PSYCH 103 UNIT 7 PRINCIPLES OF SAFE PRACTICE IN HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE,100% CORRECT

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PSYCH 103 UNIT 7 PRINCIPLES OF SAFE PRACTICE IN HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE 11075795 Inton, Maria Sophia Ernestine L3 Health and Social Care YR 2 Bryan Smikle 11075795 Maria Sophia Alu... do Inton L3 Health and Social Care YR 2 UNIT 7 - Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care Bryan Smikle (AP1) Explain the implications of a duty of care in a selected health and social care setting. Duty of Care is the legal obligation that you have when in the position to look after vulnerable individuals to protect them from harm and support them to lead a fulfilled life working to high standards and all legislations and policies. In the workplace, there are policies and procedures, agreed standards, codes of practice and other legislation a care worker should follow. In a care worker’s job role, you would be responsible for making sure the service users’ needs are met to the best of your ability as well as making sure the service user does not come to any harm and also making sure they are involved in their care plan. This include promoting service users’ choice and rights to the best of your ability. You would be responsible for assessing risks. You must remain professional throughout your role making sure you are adhering to confidentiality, keeping up to date and accurate records of the care you have or are providing to service users. Duty of care contributes to the safeguarding or protection of individuals by keeping individuals safe whether it is illness, abuse, harm or injury. This can be achieved by involving families, health care professionals and other external agencies into the individuals care plan. Duty of care is a legal requirement and there are policies, procedures, code of conduct and legislation around safeguarding and protecting your service users. Following this guidelines is showing that a setting is providing the best care possible. If you are doing activities with service user, you should always do risk assessments making sure that the service user is aware of any risks also. In childminding settings, the childminder is the key person. The key person should meet the needs of each child in their care and respond sensitively to their feelings, ideas and behaviour, talking to parents to make sure that the child is being cared for appropriately for each family. Duty of care is needed not only to the children, but also to their parents and families, who expect us to use our knowledge to care for their children. A high duty of care is needed for children because of their narrow ability to care for themselves as they are still learning, and the younger the child the higher the duty of care is. The consideration should be even greater if a child is known to have learning difficulties or is known to have a medical condition which may make them more vulnerable than the average child to foreseeable risk of harm. If duties and responsibilities are not being met, the childminders are fully responsible and be held accountable for following negligence to occur. The EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) is the statutory framework that ensures all parents and carers that their children will be kept safe and will help them to succeed. This also helps to achieve the five stages of every child matters. Since 2008, it is a legal requirement to use the EYFS to meet the learning and development of all children in all early years setting which complies with the welfare regulations. In addition to that, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and young people, childminders are expected to report assessments, receive advice and support from the appropriate people. (Here is an example on how a duty of care is performed in a childminding setting. The given setting is based on where I had my work experience for 17 weeks.) Maria’s Childcare Services Within our setting, we: 1. Carry out daily checks to ensure that the environment inside and outside is safe before the morning session at 8am. 2. Have a checklist of things to do (i.e. check all fire doors are unlocked, all gates outside are locked, no wet floors and all plugs have safety covers etc) and tick them off when they’re done. 3. Have daily rotas for change of nappies, dinners and lunches and vacuuming. 4. Contribute to ensure it is clean at the end of session and at the end of the day and before and after meals we disinfect tables chairs to stop the spread of infection. 5. Ensure that at least one member of staff in each room has been trained in first aid and that we have the right equipment. 6. To complete accident forms when an accident occurs and getting the parent/carer to sign to say there have been made aware. 7. Sign in and out every child that enters and leave the setting, we also have one at the main doors for staff and people that come to drop or collect children. How does the duty of care contribute to the safeguarding or protection of individuals? One part of my work is to always put the children and young people first, keep them safe and protect them from significant harm. We must follow the guidance of every child matters and promote safeguarding and the welfare of the children and young people. We should also ensure that the person caring for a child especially alone is suitable to do so and has a DBS check. Many things help us to provide the care to keep children and young people protected and safe, some of them are as follows: Risk Assessments - By doing risk assessments for all of the activities we do and for the playing areas ensures that if any risks concerning equipment, venues and activities will be found therefore reducing the risk of injury or harm to the children and young people. Also, spotting potential hazards and eliminating them. This includes germs and transferable diseases, we can minimise this just by cleaning surface and toys with an anti-bacterial to promote good health. Policies and Procedures - By having policies and procedures in the setting, it gives a good guidance of what is suitable in the setting from an adult or child that is at an age of understanding the rules and boundaries. Making observations and assessing children: By doing this, I am able to check to see if individual child or young person is progressing and developing at suitable rates. Also by doing observations, it will help us pick up on and recognise any signs of neglect or abuse so that these can be reported to the relevant third parties to protect the child or young person. Training and Development: I and all other childcare providers must keep up to date on compulsory training such as first aid and safeguarding. No one should be left to care for a child or young person alone if they do not have the appropriate training to care for a child. 11075795 Maria Sophia Aludo Inton L3 Health and Social Care YR 2 UNIT 7 - Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care Bryan Smikle (AP2) Discuss ways in which complaints and appeals procedures address failure in a duty of care in a selected health and social care setting. The Care Quality Commission monitors, inspects, and regulates hospitals, care homes, GP surgeries, dental practices, organisations and other care services related to health and social care to ensure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety and publishes what it finds, including performance ratings to help people choose care. All organisations inspected and regulated by the CQC must have a complaints procedure and staff should be familiar with that procedure so they can assist people who wish to make a complaint. The care provider must investigate the complaint thoroughly and take action if problems are identified. Complaints may be made because of something done, an act committed, or they may be because of something that should have been done and was omitted. Some reasons for complaints against both NHS and Social Services may be: (1) Attitudes or behaviour of individual care workers, for example, rudeness, abuse or persistent lateness (2) Discrimination for example by not providing information in alternative formats for those with visual impairments (3) Poor delivery of services, such as not providing menu choices for vegetarians. Some complaints may relate to social care, for example: (1) the local authority refusing to assess a person’s need for adult social care, (2) unreasonable delays in assessing needs or providing services to meet assessed needs, (3) how the cost of a service is worked out if an individual has to pay. In the NHS, complaints should first be sent to the service provider. Many issues can be resolved locally and do not become full complaints. If the situation is not resolved then the complaints procedure is as follows: ❏ Stage One - Make a formal complaint to the service provider, for example, a GP, dentist, hospital or the organisation that commissioned their services, such as the local Clinical Commissioning Group or NHS England which purchases primary care services. CCGs oversee the commissioning of secondary carem such as hospital care and some community services. ❏ Stage Two - If you are not happy with the outcome of the complaint, you can refer the matter to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, who is independent of the NHS and government. Complaints relating to social care should be made to the local authority providing the care but if a person privately arranges and pays for their own care, or uses a direct payment from the local authority to pay for the care that they themselves arrange, they must complain to the organisation that is providing the care who will have their own complaints procedure. If the problem is not sorted, the Local Government Ombudsman makes final decisions on complaints that have not been resolved by the NHS in England and UK government departments and other UK public organisations. On the other hand, here is a summed up options for complaints procedure: 1. Speak to the person providing the care, or their manager 2. Use the local authority complaints procedure or the complaints procedure of the care provider if this isn’t the local authority 3. Report your complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman 4. Take legal action, for example, for personal injury, negligence, discrimination or for breach of your human rights 5. Report concerns to a regulatory body 6. Report concerns to other bodies such as the Care Quality Commission or your local Healthwatch 7. Talk to your local councilor about your concerns All organisations should treat complaints seriously and with respect. Healthwatch, the consumer champion for health and social care say that people should have the right to have complaints and feedback taken seriously and acted upon when things go wrong. 11075795 Maria Sophia Aludo Inton L3 Health and Social Care YR 2 UNIT 7 - Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care Bryan Smikle (AP3) Describe the types and signs of abuse and neglect that may be experienced by different individuals. There are different types and signs of abuse and neglect. This can be experienced by anyone regardless of one’s age, gender, race and ethnic background. In this section, I will be describing the types and signs of abuse a child can experience. I am using children as my example as I have had my work experience in a childcare setting. The term ‘safeguarding’ means the process of protecting children from abuse or neglect, preventing impairment of their health and development, and ensuring they are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care that enables children to have optimum life chances and enter adulthood successfully. Abuse and neglect are forms of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child either directly by inflicting harm, or indirectly, by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting; by those known to them; or, more rarely, by a stranger. They may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children. There are four types of child abuse. They are defined in the UK government guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ 2010. Although bullying is not defined as abuse within Safeguarding 2010, there is enough evidence that is it abusive and can consist in at least one, if not all of the types of abuse. Emotional abuse includes actions or behaviour that have a harmful effect on the emotional health and development of a person at risk. Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child that causes persistent adverse effects on their emotional development. This is also termed as psychological abuse which combines emotional abuse and emotional neglect (Glaser, 2011). There can be two elements involved in emotional abuse, active and passive. Active abuse is a premeditated act, an individual scares, demeans or verbally abuses another. This includes terrorising, rejecting, exploiting or corrupting. Passive emotional abuse consists of depriving a child of the love or care needed to lead a happy healthy life. This can be as a result of the lack of knowledge, understanding or care that a parent or carer has about the child’s needs. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. Emotional abuse can also involve serious bullying, including cyberbullying, causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger. This abuse can be difficult to measure, as there are often no physical signs. There may be a developmental delay due to a failure to thrive and grow, although this will usually only be evident if the child puts on weight in other circumstances, for example when hospitalised or away from their parents’ care. However, children who appear well-cared for may nevertheless be emotionally abused. Some signs that maybe visible are: neurotic behaviour, for an instance, sulking, hair twisting, rocking, being unable to play, fear of making mistakes, sudden speech disorders, self-harm, fear of parent being approached regarding their behaviour. They can also be excessively withdrawn. Physical abuse involves physical harm or injury to the child. This maybe as a result of a deliberate attempt to hurt the child or severely discipline. The signs of physical abuse can be unexplained bruising, marks or injuries on any part of the body, multiple bruises- in clusters often on the upper arm, outside of the thighs, cigarette burns, human bite marks, broken bones, scalds with upward splash marks. The child can seem to be on alert, as if waiting for something bad to happen. Shies away from touch, seems reluctant to go home, flinches at sudden movement. The injuries a child has, appear as a pattern such as marks from a hand or belt. Sexual abuse includes sexual activity where the individual cannot give consent, and includes sexual harassment. It may be abuse which does not involve contact, but is still sexual abuse, for example inappropriate looking, sexual photography, indecent exposure, sexual teasing or innuendo, being forced to watch pornographic films or images, enforced witnessing of sexual acts or sexual media and sexual harassment. For cases involving children, sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse, this also includes via the internet. Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women and other children can also commit acts of sexual abuse. This type of abuse is usually committed by someone known to the victim not just by the sexual predators. It is important to remember that boys as well as girls can also be a victim of sexual abuse. Signs of sexual abuse may include physical signs such as bruising, bleeding, pain, itching, infections or discharges in the genital area, or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), unusual difficulty in walking or sitting, foreign bodies in genital or rectal openings, wetting or soiling, torn, stained underclothing and pregnancy in a woman who is at risk or unable to consent to sexual intercourse. Behaviours may change and the person at risk may start to use explicit sexual language or may begin to self-harm. They may develop overt sexual behaviour and inappropriate attitudes towards others, copying the behaviour that was used towards them by the abuser. They may become withdrawn, have poor concentration and disturbed sleep, develop fear of relationships, and show fear of staff or other carers offering help with dressing, bathing, and become reluctant to be alone with a specific individual. Neglect happens when there is a failure to provide care, for example, putting food in front of a person but failing to check whether they can feed themselves. Neglect can be deliberate withholding of, or failure to provide necessary care and support. An act of omission is when a health or social care professional fails to meet the standards required of them by their professional code of conduct, for example, a nurse failing to give medication to a patient, or a social worker failing to check on a child at risk. Child Neglect can be a difficult form of abuse to recognise, yet can have some of the most lasting and damaging effects on children. Some of the signs can be: constant hunger, sometimes stealing food for other children, constantly dirty or ‘smelly’, loss of weight, or being constantly underweight, inappropriate clothing for the conditions. Changes in behaviour which can also indicate neglect may include: complaining of being tired all the time, not requesting medical assistance and/or failing to attend appointments, having few friends, mentioning being left alone or unsupervised. Bullying can be defined as a deliberately hurtful behaviour, usually repeated over a period of time, where it is difficult for those bullied to defend themselves. It can take many forms, but the three main types are physical (e.g. hitting, kicking, theft), verbal (e.g. racist or homophobic remarks, threats, name calling) and emotional (e.g. isolating an individual from activities and social acceptance of their peer group). Bullying can cause considerable distress to children to the extent that it affects their health and development or, at the extreme, cause them significant harm. 11075795 Maria Sophia Aludo Inton L3 Health and Social Care YR 2 UNIT 7 - Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care Bryan Smikle (BP4) Explain the factors that may contribute to and reduce the likelihood of abuse and neglect for service users in health and social care. Abuse continues to happen unfortunately and anyone can be a victim of it. Conversely, anyone can be an abuser. We will now tackle the factors that contribute to an individual becoming vulnerable to both abuse and to neglect. People may see themselves as isolated and alone but they often belong to certain groups which are vulnerable. Babies, children, and some older people are seen as more likely to be abused because they are seen as powerless because of their age and ability and because they have no one to defend their best interests. Children with increased vulnerability include those under one year, those with disabilities, looked-after children, and those who witness domestic violence. Adults in need of care and support are vulnerable, especially those who lack mental capacity, have communication difficulties, or are socially isolated. Children and adults who are vulnerable may suffer neglect or abuse if their caregiver abuses substances. Physical vulnerability - this may come from having physical disabilities. A wheelchair user who cannot get away from taunting bullies is vulnerable. A child with a chronic medical condition such as asthma may not be able to get away from the school bully who steals their lunch. A deaf eight-year-old resident may not hear the cruel comments carers make when she rings the bell yet again for the toilet. Cognitive impairment - this can make people vulnerable. An older person with a type of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease may be out on their own and get confused by their surroundings then ask a stranger to take them home. A young person with special educational needs may not understand when a carer behaves inappropriately. A child with a speech impairment may have difficulty expressing themselves and their views might be neglected by social workers keen to place them with a foster family. Emotional vulnerability - this includes depression, anxiety, and phobias. Relationships that involve influence or power have the potential for abuse. Someone who is depressed and has low self-esteem may easily be intimidated by a stronger partner in a relationship, or by a forceful carer who makes their decisions for them. People with anxiety and phobias are especially vulnerable, if someone deliberately tries to coerce them into making decisions in their favour. One elderly lady who lived alone received a telephone call supposedly from her bank, saying her account had been hacked. In order to prove they were genuine and not a scam, the fraudsters asked her to ring the bank back using the phone number printed on the back of her bank card. However, the fraudster kept the telephone line open so even though the person called the bank, the call did not go through. Instead she is unknowingly connected straight back to the fraudster. The fraudster then pretends to be from the bank and asks the lady to provide her full bank card details and key in her PIN so that their existing card can ‘cancelled’ and the new one ‘activated’ or ‘authorised’. They explained she would have to return her bank cards at once and they would send a courier to collect them. She gives her cards to the courier. The next day she finds her bank account has been emptied. Her anxiety made her emotionally vulnerable to financial abuse. Social vulnerability - this is an increasing problem in our ageing society, where older people live in social isolation and are lonely. One elderly lady answered the door to find two strangers who said they had just moved in next door and had brought her some cakes. She invited them in, made a cup of tea and was chatting to them when one asked to go to the toilet. He was some time. When he came back downstairs, the couple left. A few minutes later, the elderly lady found her handbag had been emptied of the hundred pounds she had withdrawn earlier that afternoon from the bank. Socially vulnerable people are susceptible to controlling and institutionalised behaviour – forcibly showered and soaked in water to make her stop spitting at carers. People who abuse others look for those who are vulnerable. Those who work in health and social care can reduce the likelihood of abuse by supporting vulnerable individuals by: Identifying people at risk of abuse and neglect and the importance of observation - Health and social care workers play an important role in identifying those at risk of abuse or neglect because as part of their work, they observe people. Case Scenario Peter Connolly, Baby P 1 March 2006 Baby P, Peter Connolly was born. December 2006: His mother was arrested after bruises were spotted on the boy’s face and chest by the GP. April 2007: Baby P was admitted to North Middlesex hospital with bruises, two black eyes and swelling on the left side of his head. May 2007: After seeing marks on the boy’s face, a social worker sent Baby P to the North Middlesex where 12 areas of bruises and scratches were found. His mother Tracey Connolly was re-arrested. July 2007: Injuries to Baby P’s face and hands were missed by a social worker after the boy was deliberately smeared with chocolate to hide them. 3 August 2007: Baby P was found dead in his cot. In the case of Baby P, a GP and a social worker both identified Peter as at risk of abuse and neglect. His mother was arrested each time. Perhaps if others around had been more observant, he might not have died. Awareness raising, providing information, advice and advocacy - Incidents of abuse and neglect are distressing to read about, but even more distressing for those suffering the abuse. By raising awareness and providing advice and information, people are more able to protect vulnerable individuals. It is important to have knowledge and understanding of the policies, legislation and regulation to reduce and help prevent abuse. If people know what to do and how to report suspected abuse, they are more likely to do so. It is also important that in a health and social care workplace, staff are provided the adequate training and given the continual professional development. This is to ensure they are aware of their legal and professional duty to be observant and report neglect and abuse. In addition, promoting empowerment and choice for service users contribute massively to reducing the possibilities of being at risk of abuse. Promoting empowerment and choice for service users, for example, through the personalisation of care brought in by the Care Act 2014, will help strengthen vulnerable people, giving them confidence, making them more assertive and less likely to be abused. 11075795 Maria Sophia Aludo Inton L3 Health and Social Care YR 2 UNIT 7 - Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care Bryan Smikle (CP5) Explain how to respond to concerns about abuse and neglect in the selected health and social care setting. Safeguarding means protecting and adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. To prevent neglect and abuse from happening, it is necessary to know how to respond and what actions to take. This includes following safeguarding policies and procedures. According to the Care Act 2014, the aims of adult safeguarding are to stop abuse or neglect wherever possible, prevent harm and reduce the risk of abuse or neglect to adults with care and support needs, safeguard adults in a way that supports them in making choices and having control about how they want to live, promote an approach that concentrates on improving life for the adults concerned, raise public awareness so that communities as a whole, alongside professionals, play their part in preventing, identifying and responding to abuse and neglect, provide information and support in accessible ways to help people understand the different types of abuse, how to stay safe and what to do to raise a concern about the safety or well-being of an adult and address what has caused the abuse or neglect. Procedures in safeguarding may include a statement of purpose relating to promoting well-being, preventing harm and responding effectively if concerns are raised, a statement of specific roles and responsibility, authority and accountability so that all staff and volunteers understand their role and limitations, a statement of the procedures for dealing with allegations of abuse, including those for dealing with emergencies by ensuring immediate safety, the processes for initially assessing abuse and neglect and deciding when intervention is appropriate, and the arrangements for reporting to the police, urgently when necessary and a list of all services which might offer access to support or redress. When safeguarding children, Sections 11 and 12 of the Children Act 2004 place a statutory duty on agencies to cooperate to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The statutory guidance ‘Working together to Safeguard Children - A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children’ (2015) focuses on a child-centred and coordinated approach to safeguarding. It says that everyone has a responsibility to keep children safe. Concerns about the children SHOULD NEVER BE IGNORED. After immediately responding to disclosure of abuse, the incident must be reported within the same day. If a criminal offence has or is likely to occur, the police must be notified at once and then the incident reported to the local lead agency. If no criminal offence is involved, the incident must be reported immediately to the local lead agency, which is likely to be local social services. Whistle-blowing is disclosure by an individual to the public, or those in authority, of mismanagement, corruption, illegality, or some other form of wrongdoing in the workplace. The law protecting whistleblowers is the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA). The usual steps are first, check your employer’s whistle-blowing policy and follow the steps set out in it. The policy should give details of the contact person for raising concerns within your organisation. Raise concerns internally with the line manager so issues can be addressed at a local level. You should be kept informed about the action taken to deal with it. If nothing happens, escalate your concerns internally with the higher management. If nothing happens after raising concerns with the higher management, escalate your concerns externally with a prescribed regulator. If there is concern about the health, behaviour, or practice of another professional, raise your concerns internally and also notify the appropriate regulator for their profession. In Maria’s Childcare Services, staff and healthcare professionals, whether paid or voluntary, in all agencies and organisations, where they come in to contact with children and young people, or similarly, all those who work in some way with adults, who may be parents or carers are expected to be alert to potential indicators of abuse or neglect, be alert to the risks which individual abusers or potential abusers, may pose to children, be alert to the impact on the child of any concerns of abuse or maltreatment, be able to gather and analyse information as part of an assessment of the child’s needs. Professional and Agency Response - In our setting, we have our child protection procedures in place to support and provide information about how and what action to take when there are concerns about a child. Those child protection procedures will include information about how to: 1. Identify potential or actual harm to children; 2. Discuss and record concerns with a first line manager/in supervision; 3. Analyse concerns by completing an assessment 4. Discuss concerns with the agency’s designated safeguarding children advisor Hearing and Observing the Child - Whenever a child reports that they are suffering or have suffered significant harm through abuse or neglect, or have caused or are causing physical or sexual harm to others, the initial response from all professionals should be to listen carefully to what the child says and to observe the child’s behaviour and circumstances to: 1. Clarify the concerns; 2. Offer reassurance about how the child will be kept safe; 3. Explain what action will be taken and within what timeframe. The child must not be pressed for information, led or cross-examined or given false assurances of absolute confidentiality, as this could prejudice police investigations, especially of sexual abuse. It should be explained to the child that whilst their view will be taken into account, the professional has a responsibility to take whatever action is required to ensure the child’s safety of other children. Parental Consultation - Concerns which have been raised, should, where practicable, be discussed with the parent and agreement sought for a referral to Maria’s Childcare Services unless seeking agreement is likely to place the child at risk of significant harm through delay or from the parent's actions or reactions; For example in circumstances where there are concerns or suspicions that a serious crime such as sexual abuse, domestic violence or induced illness has taken place. Making a Referral - Referrals should be made to Maria’s Childcare Services for the area where the child is living or is found. If the child is known to have an allocated social worker, the referral should be made to them or in their absence to the social worker's manager or a duty children's social worker. In all other circumstances referrals should be made to the duty officer. The referred should confirm verbal and telephone referrals in writing, within 48 hours. Where an assessment has been completed prior to referral, these details should also be conveyed at the point of referral. Maria’s Childcare Services should within one working day of receiving the referral make a decision about the type of response that will be required to meet the needs of the child, and feedback the decision to the referrer. If this does not occur within three working days, the referrer should contact these services again and, if necessary, ask to speak to a line manager to establish progress. 11075795 Maria Sophia Aludo Inton L3 Health and Social Care YR 2 UNIT 7 - Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care Bryan Smikle (CP6) Compare the influence of different health and safety laws and policies on health and social care practice in a selected setting. Employers have a duty of to ensure a safe working environment for their employees. Maintaining health and safety is essential in any area of work but especially in health and social care where staff and members of the public may be at risk. The Care Quality Commission is the lead inspection and enforcement body under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 for safety and quality of treatment and care matters involving patients and service users receiving a health or adult social care service from a provider registered with CQC. The Care Quality Commission took the lead role for patient and service user health and safety in health and adult social care in England in April 2015. The Health and Safety Executive and local authorities are the lead inspection and enforcement bodies for health and safety matters involving patients and service users receiving health or care service from providers not registered with CQC. They are also the lead inspection and enforcement bodies for health and safety matters involving workers, visitors and contractors, irrespective of registration. Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) - This act requires everyone to have a responsibility for health and safety. Employees must take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and others who may be affected by the employee’s acts or omissions at work. A care worker spills water on the floor. They are responsible for making sure the water is dried or if they cannot do it immediately, they must warn others and ensure no one can slip. Employers must provide personal protective equipment and aprons but it is the employee’s responsibility to use them to prevent cross infection. Employers should regularly risk assess tasks and reduce the risk of injury from slips, trips, and falls. Employers must display the Health and Safety law poster or provide each worker with a copy of the equivalent pocket card. The Manual Handling Operations and Regulations (2002) - This manual was originally published in 1992 and applies to many different manual handling activities such as lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling or carrying animate loads which may move unpredictably, such as a person, or inanimate ones, such as a box or a trolley. Incorrect manual handling can cause injury. Employers must consider the risks to employees, consult and involve employees in reducing risks. The Food Hygiene Regulations (2006) - This regulation apply throughout the UK and consolidated and simplified previous EU hygiene legislation. They control throughout the food chain, from primary production to sale or supply to the final consumer, focus or public health protection and clarify that it is primary responsibility of food business operators to produce food safety. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) 2002 - Substances that are hazardous to health must be controlled in the workplace. Exposure to hazardous substances can be prevented or reduced by finding out what the health hazards are, for example, risk of harm from cleaning chemicals, or from body fluids for care workers, deciding how to prevent harm to health (risk assessment), providing information, instructions and training, providing monitoring and health surveillance in appropriate cases, planning for emergencies. Data Protection Act (1989) - Information sharing has proved a barrier to effective joint working but is permitted where it is of vital interest – a term used in the Data Protection Act (PIDA) 1998 to permit sharing of information where it is critical to prevent serious harm or distress, or in life-threatening situations. The Equality Act (2010) - This Act brought together previous laws into one discrimination law which protects individuals from unfair treatment and promotes a fair and more equal society. Under this Act, you are protected from discrimination in the workplace, when using public services like health care or education, when using businesses and other organisations that provide services and goods, when using transport, joining a club or association (e.g. your local football club); and when you have contact with public bodies such as the local council or government departments. The Care Act (2014) - This Act brought in some of the biggest changes for 60 years to the way care is delivered. It placed a duty on local authorities to promote well-being, to focus on preventing, reducing or delaying needs, to provide information and advice to service users and change from a service led system to a person-centred one that focuses on outcomes for service users. Local authorities have a legal duty to assess needs and eligibility and provide independent advocacy. Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks - This prevents unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CBR) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). Safeguarding regulations include information about the Disclosure and Barring Service and are part of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. Legislations and policies improve services. Monitor, the sector regulator for health services in England, and the NHS Trust Development Authority publish quarterly reports on NHS performance. Safeguarding policies and legislation influence practice by clarifying what to do, who should be involved in safeguarding, and have emphasised training for staff around their responsibilities in this area. Protection from accidents, injuries and illness, including infection control, food preparation, hazardous substances - national minimum standards have clear guidelines for employers and employees meaning more people are aware of what good care is and what is not. Staff and service users are protected by this legislations. Managing risk assessments and maintaining a safe working environment, including safe moving and handling - managing risk assessments and maintaining a safe working environment, including safe moving and handling has become everyone’s business. Staff are trained to risk assess situations and have safe practice, including the storage and handling of medication. Promoting health and well-being - promoting health and well-being is emphasised and the shift from cure to prevention has influenced practice as more funding is directed into maintaining health. Better care, a joint initiative between local authorities and CCGs aims to reduce the number of hospital admissions. Legislation - legislation provides confidence and reassurance for families and other carers. The Care Act 2014 brought together different laws and put the patient at the heart of care, focusing on outcomes for them as a measure of the service. Meet legal and regulatory requirements, including record keeping. Legislation and policy clarify requirements for record keeping according to the Data protection Act and the Care Act. Self-assessment involves the person at the heart of the care. Personal budgets and direct payments involved record keeping on the part of the budget holder and give a tighter control on finances. Recruitment of staff in health and social care - this remains an issue. Agency staff maintain many services where there are insufficient permanent staff. Disclosure and Barring Service checks help to ensure that the many thousands of staff employed in health and care have clear criminal records. 11075795 Maria Sophia Aludo Inton L3 Health and Social Care YR 2 UNIT 7 - Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care Bryan Smikle (DP7) Explain how different procedures maintain health and safety in a selected health and social care setting. Procedures are ways of doing something, so procedures to maintain health and safety are ways of ensuring a healthy and safe environment. Keeping children of all ages safe and healthy is one of the most important tasks of child care providers. Whether children are in centre-based or home-based care, providers are responsible for ensuring safety both inside and outside their child care setting. Health and safety are major concerns for child care providers when transporting children. They should be prepared to prevent injuries and illnesses to handle emergencies. Maria’s Childcare Services’ Health and Safety Procedures ❏ Infection Control and Prevention - Infections and diseases spread rapidly when hygiene is poor. Infections are less of a threat to healthy people but in some health care settings where people may have less resistance to organisms, infections can be deadly. In our setting, keeping the child care environment clean is one of the best ways to help ensure that children stay healthy. Dirty toys, bedding, linens, eating utensils, and surfaces can carry and spread germs. Regular disinfecting should be a part of the routine in a child care setting.This can be done through washing the item with soap and water or through disinfecting them by using bleach. For carers and workers, hands should be decontaminated immediately by using hand rub or soap and water before and after every episode of direct contact or care even when they wear gloves. ❏ Bathroom Safety - As children begin to use the toilet, bathroom safety becomes especially important. Because there are many potential safety hazards in the bathroom, child care providers need to supervise bathroom use carefully. As children reach the preschool years and beyond, child care providers can also help children stay safe in the bathroom by teaching them how to identify and avoid risks. The bathroom has many areas and materials that could be risky to young children. To maintain the health and safety of the children, you should be aware of the following risks like drowning, hazardous chemicals, burns and shocks, falls and plan ways to eliminate or reduce them. This means a carer should never allow a toddler a child or a young person to go to the bathroom alone as most of them are not developmentally ready to be left in a bathroom because they do not have the sufficient self-control and judgment to avoid risks. ❏ Food Safety - Safe storing, preparing, and serving of foods is just as important in child care programs as serving a balanced diet. Many children and adults get sick from eating foods that are not properly handled. It's important to follow food safety guidelines carefully whenever you buy, store, prepare, or serve food. Guidelines for food safety begin with food purchasing and continue through storing, preparing, serving, and cleaning up afterwards. ❏ Handwashing - Keeping all children healthy is an important goal of child care programs, and washing hands carefully and thoroughly can help children and child care providers prevent the spread of germs that cause illness. Thorough hand washing can remove as much as 90 percent of the virus-containing particles and bacteria on your skin. That's a lot of protection from infection for the amount of time and effort it takes. Child care providers and children should wash their hands regularly during the day. ❏ Outdoor Safety - Children love to play outdoors. It is a wonderful place to test one's physical abilities and to just have fun. Keeping children safe outdoors requires some special precautions. Here are some tips for keeping children in your child care program safe outdoors. It is important to never leave children to play or wander alone outside, teach the children not to play near the street, and check the outdoor play routinely. Remove trash, sharp objects, tools, lawn equipment and any object that can possibly harm a child. Ensuring that the playground area is safe requires careful planning and monitoring. Remember that infants and toddlers (ages 0 - 2), preschool-age children (ages 3 – 5), and school-age children (ages 5 – 12) have different developmental needs and abilities, and may need developmentally different. Different age groups may need different playground equipment in areas separated by fences to ensure that playgrounds are safe and fun for everyone. ❏ Preventing Illness - Because children in child care spend so much time together, it's not unusual for germs to spread. Child care providers can reduce the spread of common illnesses by using simple precautions like thorough hand washing and keeping surfaces and toys clean. Child care programs can also help prevent the spread of illnesses by requiring immunizations and by developing rules to exclude children with specific symptoms. ❏ Preventing Injuries - Injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for young children. Young children are at higher risk of injuries overall, and certain injuries are more probable at different ages. Toddlers are most susceptible to poisoning, preschoolers to drowning, and school-aged children to pedestrian accidents. Children are more likely to be injured when they are not under appropriate adult supervision. The vast majority of childhood injuries are preventable. Child care providers need to take specific steps to prevent injury in the child care setting. This includes indoor and outdoor safety where children must be protected and looked-after seriously. 11075795 Maria Sophia Aludo Inton L3 Health and Social Care YR 2 UNIT 7 - Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care Bryan Smikle (DP8) Explain the health and safety responsibilities of employers, employees and others in a selected health and social care setting. Both employers and employees are obliged under the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 to reduce workplace hazards. Failure to meet these obligations may not only cause personal suffering and financial losses, but may also result in legal action. Duty of care refers to the responsibility of each person to do everything within their power to ensure a safe and healthy environment. Duty of care places into a legal form a moral duty to anticipate possible causes of injury and illness and to everything reasonably practicable to remove or minimise these possible causes of harm. This duty of care is written into the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 as obligations. All adults in a workplace are legally responsible for workplace health and safety issues. Duty of care cannot be delegated. That means you cannot pass on that responsibility to anyone else. Employer’s responsibilities - Employers have an obligation to provide a work environment free from hazards and to ensure the health and safety of themselves, their workers and other people affected by the workplace. They meet this obligation by complying with the relevant workplace health and safety regulations that govern their type of business and by following the Advisory Standard or adopting an equally effective way of managing exposure to risks. Employers who do not meet their obligations under the Act may face severe penalties (fines, imprisonment, lawsuits). Employees’ responsibilities - Responsibilities of employees include taking reasonable care of their own and others’ health and safety, following guidance from health and safety training, identifying potential hazards in the setting and participating in training and updates provided. Maria’s Childcare Services Responsibilities as a Childcare Worker As a parent, you rely on childcare workers to care for your children and keep them safe when you are not around. Childcare workers may care for your children at your home or in a childcare center. Each state has laws and regulations in place to ensure that all children enjoy a safe environment when their parents are not around. ❏ Education and Certification - Childcare workers must meet the education and certification requirements in their area. Some areas do not have any education requirements, while others require a high school diploma or a degree in childhood education. ❏ Safety - The primary legal responsibility of a childcare worker ensures the safety of the children. You must comply with state regulations, which may include first aid and CPR certification and plans for emergencies, such as fires or tornadoes. In addition, the home or center must meet sanitary and fire regulations, including smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. Workers must know each child's relevant medical history and be prepared to prevent and provide first aid for any resulting health issues. This includes conditions such as asthma or diabetes and allergies to food, medication or bee stings. In addition, if the childcare worker transports children, the car must contain appropriate car and booster seats. If driving is one of the workers responsibilities, the childcare center or family may check the worker's driving. ❏ Sick Children - In most cases, childcare workers are not legally responsible to accept the care of sick children. However, if a child becomes ill or the worker accepts the care of a sick child, the worker is responsible for providing appropriate medical care. This may include providing a place for the child to rest, administering medications or calling 999 for emergency medical care, if necessary. ❏ Abuse - Childcare workers must report all suspected cases of child abuse or neglect to law enforcement even if they do not have concrete proof of abuse. Some physical signs of abuse include frequent or unexplained bruising, dental trauma or broken bones. In addition, the child may show behavioral signs such as being fearful of adults or reluctant to go home, and aggressive or destructive behavior. Childcare workers should also look for signs of emotional or psychological abuse which include speech disorders, eating disorders or ulcers and withdrawing from social interaction. Failure to report suspected abuse may result in fines or criminal charges depending on state law. In addition, childcare workers may not abuse children in their care. Some examples of abusive behavior include grabbing, yelling and screaming and forcing hugs and kisses. Responsibilities of others in the setting, such as visitors, includes following health and safety guidance and emergency procedures if required, and abiding by relevant regulations, policies, and procedures such as signing in and out if required. 11075795 Maria Sophia Aludo Inton L3 Health and Social Care YR 2 UNIT 7 - Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care Bryan Smikle (AM1) Assess the importance of balancing individual rights with a duty of care in a selected health and social care setting. Having duty of care means that the individuals are protected by having risk assessments these outline the risk of the activities we do in work place and rate the chance of this happening. This reduces the chance of harm and we also have policies and procedures that give you clear rules and boundaries ensures that staff know how to act within the work environment, this means not behaving in ways that could cause distress or harm to individuals. Sometimes care workers may feel that there is a conflict between their duty of care and the wishes of the person using the service. Best interest decisions can only be made for individuals who cannot decide matters for themselves at the time a particular decision needs to be taken. So before starting to think about best interests, you need to be certain that the person doesn’t have the capacity to make this decision. For example in a care home, Mr. Wanda has decided that he will go and collect his pension at the bank himself. You don’t feel this is wise as he has to cross a busy road and his sight and hearing are not good, but he is perfectly capable of making a decision. A statement comes from the Department of Health (DH) that clearly explains about the balance of risk: “Supporting people to make informed choices - most of the choices that people make in life naturally involve some element of risk, and the decisions made by people using health and social care are no different. Avoiding risks altogether would constrain their choices and opportunities. Risk is a concept that tends to have negative connotations but people take considered risks all of the time and gain many positive benefits. As new health and social care choices and opportunities arise, they are likely to involve the consideration of taking risks. To be able to carefully think about Mr. Wanda’s situation, we have to look at the The Mental Capacity Act (MCA) which provides a framework to empower and protect people who may lack capacity. Considering the decision by Mr. Wanda to collect his own pension, it is important that as a care worker, you know his capability to make such decision and to be able to provide an evidence that he may lack capacity or an unwise decision with capacity. The law states that you cannot assume that a person cannot make their own decisions simply because of their condition (in this case, a sight and hearing impairment). Mr. Wanda may, for example, know that a school crossing patrol officer will help him across bas he always does. If his behaviour or history suggests that he may lack capacity to make this decision, then a staff must carry out a capacity assessment. This capacity assessment may require a two stage process: ❏ Is there an impairment or disturbance in the functioning of the mind or brain? ❏ Does this prevent Mr. Wanda from making this decision? The MCA Code of Practice provides guidance about how to assess capacity. The Codes of Practice state that we must assume people have capacity unless there is evidence to suggest otherwise, do all we can to maximise someone’s capacity to make their own decisions, not assume that someone who makes an unwise decision lacks capacity, act in a person’s best interests, and apply the least intrusive intervention. As a responsible care worker, you need to do all you can to support Mr. Wanda to understand the risks and your concerns. A duty of care does not mean that you have the automatic right to override Mr. Wanda’s wishes. Working within this process may sometimes create an uncomfortable situation, when you think a person is planning, with mental capacity, to take a risk that you may consider ‘unwise’. Discuss your concerns with the person and explain your worries. If the risk seems great, you could discuss the matter with other involved professionals, such as the commissioners, medical practitioners and the local safeguarding team. It is important to let people make their own decisions whenever possible as people can become depressed, demotivated and more dependent if they are not allowed to make their own decisions and take risks especially for a setting like in a care home where older people are most likely to be considered as people who doesn’t have the inability to do things independently due to their age. We must understand our responsibilities as care workers to protect and ensure individual’s safety but we must also balance our duties and responsibilities with the individual’s rights to make their own decisions and let them live their lives independently. 11075795 Maria Sophia Aludo Inton L3 Health and Social Care YR 2 UNIT 7 - Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care Bryan Smikle (BM2) Assess the importance of recognising and responding to evidence or concerns about different types of abuse and neglect in health and social care setting. Cruelty to children and young people is a criminal offence and child abuse and neglect can have serious adverse health and social consequences for children and young people. These include: effects on growth and physical development, impaired language development and behaviour, impaired ability to socialise, play and learn, increased likelihood of being involved in anti-social behaviour, increased likelihood of suicidal thoughts and attempts during adolescence. These negative consequences can persist into adulthood. Adult survivors of childhood abuse are more likely to misuse substances and to experience mental health problems and physical ill health. Recognising and responding to child abuse and neglect, or its early signs, is complex. Key challenges practitioners may face include: ❏ Knowing ‘when to be worried’ that a child or young person is being abused or neglected and how serious a cause for concern different indicators may be. ❏ Assessing levels of risk and need in relation to child abuse and neglect. ❏ Knowing what early help interventions are effective when there are early signs of child abuse and neglect. ❏ Knowing what interventions are effective in helping children and young people to recover following child abuse and neglect, and to support families in which there has been child abuse and neglect. For somewhat reasons, children and young people who are being abused or neglected might have a difficulty with telling someone about their experience and as a responsible and sensitive care worker, it is important that you recognise whenever a child feels such way. This is due to the following reasons: (1) they may have feelings of confusion, shame, guilt and of being stigmatised, (2) they may not recognise their own experiences as abusive or neglectful, (3) they may be being coerced by (or may be attached to) the person or people abusing or neglecting them, (4) they may fear the consequences of telling someone, for example that no one will believe them, the abuse or neglect might get worse, their family will be split up or excluded by their community, or they will go into care, they may have communication difficulties or may not speak English fluently. Recognise that children and young people may communicate their abuse or neglect indirectly through their behaviour and appearance. Take into account that when children and young people communicate their abuse or neglect (either directly or indirectly), it may refer to non-recent abuse or neglect. Explore your concerns with children and young people in a non-leading way, for example by using open questions, if you are worried that they may be being abused or neglected. If a child or young person tells you they have been abused or neglected, make a referral to children’s social care using your local procedures. Explain to the child or young person who you will need to tell, and discuss what will happen next and when. Senior managers should ensure staff working in community settings, including education can recognise and respond to child abuse and neglect and are aware of child safeguarding guidance relevant to their profession, for example, the Department of Education’s “Keeping children safe in education”. Consider child abuse and neglect if a child or young person displays or is reported to display a marked change in behaviour or emotional state (see examples below) that is a departure from what would be expected for their age and developmental stage and is not fully explained by a known stressful situation that is not part of child abuse and neglect (for example, bereavement or parental separation) or medical cause. Examples include: ❏ recurrent nightmares containing similar themes ❏ extreme distress ❏ markedly oppositional behaviour ❏ withdrawal of communication Consider child abuse and neglect if a child's behaviour or emotional state is not consistent with their age and developmental stage or cannot be fully explained by medical causes, neurodevelopmental disorders (for example, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], autism spectrum disorders) or other stressful situation that is not part of child abuse or neglect (for example, bereavement or parental separation). Examples of behaviour or emotional states that may fit this description include: ❏ Emotional states: fearful, withdrawn, low self-esteem ❏ Behaviour: aggressive, oppositional Consider current or past child abuse or neglect if children or young people are showing any of the following behaviours: ❏ substance or alcohol misuse ❏ self-harm ❏ eating disorders ❏ suicidal behaviours ❏ bullying or being bullied Sexual behavioural alerting features: Suspect current or past child abuse and neglect if a child or young person's sexual behaviour is indiscriminate, precocious or coercive. Suspect child abuse and neglect, and in particular sexual abuse, if a prepubertal child displays or is reported to display repeated or coercive sexualised behaviours or preoccupation (for example, sexual talk associated with knowledge, emulating sexual activity with another child). Physical neglect alerting features: Suspect neglect if you repeatedly observe or hear reports of any of the following in the home that is in the parents or carers' control: a poor standard of hygiene that affects a child's health, inadequate provision of food, a living environment that is unsafe for the child's developmental stage. Be aware that it may be difficult to distinguish between neglect and material poverty. However, care should be taken to balance recognition of the constraints on the parents’ or carers' ability to meet their children's needs for food, clothing and shelter with an appreciation of how people in similar circumstances have been able to meet those needs. Suspect neglect if a child is persistently smelly and dirty. Take into account that children often become dirty and smelly during the course of the day. Use judgement to determine if persistent lack of provision or care is a possibility. Examples include: child seen at times of the day when it is unlikely that they would have had an opportunity to become dirty or smelly (for example, an early morning visit), if the dirtiness is ingrained. Consider neglect if a child has severe and persistent infestations, such as scabies or head lice. Consider neglect if a child's clothing or footwear is consistently inappropriate (for example, for the weather or the child's size). Take into account that instances of inadequate clothing that have a suitable explanation (for example, a sudden change in the weather, slippers worn because they were closest to hand when leaving the house in a rush) or resulting from behaviour associated with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism would not be alerting features for possible neglect. Alerting features relating to interactions between children and young people and parents or carers: Consider neglect or physical abuse if a child’s behaviour towards their parent or carer shows any of the following, particularly if they are not observed in the child’s other interactions: dislike or lack of cooperation, lack of interest or low responsiveness, high levels of anger or annoyance, seeming passive or withdrawn. Consider emotional abuse if there is concern that parent– or carer–child interactions may be harmful. Examples include: Negativity or hostility towards a child or young person. Rejection or scapegoating of a child or young person. Developmentally inappropriate expectations of or interactions with a child, including inappropriate threats or methods of disciplining. Exposure to frightening or traumatic experiences. Using the child for the fulfilment of the adult's needs (for example, in marital disputes). Failure to promote the child's appropriate socialisation (for example, involving children in unlawful activities, isolation, not providing stimulation or education). Suspect emotional abuse if the interactions observed are persistent. Consider emotional neglect if there is emotional unavailability and unresponsiveness from the parent or carer towards a child or young person and in particular towards an infant. Suspect emotional neglect if the interaction observed is persistent. Consider child abuse and neglect if parents or carers are seen or reported to punish a child for wetting or soiling despite practitioner advice that the symptom is involuntary. Consider child abuse and neglect if a parent or carer refuses to allow a child or young person to speak to a practitioner on their own when it is necessary for the assessment of the child or young person. Assessing risk and need in relation to child abuse and neglect: early help assessment (undertaken by a lead professional) should be undertaken, assessment under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 (led by a social worker) or enquiry under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 (led by a social worker, sometimes jointly with police). Refer to guidance on early help and statutory assessment in ‘Working together to safeguard children’ as well as local protocols for assessment. The following recommendations highlight areas or practice which have been shown by evidence as being of particular importance, or as not always working well in practice. Carrying out assessments: Organisations should ensure that practitioners conducting assessment in relation to abuse or neglect of disabled children or young people, or those with neurodevelopmental disorders, can access a specialist with knowledge about those children and young people’s specific needs and impairments. Analyse the information collected during assessment and use it to develop a plan describing what services and support will be provided. Make sure the plan is agreed with the child or young person and their family. Analysis should include evaluating the impact of any vulnerability factors and considering their implications for the child or young person. Review assessments and plans regularly. Working with children or young people means accepting complex duties and responsibilities. This requires serious attention that has to be met professionally. For a child’s safety and for the worker’s benefit, it is important that you have the adequate knowledge regarding the policies, legislations and health and safety procedures especially on how to deal with circumstances like abuse and neglect. Having the adequate knowledge with these topics will enable you to provide actions which will help prevent future abuse and will help create better care and services. 11075795 Maria Sophia Aludo Inton L3 Health and Social Care YR 2 UNIT 7 - Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care Bryan Smikle (CM3) Analyse how health and safety legislation or policies influence safe practice in a selected health and social care setting. There are numerous existing policies and procedures for communicating information on health and safety in the health and social care workplace. Among them the data protection act is the most pertinent. The Data Protection Act 1998 is in place to protect service users’ right to privacy, particularly of personal information such as service user’s ethnicity, political and religious beliefs, health, sexuality and criminal record. Service user’s responsibility is to ensure that information about the people someone works with remains confidential and secure. Personal information may only be disclosed to someone else if the individual concerned gives consent, if there is a life and death situation, or if people need it in order to work with the individual. Therefore, if someone is asked to disclose information about someone work with, someone must be satisfied that the person asking for the information has a right to know. Different organisations have different procedures for checking a person’s right to know. However, as a general rule, ask for proof of ID and documentation that demonstrates their right to know. If they have no such proof or the enquiry is over the telephone, ask questions which a service worker believes only they could answer, for example the date of birth and family names of the person concerned. If you remain unconvinced, explain politely that a service worker cannot disclose any information because, under the terms of the 1998 Data Protection Act, he is unsure of their identity. Suggest that they write or return with suitable ID. If he is satisfied with their ID but unsure about making a disclosure, take their telephone number and speak with his manager. K was a home case-assistant on her first visit to a new client, Mr. W. She had been warned that his house was in a poor condition and that he had a large dog. She knew that he had a history of psychiatric illness and had, in the past been admitted to the hospital compulsory under the Mental Act 1983. When K arrived on her first morning, outside of the house was in a poor state-garden was overgrown, it was full of rubbish and old furniture. The front door was half open and she saw that half the floor boards in the hallway appeared to be missing-there were simply joist and a drop into the cellar below, Mr. W’s dog was at the top of the hallway growling and barking, Mr W was at the top of the stairs shouting “You won’t get me out of here- I will kill you first.” In that above scenario, it is K’s key responsibilities to keep Mr. W as safe as possible. It is also his legal responsibility. In order to health and safety in her work place- this domiciliary home, K are required to find out the hazards and possible risks factors in Mr. W’s home. Since Mr. W own a dog, K should weigh up all the possibilities of infection through this pet and what risks involve here for Mr. W. Then K should analyze all the hazardous substances of Mr. W’s home and their threats in a domiciliary home. Risks assessment is very important in care planning. If a risk assessment shows that the work cannot be done safely, other arrangements have to be put in place. Risk assessment takes account of risks to employees, the person/s being supported, and anyone else involved. The risk assessment procedure is as followed: ❏ Identify the hazards (remember, a hazard is anything that may cause harm). ❏ Decide who might be harmed and how. ❏ Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions. ❏ Record your findings and implement them. ❏ Review assessment and update if necessary. Under health and safety law you as an employee are required to: ❏ Follow the training you have received when using any work items your employer has given you; ❏ Take reasonable care of your own and other people’s health and safety; ❏ Cooperate with your employer on health and safety; ❏ Tell someone (your employer, supervisor, or health and safety representative) if you think inadequate precautions are putting anyone’s health and safety at serious risk (HSE 2014). Health and Safety at Work etc Act (HASWA) 1974 ensures the health and safety of everyone who may be affected by work activities. Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR) 1999 require employers and managers to carry out risk assessments to eliminate or minimise risks to health and safety. Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 minimise the risks to health and safety associated with working conditions. Manual Handling Operations Regulations (MHOR) 1992 minimise the risks to health and safety associated with moving and handling activities. Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations (PPE) 1992 minimise the risks to health and safety associated with cross infection. Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995 require that certain work-related injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences are reported to the HSE or local authority. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) 2002 minimise the risks to health and safety from the use of hazardous substances. 11075795 Maria Sophia Aludo Inton L3 Health and Social Care YR 2 UNIT 7 - Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care Bryan Smikle (DM4) Analyse how individual responsibilities and health, safety and emergency procedures contribute to safe practice in a selected health and social care setting. Image Source: gallery_img2.jpg In Maria’s Childcare Services, protection and safety of the children is one of the key missions in delivering care and services. Each and everyone who works with a child are required to know their individual responsibilities as well as the health and safety precautions. In order to understand the responsibilities as a whole relating to health and safety in the work setting, it is important to: ❏ Identify legislation relating to general health and safety in the environment (Legislation should be relevant and up to date) ❏ Be able to know the policies, procedures and codes of practice agreed with the employer ❏ Be able to deal with accidents, injuries and emergency situations such as reporting and recording minor and major accidents; first aid situations, for example, hygiene procedures; food handling and preparation, for example, food hygiene regulations; infection control and dealing with hazardous substances, for example, procedures for disposing of clinical waste. It is important to take responsibility of the events in the setting as a whole but it is also important to take note of the individual responsibilities that you have. Maria’s Childcare Services Own Responsibilities ❏ The individual duty to take care of own health and safety; ❏ Understanding and applying relevant legislation and agreed ways of working; ❏ Responsibility to undertake relevant training and updating as required; ❏ The importance of cooperating with others on health and safety; ❏ Importance of the correct use of anything provided for individual health, safety or welfare ❏ Understanding that certain tasks should not be carried out without special training Maria’s Childcare Services Responsibilities of Employers and Others ❏ The duty of employers to provide information, for example, about risks to health and safety from working practices, changes that may harm or affect health and safety, how to do the job safely, what is done to protect health and safety, how to get first-aid treatment, what to do in an emergency; ❏ The duty of employers to provide training to do the job safely, protection such as special clothing, gloves or masks, health checks such as vision testing; ❏ The duty of employers to provide information about the Health and Safety Law, with contact details of people who can help or provide further information; ❏ Responsibilities of others, for example, team members, other colleagues, those who use or commission their own health or social-care services, families, carers or advocates. You, your employer and others in the work setting all have an obligation to minimise risk and promote safe practice. Risk assessment makes safe practice more likely for the following reasons: 1. The process will identify hazards and minimise the chances of harm. 2. Training staff and, where appropriate, people with learning disabilities and carers, in risk assessment and providing information minimises the risks of accidents and other hazards. 3. Risks can change over time so it is important to review assessments and amend as necessary so that they are appropriate to the current situation. 4. Effective risk assessment provides better opportunities for people with learning disabilities to live their lives the way they want and make informed choices and decisions, with the necessary level of support. It can help you deal with the dilemma between an individual’s rights and protecting him or her from harm. In cases where the person him or herself does not have the capacity to understand the risk, risk assessment can help the person’s carer to make the relevant choices and decisions. 5. Assessment of risk may indicate that changes would enhance health and safety and minimise risks. For example, working practices can be changed to make them safer or they can be updated or more appropriate equipment might minimise risks. The assessment might indicate the need for more relevant training. 6. Assessment can make people more aware of risks and ways to avoid or minimise them. 7. Involving people with learning disabilities in risk assessment can provide opportunities for them to understand risk, balance risks and benefits, make more informed choices and avoid or deal more effectively with adverse situations. 8. Risk assessments can enable staff to bring to the employer’s attention anything that may pose a risk, but has not previously been identified. Resource Links: The importance of assessing health and safety risks in the work settingwww.bild.org.uk/easysiteweb/gatewaylink.aspx?alid=4436 11075795 Maria Sophia Aludo Inton L3 Health and Social Care YR 2 UNIT 7 - Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care Bryan Smikle (ABD1) Evaluate the significance of a duty of care and complaints procedures in promoting safe practice in a selected health and social care setting. Being able to work in a childcare setting, dealing with children and young people, we were required to have a duty of care not just to children but also to every individual in the workplace. A duty of care is a legal obligation that requires me to act in the best interests of an individual who is receiving care. I am expected to provide good quality care that is of a high standard. This includes a duty to protect individuals from harm or abuse and undertake training to develop my professional practice to ensure that standards are kept high. In addition, I am required to ensure that all individuals are treated with dignity and respect and are included in decision making and given a choice. Duty of care ensures that children are protected from harm and are kept safe from abuse by staff, other children, family and friends. I have received specific training regarding safeguarding and this makes it clear that my duty of care is to report and record all relevant information related to unprofessional conduct or behaviour that may contribute to abuse. This may be perpetrated by a colleague or any other person who has contact with the patient. This procedure ensures that I am protected and confident to report my suspicions and protects the child and keeps them safe. A child or young person may refuse to participate in an assessment that will determine future support, this is their right and it is my duty of care to respect this decision. However, in the best interests of the child, I would provide them with information as to why they should undergo the assessment and then offer them the opportunity to participate in the assessment at a later time.I would then report their decision to the management and record the information on their notes. There may be occasions when a child may refuse to follow rules which may be more serious and place them and other in danger. Throughout the process, I would take into account the children’s best interests, their individual rights and consider their mental capacity. Effective communication is a vital factor in ensuring that the risks associated with conflict and dilemmas are managed well. Information recording is a key aspect of this communication and ensures that the children and your observations and views are known. This enables informed and open communication between the child and the professional ensuring that the child’s rights and best interests are at the forefront. Additional advice and support regarding conflicts and dilemmas can be obtained from the head teachers, management and staff and other professionals with the setting. In addition to this, further information can be obtained from family members such as parents. Information and knowledge can be developed from sources outside of the setting and include training, assessor, internet and professionals organisations that are advocates for the child or young person. When a complaint has been received, it is imperative that it is handled quickly and effectively. An informal complaint can usually be resolved quickly without the need to escalate to a formal complaint. The child or young person should be assured that their complaint is valid and important. All complaints should be logged and reported to a senior member of staff. It is important to listen to the child and record their views and discuss the event and offer ideas that will resolve the complaint satisfactorily for the young person. If the complaint is of a more serious nature or an informal complaint has not been resolved satisfactorily it should be escalated to a formal complaint. As with the informal complaint a formal complaint should be handled swiftly by listening to the child and recording their feelings and views and all points should be considered. By following this process it enables procedures and processes to be developed and improved. The first action to be taken when a child or young person has made a complaint is to listen to their grievance and record the facts taking into consideration their views and feelings. This report should be provided to the senior member of staff who will then attempt to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. If necessary, the complaint may need to be passed to the designated safeguarding officer who will escalate the complaint. All complaints are taken seriously and dealt with swiftly to ensure a professional level of service and making sure that the children are safeguarded and that their best interests are being looked after ensuring that staff is providing a duty of care. 11075795 Maria Sophia Aludo Inton L3 Health and Social Care YR 2 UNIT 7 - Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care Bryan Smikle (CD2) Justify procedures for responding to concerns about abuse and neglecting in a selected health and social care setting. Child abuse and neglect are common social issues in differing degrees are prevalent in all countries of the world. In this section, I will discuss the case of Kelly who is in an abused relationship with her mother. This will also focus on the issues faced by her mother as a single western parent with unstable financial and emotional history. It deals with the assessment of the situation with reference to the facts as presented in this case study and talks about intervention strategies to develop a care plan for Kelly. Attention has been paid to interact with Kelly and engage her in direct communication keeping in mind anti-discriminatory practices. Justification for interventions suggested has been included wherever necessary. Until as late as a few decades ago, women’s and children’s issues were not given due consideration. Women were usually blamed for their powerlessness to look after their children and guard them from domestic violence. This was mainly because they were unable to walk out of their abusive relationships with their husbands due to societal pressures and not having independent means of income (Humphreys & Stanley 2006). Things have changed but slightly and single parenting has become more common. However, there is need to support single parents and provide them training in good parenting skills for them to be able to raise their children in a healthy environment. Socialisation of children begins in the family, particularly, with the parents. Children learn to form attitudes that determine how well they will be adjusted as adults in society. They learn life skills, relationships, conflict resolution skills, and communication by emulating their parents or other socializing agents. Hence, it is not enough to blame abusive parents for their bad parenting but support by way of training, counselling, advice needs to be provided to them so that they can learn to be good parents. When all efforts in supporting abusive parents fail to bring about any appreciable change in the parents attitude or behaviour other intervention strategies like placements in foster homes need to be considered. The child’s protection and well-being is in the balance here. Case Scenario: ❏ Subject: Kelly is a 3 year old from a Western culture ❏ Kelly doesn’t go to any nursery or play school ❏ Her mother does not take her to the hospital or to see any doctors ❏ Kelly does not have a father ❏ Kelly has an abusive mother ❏ Mother suffers from personality disorder ❏ Subject under child protection plan ❏ Mother does not adhere to the child protection plan ❏ Mother has history of violence and convictions ❏ Mother was a ‘looked after’ child ❏ Mother is a school drop-out at 14 ❏ Mother does not have a permanent job Kelly is isolated from the community as she does not go to play school and does not have any social interactions with people other than her abusive mother. The child needs to interact with others because social interactions create awareness and helps to build confidence; self -esteem and a positive attitude towards societal values, cultural standards and the willingness to accept authority of others and share responsibilities. The child is an infant and is probably not able to communicate effectively with others or express her anxieties and stress. Parents need to spend quality time with their children to understand their needs and desires. Talking to children and listening to them is a good way of spending quality time and having a good parent-child relationship. This helps children to have positive self esteem and develop a healthy respect for others as well. Mother is unable to provide a stable home for the child and the seventh floor “bedsit” accommodation is not conducive to proper child development. Living conditions have an important impact on health and development of children. The risk to proper child development is higher in low income homes (Ross and Roberts 1999). However, family income is not the only determinant of a child’s proper growth and development. Mother is not mentally or emotionally stable and has convictions for aggression and violence. Research shows that mothers who are verbally aggressive with their children were found to be controlling and gave directions even for their play activities (Wiley-Blackwell 2008). They demonstrated a tendency to restrain their children by grabbing their wrists or shoulders. It was also found that children with verbally aggressive mothers refused to accept their manipulations and orders, though their resistance was often weak, short lived and indirect. It is important to remember that a parent’s verbally aggressive behaviour might damage the self confidence and self esteem of the child causing the child to have behaviour disorder in later life (Dwivedi & Harper 2004). Kelly does not have anyone to intervene on her behalf in the event of her mother abusing her physically. The scene described in the case study when the mother asks her daughter to “piss off” is unfortunate. This scene took place in a public place, namely the GP’s chamber. This is an example of the verbal aggression that Kelly is exposed to with no one to intervene on her behalf. Physical and emotional abuses of this nature happen with many children in our society. Children are subjected to threats, commands, loud angry words, accusations and words full of mistrust directed towards them all the time. Mother’s behaviour has been termed as “unpredictable” not suitable for healthy parent-child interactions. Parent behaviour has a deep impact on children’s emotional growth. The unpredictable nature of Kelly’s mother can cause her anxiety and apprehension. The child will grow up feeling confused by her mother’s outbursts and alternate mellow behaviour. This will impact her self confidence and her trust in other adults and she will not know how to emotionally deal with different situations. Mother does not have a support system and has very few friends or family members. As such she does not get much help in raising her daughter alone and she is impatient with her because she is overworked and tired. In such cases the children are left pretty much by themselves and do not have much supervision or monitoring. The impact of being left unsupervised and unmonitored can have negative implications on young children, especially from poor families. Mother does not have a steady means of earning with practically no education and does not have a steady paid job. Studies have shown that children of employed mothers tend to be better adjusted socially and do better in academics. Daughters of employed mothers are more positive and less shy. Children with employed mothers also fit into leadership roles quite comfortably. For poor or working class people a mother’s employment status is important as that has a direct connection with the mother’s sense of well being (Hoffman 1998). Mother has a history of violent behaviour and the child is at risk of abuse. Instance of her verbal aggression towards the child has been noted. When a child is witness to violent behaviour at such a young age as Kelly, the impression tends to be very deep and she may carry the scars of this fear throughout her life. Her faith in her mother will be shaken as she knows her mother to be her only care giver. In such cases children find it hard to have healthy attachments with parents, siblings or friends. Such children may develop depression and anxiety disorders in adulthood. The child does not have proper medical attention as the mother does not allow her to interact with social workers or doctors. This may be a dangerous trend as all children must have medical check-ups to determine healthy growth. In case of abused children, like Kelly in this case, it is important for a medical practitioner to examine her for physical injury that may have been inflicted on her by her unstable mother. The advice of the doctor or health practitioner is also valuable in determining whether the child needs psychological help as well. Kelly is lonely and this manifests itself in her reluctance to go away with her mother from the surgery where she is inclined to stay and play with the health practitioner. Isolation and loneliness only add to the burden of being abused by one’s intemperate parents. Kelly is isolated and does not have many relatives or friends to communicate with and form healthy attachments. This will increase her trauma and result in poor people skills in adult life. The child belongs to an ethnic minority group and is at risk of facing discriminatory behaviour from others in the community. Black African women face racial discrimination, oppression and demoralization even today. However, anti-discriminatory practices need to be implemented and the social care worker needs to be well trained in understanding diversity and in getting appropriate and timely health care for Kelly (Malek & Joughin 2004). Under the circumstances it is very difficult to monitor the child’s condition. It is difficult to reach the child as the mother is not inclined to allow her daughter to socialise and be friendly. The social care worker assigned to care for Kelly needs to be able to mitigate the mother’s hostility (Falkov, Diggins & Mayes 1998) and have access to the child at all times to be able to prevent her being abused. Monitoring Kelly’s physical and emotional condition is also important as that will allow the social care practitioner to assess the child’s current needs and provide intervention when necessary. Since the mother was also raised in a foster home she may not know how to cope with her child’s emotional needs. Research shows that quite often parents who had been abused as children grow up to be abusive parents as they emulate the behaviour they had been exposed at a subconscious level. As they were never given the opportunity to have responsible and caring parents they themselves do not develop good parenting skills (Saisan, Smith & Segal 2010). Though the risk factors present in Kelly’s case are many, it may be helpful to mention here that not all children respond to the same risks and their causal factors in the same ways. There is no specific risk aspect that can be associated specifically with mental, emotional or physical hazard for a child (Nemours 2006). Different risk factors can affect different children differently and children may exhibit different symptoms after being exposed to the same risk. The symptoms Kelly demonstrates should be noted and then plan for appropriate interventions should be developed. The Child Protection Plan is a means to help families and professional social care workers to interact and be able to establish the guidelines for parents to better safeguard their child’s interests. The keys points of a child protection plan (Haringey’s LSCB) entails that the child is to be kept in a safe and secure environment, the child’s welfare has to be of foremost importance and the family should receive the support they need to raise their children in safety. Protection against witnessing violence- Witnessing violence can be a terrifying experience for young children and can cause emotional trauma. The mother needs to protect her child and not be the cause of her distress. Kelly needs to be kept under child protection plan to safeguard her from being physically abused. The mother needs to be counselled about her creating an extremely damaging environment for her child by her aggression. Mother’s untreated mental and behaviour disorder- Parents who suffer from depression, anxiety disorder, mental instability have trouble taking care of themselves, much less their children. As is demonstrated in the case study Kelly’s mother is mentally and emotionally not very balanced hence she is quick to anger and is aggressive with her daughter. Parents who are themselves traumatized and struggling to behave normally may appear be distant and withdrawn from their children. Treatment for the mother is important as it will mean better care for Kelly. Lack of proper parenting skills. Kelly’s mother was a “looked after” child herself and probably did not have the opportunity to learn good parenting skills. She probably has unrealistic assessment of her daughter’s needs and the amount of care she deserves. The mother needs to be given parenting classes, support from community support groups and/or counselling therapy sessions to get over her own problems and learn good parenting skills. The plan should keep in mind the Children Act 1989 s 17(1) which says that it is the duty of every local authority to safeguard children and take care of their welfare within their area and provide a range of services appropriate for children’s needs (DH). Isolation and lack of support. As we all know that parenting is not an easy task and people need to spend a lot of time and effort to raise a child, especially, when the parent is a single mother. In this case study not only is the mother a single parent, but she has added problems of not having financial stability or a support system by way of friends or family. Kelly needs to be protected from being isolated and in order to do that effectively, her mother needs to be supported to be emotionally and financially stable. Care must be taken to socialize the child and her mother. Safeguarding against abuse and neglect. Since Kelly is under child protection plan, she should be closely monitored and any signs of abuse or neglect must be reported and taken very seriously. Repeated abuse can have lifelong repercussions for the child and can impact her relationships in future and damage her sense of self-esteem. Monitoring closely will also help monitor her mother’s behaviour which can be remedied by putting her mother through anger management programmes or good parenting lessons. Scientific evidence proves that the family, school and community have a large role to play in the physical and mental health of individuals. Interactions with parents, peers and others in the community impact their behaviour beyond their normal genetic propensities. Kelly, therefore, needs to be allowed to spend time with others in the community to be able to understand a wider range of behaviour patterns and be able to learn from them. This will help her to make correct choices as an adult. Socialising plays an important part in the general growth and well being of a child. Socialising teaches a child life skills and peer interactions help establish self-esteem and self confidence. The risk of Kelly being isolated and not allowed to socialiSe can render her incapable to handling conflicts in adult life. There are several positive outcomes of socialiSation and these prepare the child for an independent and responsible adult life. Interactions with peers and others in the school, neighbourhood and community helps the child to learn how to regulate emotions, think independently and adapt behaviour to suit the type of interaction (Berns 2010). Research done by the National Institute of Child Health and Development shows that the quality of mother-child interaction, especially the mother’s sensitivity to her child’s physical and emotional needs was more important than whether or not the mother was employed as it determined the sense of security a child experienced, of attachment and love from the mother. The mother’s employment status has little bearing on the child’s behaviour but may be impacted if the mother is negative or insensitive to the child’s needs. Safety of the child comes first and the case should be handled by professionals. Instead of focussing on individual case by case basis legislation is passed as a broad spectrum measure to curb the increase in incidents of child abuse. However, since the dynamics of child abuse can be varied people need to report child abuse and get help from professionals (Gil 1971). The child should be protected against repetitions of abuse and alternative solutions must be considered, for example, putting child under protection plan where the child is monitored by professionals regularly or be put in foster homes where proper care will be given to the child. Professional intervention in the form of direct communication with the child should be done by social care givers. While interacting with the child, the social work practitioner must ensure that the child feels reassured and relaxed. Since Kelly is almost an infant the social worker needs to be very calm and friendly. S/he needs to reassure the child that the mother’s aggressive and dismissive behaviour towards the child is not the child’s fault. There is nothing wrong with her and she is just as lovable as any other 3 year old. Gaining the confidence of the child should be the primary objective so that the child feels free to come to the social worker if she needs help. Social worker must keep in mind that the child has limited language and cannot quite explain what she experiences. Observation is more important than interrogation (Saisan, Smith & Segal 2010). Data has to be collected at different levels with sampling from all strata of society, while focussing more on lower income families. Social care professionals need to be trained to identify (Beckett 2007) and classify children who are victims or at risk of child abuse. Monitoring and reporting at all community levels must be ensured. Parents need to be monitored to check if they are receiving their basic rights and support from the government. A round the clock response system has to be put in place to receive and deal appropriately with complaints from abused children or anyone reporting abuse. A prevention plan needs to be implemented to prevent children from being abused further. Every Child Matters is a programme that helps to advance positive outcomes for children, young adults and families. It is an instrument of change and a tool to implement the Government’s policy of elementary reforms for children and guidelines for safeguarding their well being. In this case study, as Kelly is but an infant, the social care practitioner must involve the mother in this programme to be effective in this individual case. Every Child Matters draws its inspiration from the framework provided by the Children’s Act 2004. The four key aspects of the legal framework are given below (Fraser 2007): Children must be engaged in positive activities to bring about an attitudinal change. This can be streamlined by engaging experts in communication who will be able to provide the right motivation and remove barriers to learning. Young people must be encouraged and motivated to join and volunteer for community service. Creating awareness for young people to make the right choices about their own lives. Support should be based on individual basis depending on the needs of the child. Community groups need to be organised at different levels to work on child and family issues. Volunteers and social workers need to be able to provide guidance and counselling for abused children and their family members. A body should be set up to coordinate the work. Social programs should be introduced to raise public awareness on this issue and advise people on human and child rights to prevent children from being exploited and abused. Social workers team must be multi-disciplinary and be trained to identify victims that need immediate safety and protection and be able to organize for their safekeeping. Social workers should carry out home visits and on the spot inspection and coordinate with child protection agencies. Government and community social work agencies are doing a fair amount of work in this field. We need to integrate the effort made by these agencies by organising life skills training (Maennantharat 2010), self protection training, and raise awareness about domestic violence, especially amongst minority sections of the community. A core group of professionals from multidisciplinary fields, including members of the community mental health team, will have to be involved in developing the plan further. The plan needs to include a continual assessment of the situation and check for adherence with the child protection plan and also include areas of concern as listed below (Haringey’s LSCB): ❏ Identifying and addressing the root causes that may harm the child. ❏ Being able to create a schedule that will have time bound activities for the social care givers and family members to stop the sufferings of the child. ❏ A daily monitoring task for social workers for individual children to check the safety of the children on a day-to-day basis. ❏ A contingency plan has to be set up if the child protection plan fails in delivering the required outcomes. ❏ A regular reviewing system for the child protection plan has to be set up to check for efficacy. If the parent fails to adhere to the child protection plan as in the case study and the child is exposed to significant harm, care proceedings have to be started in a family court (Family Justice Council 2010). The local authorities in collaboration with social care workers will try to work out the necessary changes required of the family before involving court proceedings. A full assessment is required with provision of services mentioned in the child protection plan. The parents, in this case the mother of Kelly, should contact a specialist child care law solicitor in case the case needs to be presented before a court. Legal aid scheme is available to parents free of cost for their legal representation. Family group conferences should be organized that will include the wider family and community support groups to encourage the mother to arrive at a solution. A guardian has to be appointed till a decision is taken to allow the parent or relatives custody of the child or the child to be put in foster care. It is important to be conversant with knowledge and awareness of normal family interactions and child development process to be able to identify children who receive inappropriate and less care. It will also help the social worker to assess a child’s situation and understand whether the child is at risk of neglect or abuse. A thorough and logical assessment of the case will help to implement programs that prevent child abuse and neglect. It will be useful in assessing a child’s current needs and whether these needs are being met. In the event of the child having to be placed in a foster home it will help to customise placements based on a child’s individual needs (AAP Policy 2000). Resource Links: https://www.ukessays.com/essays/social-work/child-abuse-and-neglect-case-study-social-work-essay.php 11075795 Maria Sophia Aludo Inton L3 Health and Social Care YR 2 UNIT 7 - Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care Bryan Smikle (CD3) Justify the effectiveness of health and safety legislation, policies and procedures in maintaining health and safety in a selected health and social care setting. In health and social care services, health and safety policies are strongly monitored both by national body and local body. The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) monitors all the health and safety related issues. Even the particular organization monitors whether health and safety policies are put into action or not. There has been committee for reviewing the practices to ensure health and safety standard are clearly followed. A correctly organized health and safety policy undoubtedly mentions health and safety goals and the service’s promise to delivering better health and safety performance. Policy and procedures also admits the owner’s legitimate duties. Organising a health and safety policy is a vital realistic move towards delivering and preserving a workplace atmosphere that is protected and devoid of harms to health (Watterson 2003). An effective policy should feature the organisational actions for sorting out and regulating health and safety matters. It should also put down the foundation for worker participation, the situation of objectives, accomplishment diagrams, and policy revision. Here are the effects of health and safety policies on different perspectives: Effectiveness of policies and procedures: ❏ Service workers Enrolment of right staff ❏ Offer training concerning policies and procedures ❏ Supervise health and safety parameters ❏ Offer security in service ❏ Preserve fitting staff proportions ❏ Job narratives permit staff to be acquainted with their boundaries ❏ Premises Protected workplace ❏ Safe surroundings for patients ❏ Confer relatives and friends assurance in suitable care specified ❏ Suitable locations ❏ Sufficient adjustments and admission to meet up all desires ❏ Practices Procedures and policies frequently revised and modified ❏ Ordinary emigration and urgent procedures performed ❏ Protection equipment and defensive outfits provided ❏ Brief, lucid record-keeping When measuring the health and safety of service users, it is important to weigh up all of their desires. Needs could be intellectual, physical, social or spiritual, emotional. From time to time those desires bond together and one can influence another. For instance, Mr. Harry’s desires of reading newspaper is his emotional and intellectual need. This need has direct connection to his physical improvement (Sprenger and Fisher 2002). At the same time his not having any road awareness is a serious issue. For addressing this sort of dilemma, service users are required to follow legislations. Procedures, policies and legislation are built to endorse a safer environment in workplace and minimise the impending for risks happening. According to the Health and Safety Executive, the Health Care Act directs service works to meet users’ needs according to some assessment. This need can be fulfilled as long as they are deemed as feasible and practicable at health and social care workplace. First of all a worker have to assess the risk in letting Mr. Harry out of home for reading newspaper. Then he should take precautionary measures like arranging a guide for him, raising awareness about road safety in him. Thus this dilemma can be solved (Boys & Langridge 2007). A service worker here has a great responsibility to endorse health and safety by assisting Mr. Harry to realise and obey practices that minimize the risk of any danger on road. Mr. Harry should only be allowed to go to read newspaper after the assurance that he will adhere to road safety awareness. The best practice would be worker’s involvement here. Since health and safety are an indispensable part of health and social care workplace, it is important to follow all the rules and regulations involved here. From getting rid of financial implication to preserving organisation’s reputation all depends on obeying these rules and regulations. Every service works should have a better understanding of it. [Show More]

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