If someone is rude, hostile, or offensive to someone because that person is different, it is known as direct discrimination.
e.g.: Group of people shouting at someone because of what they wear.
Indirect discrimination is harder to prove because it is usually shown in people’s attitudes to one another.
e.g.: an elderly person goes in to a shop to buy something and the shop keeper assumes that because the person is old they can’t see and hear properly.
Positive discrimination is when a decision is made to pick someone for something because that person belongs to a certain group of people.
e.g.: when advertising auditions for a particular show, the casting director might ask for the dancers to be a certain height or of an ethnic origin.
Political correctness means not using words to identify people in an offensive way and the correct use of language.
e.g.: talking to someone rudely
Equal opportunity means everyone has the same chance to obtain or achieve something as everyone else
e.g.: a certain job
The effects of discrimination:
- Feeling stressed
- Unable to cope with work
- Mental illness triggered by stress
- Injury
- Death
- Living in fear of others
- Losing a sense of who you are
- Withdrawn from social activities
- A feeling of low self-worth
- Loss of confidence
- Depression
- Anxiety
2) Maintaining confidentiality of information:
Keeping information confidential is very important in the care work and confidential is in an important right for all clients.
Confidentiality means keeping information (secrets) to your self and not passing it on to other people.
A code of conduct is a set of guidelines or rules that a person has to follow or stick to.
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Trust – if you know that a care worker will not pass on information and keep it confidential you will fell more confident to tell them the truth and feelings
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Self-esteem - if you r career keeps things confidential this might show you that he/she respects you and therefore your self-esteem might be higher than if you told other people your private information
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Safety – care workers have to keep things confidential to protect others people safety e.g. the client might tell the care worker that he/she leaves there money in a certain place and if they go and tell other people the client’s money is at risk of being stolen.
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Professionalism – a professional service that claims to maintain confidentiality must be seen to keep private information confidential. Maintaining confidentiality is part of a care workers professional code of conduct.
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Legality – there are legal requirements to maintain the confidentiality of personal records.
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Discrimination – confidential information passed on to the wrong people might result I the client feel that they are being discriminated if the care worker for example passes on information to neighbours and friends or other members of the public the client may feel that they have lost control of there lives. For example someone with mental problems that are kept totally under control with medication might become the subject of gossip and people may feel that they are a danger.
Sometimes when people are at risk or the care worker feels the need to tell someone else the client’s information this is called confidentiality within boundaries
Then confidential information that clients tell care workers are passed on can lead to the clients felling:-
- I don’t belong here
- Tm not important to them
- You cant trust them
- I’m never telling them anything again
- I cant trust them
- Nobody cares about me
3) Promoting and supporting individual’s rights:
People have the right to their own beliefs and lifestyles but no one has the right to damage someone else’s lifestyle.
Every right also has a responsibility too.
The easiest way to understand and explain it is by the smoking issues. Every person has the right to smoke if they want even through there are health signs but each smoker has the responsibility to insure their smoke is not breathed in by other people.
The government has made legislation, code of practice, employers’ policies and national training standards outline which includes the following:-
- Freedom from discrimination
- A right to independence
- The right to be respected and retain ones dignity
- Health, safety and security
- Confidentiality
4) Acknowledging individuals personal beliefs and identity:
To learn and understand other people’s cultures and beliefs we must listen to and observe what other people say.
Skilled carers must get to know the people they work with so they will not make false assumptions about them.
If you are open to other people life experience and differences and values diversity and can enrich your life.
Employers are also likely to want to employ people who value diversity for the following reason:-
- Effective non-discriminatory care depends an all staff valuing diversity.
- People who value diversity will form good relationship with their colleagues and with the clients.
- People who value diversity are likely to be flexible and creative.
- Diverse teams often work together more effectively. If people have different interests and skills it is more likely the team will do all the work required and the people in the team will enjoy working together.
Diversity means to respect and value the cultures and beliefs of other people.
In the care setting everyone should be respected and receive a service of equal quality that will meet the clients needs.
Like everyone receiving the same services.
Treating people as individuals, taking into account their different beliefs, abilities, likes and dislikes all need to be respected.
A carer practitioner needs to acknowledge the person needs, identity and beliefs individual.
You will need to accept the people as they are even if you do not believe in the same beliefs as them.
For example if a Islamic person beliefs he/she needs to pray at a certain time in the day, they should allow him/her to even if the practitioner would rather give them treatment or consultation at the time.
If a hospital is treating a Jewish patient and the person only eats kosher food at home, that person has the right to have kosher food while he/she is in hospital.
There-fore the person will feel that they identity has been acknowledge and accepted, rather than being having to eat normal food and feeling that they are being ignored.
5) Protecting individuals from abuse:
There are many way in which people can be abused.
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Physical abuse – Includes hitting, pushing, kicking, or physically assaulting a person.
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Sexually abuse – Interfering with a persons body in a way they don’t want feel right e.g. touching someone body in a sexual way.
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Verbal abuse – Assaulting a person by name calling, put downs, insults.
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Neglect – Ignoring a person or not giving them the help they need for they needs.
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Exclusion – Stopping a person getting the help or job they need.
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Avoidance – Deliberately avoiding contact with a person
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Devaluing – Letting a person see that he/she is thought of as a less valuable than others by denying him/her care that others receive or ignoring that person’s ideas and opinions.
Abuse might happen because of frustration with the person, because of a loss of temper, a desire to exert power over someone else, discrimination or prejudice due to certain groups or individuals being different, or because of many other reasons.
It’s very important that care practitioners are vigilant and look out for signs of abuse in their clients.
Physical abuse is much easier to spot than other abuse because of the risk of bruises or other unexplained injuries.
Other forms of abuse are much less easier to stop and notice or prove.
Many people that are abused in different forms might have mood swings or become withdrawn and quiet.
Care workers have to always be on the look for signs.
There are many different support organisations to offer support and advice to help protect people against different forms of abuse.
The (Child line) and (NSPCC) are examples of charity that has a 24 hour telephone help line to prevent and try prevent child abuse and neglect in all forms and all ages.
Organisations such as (Survivors UK) offer counselling for men that are sexually abused.
There are many more organisations that offer help for people abused, or suspects.
All care workers have to be aware of the signs of abuse and the different forms which abuse can be form under.
6) Promoting effective communication and relationships:
It is important that care practitioners communicate effectively with their clients so that relationships can be formed that empower the clients to feel they are being cared for and valued and respected.
Effective relationships involve care practitioners in.
- Using effective communication skills with clients.
- Being responsive to communications (such as body language) as well as to the spoken word.
- Listening to (and respecting) the ideas and opinions of clients
- Partnerships with clients
- Treating clients with respect
- Developing self-esteem
- Providing help and advice
- Promoting impendence
- Being sensitive to the feeling of others
- Being aware of own feelings.
7) Providing individualised care:
It’s important that every client have control of there own lives.
A client needs help from care practitioners, but it’s important that the practitioner strives to achieve the correct balance.
Clients need to express their own opinions and make informed choices so that they feel in control of their own care and live.
All clients have their own set of needs.
When clients feel they have the attention they need, the clients feel that they are individualised cared for by the practitioners.
For example:-
An elderly person may wish to live in his own home for as long as he can. A social worker will make an assessment of what supports he will need and want for his needs.
The social worker will help the client make a decision and arrange for the services to be provided so he can stay at home until it’s no longer possible.
