Duty of Care Free Essays

Duty of care Define the term ‘duty of care’ Duty of care means that you must aim to provide high quality care to the best of your ability and to ensure the well being of the service users. We all have a duty of care to consider the effects of our actions upon other people who may be affected. In the workplace you have policies and procedures that you have to follow. We will write a custom essay sample on Duty of Care or any similar topic only for you Order Now These policies and procedures will affect your role as a carer. Describe how the duty of care affects own work role I keep my knowledge skills up to date; I also provide service at the standard of the reasonable person. I know what must be done to ensure that the service can be provided safely I keep accurate records as appropriate I only delegate work or accept it when it is safe to do so I protect confidential information except where it conflicts with public interest or safety. Also every heath worker has a duty of care towards the service users and themselves and also their colleagues it can be applied to every aspect of work, from duties to undertake to equipment that may need to carry out working safely. Describe dilemmas that may arise between the duty of care and an individual’s rights As a care worker I try my best to help service users to live independently. That means encouraging them to make decisions for themselves. When someone in our care decides to do something that we think is unsafe, we face a dilemma (a difficult choice between two decisions). Sometimes we question ourselves if we let them do something dangerous, are we failing in our duty of care? So to help us with that we have: The Human Rights Act 1998 that states the following * freedom from torture and degrading treatment, freedom from slavery and forced labour * the right to liberty * the right to a fair trial * the right not to be punished for something that wasn’t a crime when you did it * the right to respect for private and family life * freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and freedom to express your beliefs * freedom of expression * freedom of assembly and association * the right to mar ry and to start a family * the right not to be discriminated against in respect of these rights and freedoms * the right to peaceful enjoyment of your property the right to an education As a carer I must treat your individuals with respect, whatever their life choices and beliefs. I must not unfairly discriminate against individuals by allowing your personal views to affect adversely my professional relationship with them or the treatment you provide or arrange. If carrying out a particular procedure or giving advice about it conflicts with your religious or moral beliefs, and this conflict might affect the treatment you must inform your manager without delay. I must not express to your individuals your personal beliefs, including political, religious or Moral beliefs, in ways that exploit their vulnerability or that are likely to cause them distress, I also must make the care of your individual your first concern. Trust and good communication are essential components of the carer- and a service user’s relationship. A Service user may find it difficult to trust you and talk openly and honestly with you if they feel you are judging them on the basis of their religion, culture, values, political beliefs or other non-medical factors. Explain where to get additional support and advice about how to resolve such dilemmas There are lots of people that could help care workers with service user’s dilemmas such as Families and friends of the service user, Colleagues, senior carers, Managers, Registered managers Advocates, Care Standards Inspectors, Social workers, Nurses †¢ Health Visitors, Doctors, police, Local Counsellors. Describe how to respond to complaints A service user or family relative can make a complaint about anything such as * Quality or amount of service. Charges for services. * Failure to follow correct procedures. * Delay in service provision. * A service not being provided. * Application of eligibility criteria. * ? Assessments, review, care plan outcomes. * Attitude or behaviour of staff. * The impact for an individual of the application of a local * Authority policy. When taking a complaint all staff should confirm the details of the complainant, the actual complaint and the desired outc ome. Then consider whether the issues can be resolved locally and promptly in discussion with Team Manager, who will be responsible for handling the complaint. Identify the main points of agreed procedures for handling complaints If a service user or a family member wishes to make a complaint or register a concern they should find it easy to do so. It is a policy to welcome complaints and look upon them as an opportunity to learn, adapt, improve and provide better services. This policy is intended to ensure that complaints are dealt with properly and that all complaints or comments by clients and their relatives, support workers and advocates are taken seriously. Failure to listen to or acknowledge complaints will lead to an aggravation of problems, client dissatisfaction and possible litigation. All oral complaints, no matter how seemingly unimportant, should be taken seriously. Front line staffs who receive an oral complaint should seek to solve the problem immediately. If staff cannot solve the problem immediately they should offer to a manager to deal with the problem. When a complaint is referred on to A manager or is received in writing it should be passed on to the named complaints manager who should record it in the Complaint Book and send an acknowledgment letter within two working days; the complaints manager will be the named person who deals with the complaint through the process. If the complainant is not prepared to have the investigation they should be advised to contact the General Social Care Commission and be given the relevant contact details. How to cite Duty of Care, Essay examples Duty of Care Free Essays 1. 1 What it means to have a duty of care in own work setting. Duty of care is the â€Å"fundamental obligation that anyone working in child care, whatever the type of service and whatever their role, is to keep children safe†. We will write a custom essay sample on Duty of Care or any similar topic only for you Order Now (Marilyn Hopkins LLB, Dip. Ed.. (March 2006). DUTY OF CARE. This will involve giving appropriate attention in particular tasks to ensure no one is harmed, watching out for potential hazards i. e. risk assessments preventing mistakes or accidents and making wise choices about steps undertaken in a role. A duty of care should also extend to parents, as they expect practitioners to use their knowledge and expertise to care for children properly. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework provides assurance to parents and carers that early years providers will keep their children safe and help the children to thrive. The overall aim of the EYFS is to help the children achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes, * Staying Safe. * Being healthy * Enjoying and Achieving * Making a positive contribution Achieving economic wellbeing By applying to all settings in the early years sector, improving quality and consistency through a universal set of standards. ` It is a legal responsibility from September 2008 that these providers ensure their provisions meet the learning and development requirements and complies with welfare regulations, as required by section 40 of the childcare Act 2006’ (Meggit. C (et al), 2011, pg. 41) 1. 2 Explain how duty of care contributes to the safe guarding or protection of Individuals Duty of care contributes to the safeguarding or protection of the individual child by having a number of policies and procedures to follow ensuring that a child’s health and safety is paramount. This is done by daily checks, risk assessments, fire drills so children are aware of where to go and what do to. Promises are in place to ensure the child has boundaries of what is acceptable behaviour. Each child has a progress plan to make sure that all individual needs are met. The guidance from the Every Child Matters Framework reminds us that: ‘as those who come into contact with children and families in their everyday work, including practitioners who do not have specific role in relation to safeguarding children, have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children’. (Meggit C. page 41) The general welfare requirements for safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare as set out by the EYFS are: * Providers must take necessary steps to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Providers must promote good health of the children, take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection, and take appropriate action when they are ill. * Children’s behaviour must be managed effectively and in a manner appropriate for their stage of development and particular individual needs. * Ensure that adults looking after children, or having unsupervised access to them, are suitable to do so Bibliography :  http://www. rch. org. au/emplibrary/ecconnections/CCH_Vol9_No1_March2006. pdf 19/11/2011 Meggitt. C, (et al), 2011, Children and Young People’s Workforce Hodder Education, London How to cite Duty of Care, Papers Duty of Care Free Essays When working you have a duty of care in your own work and this is to pay attention and to keep young children safe as they develop. The younger and more vulnerable a child is, the greater the duty of care you have to provide them As a practitioner it is our job to safeguard children daily in various ways to protect them from harm whether it is physical or psychological. We carry out risk assessments in the work setting to avoid any potential hazards; we also set rules and boundaries. We will write a custom essay sample on Duty of Care or any similar topic only for you Order Now We observe the children’s development and take action if needed from other professionals. We must also follow strict procedures if we suspect abuse. Potential conflicts or dilemma’s that may arise between the duty of care and an individual’s rights are that as a child, they have the right to facilitate their development and learning by being allowed to take risks and be challenged, is a practitioner does not allow a child to be able to do this then they are taking their duty of care too far. When intervening in the life of a child and family you must be careful not to disobey their rights and responsibilities as parents but at the same time make sure that the child’s safety is paramount. To manage risks associated with conflicts or dilemma’s between an individual’s rights and the duty of care is to find the balance of children’s rights and parent’s responsibilities. If you feel a child is gaining skills from risk taking then you should drop your duty of care in a way to support the child. If you suspect t a child is being abused then your duty o care may override the family’s rights of confidentiality. To get additional support and advice regarding conflicts and dilemma’s you can seek advice from your manager/supervisor and SENCO, also other professions that deal with child protection such as Ofsted, social services and health services. Should a parent/carer make a complaint to you then you need to follow procedures by reporting the complaint to your manager/supervisor. All complaints whether minor or major need to be logged in a record book. Also by using effective communication – listen and to always take the complaint seriously. How to cite Duty of Care, Papers