being considered as consumers of services as part of the 1991

Department of Health: Practice guidance. The guidance aims to promote service users rights as consumers. As a consumer the main principles we would expect is accessibility, information, complaints service, value for money, choice and support during the service delivery.

Community care uses a market principle of supply and demand for provisions of services. The belief that consumers are free to choose will help regulate price and quality in the market by eliminating poor and expensive services. In order for this ...

This is a preview of the whole essay