1 Understand Why Communication Is Important In Adult Social Care

1 Understand why communication is important in adult social care.

1.1People communicate to express their ideas, feelings and needs. To be able to ask questions and share opinions and to also get to know each other.
1.2 Individual communicate to express their needs and we are here to make sure they are met and as I carer I am able to discuss to the clients options with them and allow them to make their own choices.
1.3 When talking to an individual they may not indicate verbally if they have understood what I have said so looking at their body language and movements will help me understand if they have understood/ agree with what I have been saying, which then means I am able to see to the individual’s needs.

2 Understand how to meet the communication and language needs, wishes and preferences of an individual.

2.1 It is important to find out an individual’s communication needs because some people have difficulties with speaking, i need to be able to understand what an individual is trying to express and i also need to understand their needs, wishes and preferences. By doing this I will be able to avoid the individual feeling excluded, stressed and feeling frightened in their own home because I am here to support them and make them feel fully involved in their everyday life.
2.2 There are two communication methods used which are non-verbal and verbal. Non-verbal consist of eye contact, body language, gestures, facial expressions, touch and visual aids e.g. pictures and symbols. Verbal consists of the pitch/tones of your voice and the vocabulary I use.

3 Understand how to reduce barriers to communicate

3.1 The different barriers to communication could be not being able to understand or be aware of the individual’s needs, back ground noises, whether there hearing aids are working properly, strong accents and even if the lighting or temperature.
3.2 To reduce this you should speak nice and clear when talking to someone and not use slang that the individual is not use to as this would lead to confusion. Make sure they can see you’re listening and interested in what they have to say and carry on the conversation so there needs are met. I should ensure if the client is wearing hearing aids that they are working properly and finally make sure the environment is quiet and that they feel comfortable.
3.3 To make sure everything has been understood I would observe the individuals facial expressions and body language and ask whether they have understood or not and maybe try rephrasing things.
3.4 The individuals care plan, former colleagues and family member/carer. There are other services out there such as, translation services- this service can help with changing the written text from one language to another. Interpreting services- this service can help with converting the spoken language to another language. Speech and language service- this service can support people who have had strokes and have problems with their speech and the advocacy service- this service can support people who are unable to speak up for themselves. This service tries to understand the needs and wishes of people and will argue on their behalf.

4 Understand confidentiality in adult social care setting

4.1 The term “confidentiality” means not sharing information about people without their knowledge or agreement and ensuring that written or electronic information cannot be accessed or read by people who have no reason to see it.
4.2 To maintain confidentiality I should keep written records safe and not leave them in places other people may see. I would ensure that information is only passed on to people who have the right to it and who needs to know it. I would make sure I did not discuss personal information outside of work.
4.3 The situations where information may need to be shared with agreed others would be when working with a colleague, when a criminal act has taken place and when an individual or other person is at risk of any danger or abuse. These agreed others may include colleagues, GP, social worker, nurse, pharmacist and certain family members.
4.4 Confidentiality is about protecting the individual’s rights to privacy. At my work place we have a confidentiality policy that gives out rules and procedure. Everyone needs to read this and make sure that it is followed and put into practise.

Principles of personal development in adult social care settings

1 understand what is required for good practice in adult social care

1.1 Here is a list of some of the legislations that are relevant in adult social care. These make up standards to follow good practise;
- Care Standards Act 2000
- Domiciliary Care Regulations 2002
- Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
- Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
- Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999
- GSCC Codes of Practice for social care workers
- National Occupational Standards
- Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSSH), Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), etc.
1.2 Reflecting on activities from work is a great was to develop the things that you know and also the things you don’t know, this allows you to set your mind on different ways to develop your knowledge. Along with having knowledge and skills, knowing how and when to use them is just as important.
1.3 To ensure that personal attitudes or beliefs do not obstruct the quality of work, you should make sure you don’t let your personal feelings get in the way of you doing your job correctly. Treat everyone as an equal and work to support the individual’s needs. I need to ensure I follow the policies and procedures of my work setting without making exceptions for anybody. Respect the rights of each individuals and do not allow prejudice in the work place and give everyone the same opportunities regardless of your opinions.

2 understand how learning activities can develop knowledge, skills and understanding

2.1 Learning activities can improve an individual’s knowledge and understanding by providing you with new ideas, such as something you may have never encountered before. It also enables you to put theories and ideas into practice and discover whether they successful or not, which in turn is a great way to develop your self-confidence, and with being confident it allows you to learn at an easier pace which also develops your skills.
2.2 By reflecting on a situation I am able to improve an individual’s personal insight on certain subjects which will lead to a better understanding, you can reflect on how well you have performed and in what was your performance could be improved. By reflecting you can examine how effective your practice is by thinking about people’s reactions.
2.3 Having feedback from others and being willing to listen to that feedback, as well as use it to your advantage is a huge part of self-improvement, and plays a massive role in developing your knowledge, skills and understanding of certain things. For example a third party is more likely to identify areas for improvement that an individual without feedback would be unable to recognise. Such as the way you speak to someone, as you’re talking and joking you might believe that the subjects you breach are perfectly acceptable, but the service user you are communicating with may never want to mention the fact that they really don’t want to talk about cars any more, either out of politeness or some other motive, but another member of staff may be able to recognise this and discuss it with you while they give out feedback which lets you identify the area for improvement.

3 know how a personal development plan can contribute to own learning and development

3.1 Personal development planning is the process of creating an action plan based on awareness, values, reflection, goal-setting and planning for personal development within the context of a career, education, relationship or for self-improvement
3.2 The people that could be involved in the personal development plan are the individual, carers, supervisor, line manager, employer and other professionals such as doctors and nurses.
3.3 Support for my own learning and development exists in many places both in my work place and outside of my work place such as;
Formal support
In a supervision
An appraisal
Within the organisation
Outside the organisation such as family and friends
3.4 The benefits to having a personal development plan in place include focusing on what an individual wants to achieve and how to achieve it, to develop greater self-awareness of training needs, increasing the understanding of how to meet those needs, and it provides evidence to show how and what approach was taken in the attempt to improve your own knowledge and understanding.