As part of Scope’s policy, Cheneys has to meet the following care values.
- Maintaining quality and diversity
This involves giving everyone the same quality of care and support. Respecting and supporting the diversity of people's experiences, lifestyles and backgrounds. The care workers at Cheneys ensures that a client's background or circumstances do not affect the quality of care they receive. Each person is treated as an individual, taking into account their beliefs, abilities, likes and dislikes (known as person centred care).
- Maintaining Rights and Responsibilities
The workers support the rights of a client to choose their own lifestyle and help them to accept their responsibilities.
The clients’ rights and responsibilities are laid down in Scope’s legislation, codes of practice and policy documents. Scope’s policy states that clients have a right to not be discriminated against.
- Confidentiality of information
All information clients give to the care workers are kept in private unless the worker feels that it might endanger the service users’ quality of life.
The 1998 Data Protection Act states that data has to be secure, accurate and that it can only be used for limited purposes.
The Government White paper is aimed at individuals with learning difficulties. It states that individuals should have the following.
The examples given below happened at Cheneys whilst I was there.
Rights e.g. The choice whether they would like to go to activities.
Independence e.g. Supporting at meal times.
Choice e.g. The choice of activities.
Inclusion e.g. Access to mainstream activities.
- Effective communication
The workers at Cheneys communicates in an open, accurate, straightforward way to the service user.
- Anti-Discrimination
The anti-discriminatory practice means being able to recognise and identify the different levels of discrimination and disadvantage. It ensures that the rights of service users are being thought about in any future plans. The main aim is to value difference and to recognise that such differences do not mean that someone is of lesser worth or value.
- Empowerment
Empowerment enables a service user to make choices and take control of their own life. The workers at Cheneys promote the independence of service users while protecting them as far as possible from danger or harm.
- Respect for individual choice, identity, culture and beliefs
Anti-discrimination and empowerment aren’t possible without respect for diversity, individuals’ dignity and privacy and the respect for the individuals’ rights. Without receiving respect from other people it is impossible to develop a self esteem.
Task 2
The service users of Cheneys may encounter the following barriers.
Communication and language barriers: Most of the service users at Cheneys have communication problems. A couple of them are also deaf; some have difficulty making speech because of impairment affecting the facial muscles. Communication methods include a variety of therapeutic strategies that increase the patient's ability to communicate.
Patients that are unable to speak use sign language or the use of special cerebral palsy communication methods that can facilitate communication in the absence of speech capabilities.
For individuals who are unable to speak effectively, tools are available to aid in communication with others. In addition to the use of sign language, cerebral palsy communication methods may also include special tools that help a patient. Computers can be used by a cerebral palsy patient to communicate what the individual wants to say.
For some people communicating through speech is difficult, or slow to develop. Many people now use Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) systems.
These systems supplement or support the spoken element in communication. There are different vocabularies and languages to choose from, so the individual can use the most appropriate system.
Communication barriers may lead to misinterpretation and inappropriate behaviour.
Most of Cheneys’ clients are unable to speak properly therefore a lot of the time the workers have to guess what they are saying in order to help them.
Physical Barriers: Accessing “normal” environments could separate the service users from the community. It is difficult for them to be taken out into the community as many buildings don’t have the right type of facilities for disabled e.g. Toilet hoists.
Members of the public also sometimes have a negative attitude towards disabled people.
This attitude could have an effect on their self esteem as they can’t get into the “normal” environment. Cheneys regularly takes the clients out into the community, making sure that they don’t become isolated from not being able to mix with “normal” people and activities.
The assumption is made that disabled people aren’t intelligent and therefore can’t think or do anything for themselves.
The social model of disability explains that they’re disabled because public buildings don’t make it accessible therefore they are disabled by society.
Barriers may affect clients rights to access e.g. The lack of available spaces at a particular day centre. Cheneys provides transport but it may become a problem as its opening hours are 9:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon. This could start becoming a problem when the carer or family member finishes work late in the evening.
Cheneys is the only voluntary day centre service in Brighton for people with cerebral palsy. This could be a barrier as it could lead to the clients’ isolation if they can’t mix with people with a similar disability as they have. There would be a lack of stimulation if they can’t mix with people with the same disability as they have. Cheneys has a sensory room which is used specifically for stimulation. It provides a very calm environment for them to relax in.
Scope’s core values are equality. The workers at Cheneys strive to act with integrity, responsibility, respect and encourage innovation.
Being constantly seen as inferior can be internalised, creating depression and low self esteem and it can cause withdrawal from people and institutions whome treat individuals in this way. Discrimination can also result in a failure to provide services that are suitable to minority groups like disabled people. Discrimination also results in failing to make any effort to reach out to the disabled with services, employment, education and housing.
Discrimination may also lead to social exclusion, marginalised living, diminished life chance and disempowerment.
Task 3
Time to Get Equal Transport
This policy ensures that all journeys on land can be fully accessible via public transport and pedestrian access, including physical access to all public buildings. The policy’s objectives are to make disabled peoples’ rights, legal rights to transport and access environments.
It aims to improve customer service and access for disabled people using facilities and services.
Independent Living
The term 'independent living refers to all disabled people having the same choice, control and freedom as any other citizen, at home, work, and as members of the community. Any practical assistance people need should be based on their own choices and aspirations.
There are several factors which act as barriers to independent living for many people, including:
Rationing of support services to the most in need, because of limited resources.
Poor access to and everyday facilities and services.
Lack of accessible housing.
Person Centred Plan
Each client at Cheneys has a folder called “Me and my life”. It allows the staff to see what the service users’ favourite things are, their main communication point and what they can and cannot do and what there aspirations etc. This is very useful as there is a high turnover of staff and allows the staff to provide better care. Person centred planning reflects the person’s abilities, what is important to them (now and for the future) and sets out the support they need. It helps the person to get what they want out of their life.
Scope's aim is that disabled people achieve equality. As part of this, they are striving to change attitudes towards disabled people through a number of campaigns.
“”, explores the ways in which language and imagery can affect Society's attitude towards disability and what impact it can have on disabled people themselves.
Task 4
Legislation
Systems of redress have been developed to safeguard and promote the rights of service users.
Employment Equality Act
The purpose of the Employment Equality Act prohibits direct and indirect discrimination, discrimination by association, harassment or victimisation, based on disability, in employment.
There are physical and cultural barriers for employers and disabled employees in the workplace. It is sometimes difficult and costly to overcome these barriers. Scope has developed a range of services for disabled people and employers aimed at improving all aspects of the working environment.
Improving life chances of disabled people
The government wants to support disabled people to have opportunities to improve the quality of their life and to be respected as equal members of society.
Disability discrimination act
The DDA aims to end the discrimination that many disabled people face. This Act gives disabled people rights in the following areas: Employment, education and the access to facilities and services.
This act makes it unlawful for operators of transport vehicles to discriminate against disabled people. It makes it easier for disabled people to rent property and for tentants to make disability related adaptations. It makes sure that private clubs with 25 or more members cannot keep disabled people out, just because they have a disability.
The DRC was set up by the government to help secure civil rights for disabled people and produces guidance and further information on which aspects of life are covered by anti-discrimination law for disabled people.
This may mean to remove, alter or provide a reasonable means of avoiding physical features of a building which make access impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled people. Examples include:
Putting in a ramp to replace steps,
Providing larger, well defined signs for people with a visual impairment and
Improving access to toilet or washing facilities.
See Sky Complaints System states that clients have the right to complain.
Scope states that their clients have the right to expect high standards from them. They should be able to complain if Scope isn’t meeting those standards.
The aim of the complaints system is to provide an effective way for clients to tell Scope when they are not happy; to support their right to complain and to sort out their complaint quickly, effectively and fairly.
Scope advices its clients to rather make a complaint at their local office as it is the quickest and easiest way to sort out their problem. After the client has made the complaint, a service manager or a member of staff will let you know how they are handling your complaint.
Scope claims that the complaint will be kept confidential as far as possible but may need to share information with other people who need to know about the complaint in order to sort it out. The complaint will be handles in line with the Data Protection Act.
Scope's education services support children and young people with in a number of ways. Scope supports, trains and develops certain schools for parents showing them effective ways of helping their child develop right from the start.
For children of primary and secondary school age, Scope runs , which cater for a range of ages and needs. For young adults, Scope has a , which offers excellent post-19 specialist education.
