Equality, Inclusion, And Social Model Of Disability
Champion Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
David Jubbs
There are two models that link Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and the first one is Social Model of disability which views discrimination and prejudice as being embedded in today’s society, their attitudes and their surrounding environment. The Social Model focuses on who the adult is as a person not what their disability or diagnosis is and the focus is on how to improve the individuals life and empower them to be more independent in what they do such as if someone was in a wheelchair and could not gain access because of the steps then the steps would become the barrier and not the person or the wheelchair.. The second model is the Medical Model of disability which shows adults as having …show more content…
impairment and views the disability as the problem and that it is not seen as an issue to concern anyone else but the person with the disability. Therefore if someone again was in a wheelchair and could not get access because of steps then the wheelchair would be seen as the barrier and not the wheelchair or person.
In my setting of learning disabilities both of these have an impact on their daily life, we follow the ethos of to empower each person and enable them to lead a normal life as possible by providing them with a care plan and letting them be involved in doing this.
As part of my role as senior support worker I need to ensure that anti-discriminatory practice is promoted, that I raise staff awareness about equality, diversity and inclusion, to encourage debates and devise strategies of care that empower rather than disable. These are essential features of my role and it is very important that I follow these.
There are many barriers that prevent equality, diversity and inclusion and they are based on individuals ethnic origin, sexual orientation, age, beliefs, gender, religion, disability, mental health and physical health and it comes from lack of understanding by others and by lack of education in this area. There are possible effects from theses and they include learned helplessness, disempowerment, social exclusion, poor communication, an unsafe environment, harm and abuse, low self-esteem and self-identity. Prejudice is a main barrier and begins by making assumptions of certain groups i.e. people with a learning disability and mental health being put into "a certain box" and treated …show more content…
differently.
Our own values, beliefs and attitudes can also be a barrier as we can form prejudices and then this can lead to unacceptable behaviours to others, from harassing them to bullying to a substantial abuse of power over them.
There are anti-discriminatory legislations such as the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Human Rights Act, Equal Pay Act 1970, Race Relations Act 1976, Disability Discrimination Act 1995, the NHS and Community Care Act 1990 and the Equality Act 2010 and there is also National Minimum Standards to be met which would include the Complaints procedure, support and attention for individuals, their family, friends and carers. There are also quality assurance systems and partnership working that underpins equality and diversity and it is important that we follow all legislation and follow and use procedures in place. These have helped to reduce anti discriminatory practice in the care sector and help people become an equal and be socially included.
The impact that inclusion can have can be improved health, self-esteem, self-concept, respect, recovery rate, future progress, effective team and partnership working, increased numbers of people we support, and a successful business. The value of diversity can be increased knowledge of others cultures, religions, age, gender, sexuality and increased opportunities.
The promotion of Equality, diversity and Inclusion has been supported by a number of legislative changes to ensure that people comply with anti-discriminatory practices which include those already mentioned and then also the Care Home Regulations 2001 and the Care Standards Act 2000. In order to promote equality, diversity and inclusion in policy and practice I need to keep up to date with new developments, any changes in legislation and follow the codes of practice at all times. I need to complete regular meetings and supervisions, complete audits, record keeping, monitor and evaluate processes to ensure the teams are also able to comply with all legislation and standards. I must challenge discriminatory practices, judgmental attitudes and cover discrimination and set a good example of embracing diversity and recognising equality. Organisations must develop, implement and monitor policies that support anti-discriminatory practices, these help to raise awareness about unacceptable behaviours. It is also important that I articulate my own values, beliefs and encourage non-judgmental attitudes and anti-discriminatory practice so that I can lead and inspire my teams in the right direction.
In my job role I have a duty of care to challenge discrimination in a positive way and promote inclusion Ineed to ensure that I always act fairly and try to see things from their point of view and consider that there could be different pressure needs and cultures but it is also important that I communicate to staff that discrimination is wrong and cannot be tolerated and to ensure that staff are aware of the policies in place and that disciplinary action will be taken should they breach the policy. It is suggested by Douglas (2004) that we should follow the approaches of challenging stereotypes, know your staff and learn to listen for differences in peoples' assumptions, to support those that challenge discrimination, empower others to change their views and to challenge inappropriate views and behaviours and to empower oneself to become more open to learning about difference.
It is often necessary to provide others with information about their roles and responsibilities or about policy and practices. Therefore Policies and procedures need to be up to date and available on site for all staff and people we support to access. Also leaflets on how to complain need to be accessible and any other leaflets that cover these areas should be on site and everyone made aware of them. There should be time in meetings and supervisions to discuss this and feedback on new information and policies. This makes sure that information is passed on to staff when needed, I also need to ensure staff attend training updates on Equality and Diversity. It is also important for me to encourage a positive culture within the workplace that promotes good practice and enables others to challenge discrimination and voice this to someone so it can be addressed, as a senior it is important that I listen to the teams and people we support so that they know I support what they are doing and that I can challenge effectively if needed to.
Systems and processes can identify areas that need improving but also highlight good practice and provides benchmarks for reviewing and monitoring practice in the workplace. Some of these practices reinforce discrimination and exclusion and promote equality and inclusion such as the policies, communicating which is addressed through inductions and training and random checks on staff about awareness of policies, training supports the policies and gives further understanding and up to date information on equality and diversity. We send out questionnaires to family, friends and others involved with each person to feedback on the service and any concerns they have are addressed and the people we support have questionnaires to complete about their support and easy read versions are available for those that need it.
Evaluating the effectiveness of systems and processes in place should be on-going; it can be done in annual assessments, discussed in meetings and supervision, refreshers in training, user surveys and reflective practice, including incident analysis. This would help identify the improvements required to contribute to the health, self-esteem and happiness of the individuals and the staff team.
I could propose improvements during management meetings and beforehand have involvement from the people we support and the staff team at their meetings, supervisions and one to ones. it would be important to determine if there was sufficient information to make a judgment and any action plans put into place were based on firm and reliable evidence, timescales should be set for the improvements and how they can be monitored and audited to ensure they have had a positive impact. Some of the actions could be to raise further awareness or further staff development.
There can be dilemmas that arise when balancing individuals rights and duty of care, the duty of the care worker is not to control others' lives but to inform them and support them in order that they can make good decisions for themselves, such as I believe that someone's health would be greatly improved if they stopped smoking but it is not my responsibility as a care worker to deny them the opportunity to smoke but to provide them with all the information and support I can for them to make their own informed choice. Another dilemma is knowing when to break confidentiality and share information, and in some circumstances you will have to break this and report it to the local authorities and higher management. Family views may cause dilemmas as the people we support may not want to follow views of the family and although views of the family should be taken into account the person should be at the centre of the decision and have control of what they want to do, so you need to support them to challenge family views or involve an advocate to work with them.
There are many elements to consider when supporting someone to make an informed choice such as: understanding the value of respect for persons and their differences, The ability to be self-governing and being able to determine one's own personal goals, desires and preferences, The capacity or competence to make choices or decisions based on deliberation and reason and The freedom to make choices for oneself and then act to use these.
The choice should be theirs and should not be fully influenced by those around them. Each person should have the same opportunity to make decisions for themselves.
For informed choice an individual needs the capacity to take in the information they have been given in order for them to reach a decision. Factors that can compromise an individual’s ability to make decisions may include mental ability, intellectual capacity, anxiety or pain, control of protective behaviour and lack of adequate information. The Mental Capacity Act (2005) states that a person must be assumed to have capacity unless it is formally established that they do not have the
capacity.
As the senior support worker I often have to consider how to manage risks when balancing individual rights and my duty of care, risk assessments are a part of our policy framework and we use this, following relevant legislation, to devise an action plan to try to eradicate the risk. These consider the potential benefits and the potential harm caused as a consequence of the risk being carried out. Risk management needs to be a continual process of reviewing and monitoring and it is important to utilise team meetings to do this and ensure review dates are set. Also working in partnership with health professionals and family ensures that risks presented are managed to the benefit of the person supported, each person involved needs to be aware of their role and responsibilities and to follow legislation as required and to uphold a positive risk management strategy.
David Jubbs
There are two models that link Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and the first one is Social Model of disability which views discrimination and prejudice as being embedded in today’s society, their attitudes and their surrounding environment. The Social Model focuses on who the adult is as a person not what their disability or diagnosis is and the focus is on how to improve the individuals life and empower them to be more independent in what they do such as if someone was in a wheelchair and could not gain access because of the steps then the steps would become the barrier and not the person or the wheelchair.. The second model is the Medical Model of disability which shows adults as having …show more content…
impairment and views the disability as the problem and that it is not seen as an issue to concern anyone else but the person with the disability. Therefore if someone again was in a wheelchair and could not get access because of steps then the wheelchair would be seen as the barrier and not the wheelchair or person.
In my setting of learning disabilities both of these have an impact on their daily life, we follow the ethos of to empower each person and enable them to lead a normal life as possible by providing them with a care plan and letting them be involved in doing this.
As part of my role as senior support worker I need to ensure that anti-discriminatory practice is promoted, that I raise staff awareness about equality, diversity and inclusion, to encourage debates and devise strategies of care that empower rather than disable. These are essential features of my role and it is very important that I follow these.
There are many barriers that prevent equality, diversity and inclusion and they are based on individuals ethnic origin, sexual orientation, age, beliefs, gender, religion, disability, mental health and physical health and it comes from lack of understanding by others and by lack of education in this area. There are possible effects from theses and they include learned helplessness, disempowerment, social exclusion, poor communication, an unsafe environment, harm and abuse, low self-esteem and self-identity. Prejudice is a main barrier and begins by making assumptions of certain groups i.e. people with a learning disability and mental health being put into "a certain box" and treated …show more content…
differently.
Our own values, beliefs and attitudes can also be a barrier as we can form prejudices and then this can lead to unacceptable behaviours to others, from harassing them to bullying to a substantial abuse of power over them.
There are anti-discriminatory legislations such as the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Human Rights Act, Equal Pay Act 1970, Race Relations Act 1976, Disability Discrimination Act 1995, the NHS and Community Care Act 1990 and the Equality Act 2010 and there is also National Minimum Standards to be met which would include the Complaints procedure, support and attention for individuals, their family, friends and carers. There are also quality assurance systems and partnership working that underpins equality and diversity and it is important that we follow all legislation and follow and use procedures in place. These have helped to reduce anti discriminatory practice in the care sector and help people become an equal and be socially included.
The impact that inclusion can have can be improved health, self-esteem, self-concept, respect, recovery rate, future progress, effective team and partnership working, increased numbers of people we support, and a successful business. The value of diversity can be increased knowledge of others cultures, religions, age, gender, sexuality and increased opportunities.
The promotion of Equality, diversity and Inclusion has been supported by a number of legislative changes to ensure that people comply with anti-discriminatory practices which include those already mentioned and then also the Care Home Regulations 2001 and the Care Standards Act 2000. In order to promote equality, diversity and inclusion in policy and practice I need to keep up to date with new developments, any changes in legislation and follow the codes of practice at all times. I need to complete regular meetings and supervisions, complete audits, record keeping, monitor and evaluate processes to ensure the teams are also able to comply with all legislation and standards. I must challenge discriminatory practices, judgmental attitudes and cover discrimination and set a good example of embracing diversity and recognising equality. Organisations must develop, implement and monitor policies that support anti-discriminatory practices, these help to raise awareness about unacceptable behaviours. It is also important that I articulate my own values, beliefs and encourage non-judgmental attitudes and anti-discriminatory practice so that I can lead and inspire my teams in the right direction.
In my job role I have a duty of care to challenge discrimination in a positive way and promote inclusion Ineed to ensure that I always act fairly and try to see things from their point of view and consider that there could be different pressure needs and cultures but it is also important that I communicate to staff that discrimination is wrong and cannot be tolerated and to ensure that staff are aware of the policies in place and that disciplinary action will be taken should they breach the policy. It is suggested by Douglas (2004) that we should follow the approaches of challenging stereotypes, know your staff and learn to listen for differences in peoples' assumptions, to support those that challenge discrimination, empower others to change their views and to challenge inappropriate views and behaviours and to empower oneself to become more open to learning about difference.
It is often necessary to provide others with information about their roles and responsibilities or about policy and practices. Therefore Policies and procedures need to be up to date and available on site for all staff and people we support to access. Also leaflets on how to complain need to be accessible and any other leaflets that cover these areas should be on site and everyone made aware of them. There should be time in meetings and supervisions to discuss this and feedback on new information and policies. This makes sure that information is passed on to staff when needed, I also need to ensure staff attend training updates on Equality and Diversity. It is also important for me to encourage a positive culture within the workplace that promotes good practice and enables others to challenge discrimination and voice this to someone so it can be addressed, as a senior it is important that I listen to the teams and people we support so that they know I support what they are doing and that I can challenge effectively if needed to.
Systems and processes can identify areas that need improving but also highlight good practice and provides benchmarks for reviewing and monitoring practice in the workplace. Some of these practices reinforce discrimination and exclusion and promote equality and inclusion such as the policies, communicating which is addressed through inductions and training and random checks on staff about awareness of policies, training supports the policies and gives further understanding and up to date information on equality and diversity. We send out questionnaires to family, friends and others involved with each person to feedback on the service and any concerns they have are addressed and the people we support have questionnaires to complete about their support and easy read versions are available for those that need it.
Evaluating the effectiveness of systems and processes in place should be on-going; it can be done in annual assessments, discussed in meetings and supervision, refreshers in training, user surveys and reflective practice, including incident analysis. This would help identify the improvements required to contribute to the health, self-esteem and happiness of the individuals and the staff team.
I could propose improvements during management meetings and beforehand have involvement from the people we support and the staff team at their meetings, supervisions and one to ones. it would be important to determine if there was sufficient information to make a judgment and any action plans put into place were based on firm and reliable evidence, timescales should be set for the improvements and how they can be monitored and audited to ensure they have had a positive impact. Some of the actions could be to raise further awareness or further staff development.
There can be dilemmas that arise when balancing individuals rights and duty of care, the duty of the care worker is not to control others' lives but to inform them and support them in order that they can make good decisions for themselves, such as I believe that someone's health would be greatly improved if they stopped smoking but it is not my responsibility as a care worker to deny them the opportunity to smoke but to provide them with all the information and support I can for them to make their own informed choice. Another dilemma is knowing when to break confidentiality and share information, and in some circumstances you will have to break this and report it to the local authorities and higher management. Family views may cause dilemmas as the people we support may not want to follow views of the family and although views of the family should be taken into account the person should be at the centre of the decision and have control of what they want to do, so you need to support them to challenge family views or involve an advocate to work with them.
There are many elements to consider when supporting someone to make an informed choice such as: understanding the value of respect for persons and their differences, The ability to be self-governing and being able to determine one's own personal goals, desires and preferences, The capacity or competence to make choices or decisions based on deliberation and reason and The freedom to make choices for oneself and then act to use these.
The choice should be theirs and should not be fully influenced by those around them. Each person should have the same opportunity to make decisions for themselves.
For informed choice an individual needs the capacity to take in the information they have been given in order for them to reach a decision. Factors that can compromise an individual’s ability to make decisions may include mental ability, intellectual capacity, anxiety or pain, control of protective behaviour and lack of adequate information. The Mental Capacity Act (2005) states that a person must be assumed to have capacity unless it is formally established that they do not have the
capacity.
As the senior support worker I often have to consider how to manage risks when balancing individual rights and my duty of care, risk assessments are a part of our policy framework and we use this, following relevant legislation, to devise an action plan to try to eradicate the risk. These consider the potential benefits and the potential harm caused as a consequence of the risk being carried out. Risk management needs to be a continual process of reviewing and monitoring and it is important to utilise team meetings to do this and ensure review dates are set. Also working in partnership with health professionals and family ensures that risks presented are managed to the benefit of the person supported, each person involved needs to be aware of their role and responsibilities and to follow legislation as required and to uphold a positive risk management strategy.