Question

1. Describe two ways that organisational policies and procedures can be accessed.

2. What is consumer-directed care? Give an example.

3.What codes of practice could be referred to when providing services in people’s homes?

4. Explain why dignity of risk should be considered when providing services in people’s homes.

5. What does a service user have to prove for you to have breached your duty of care to them?

Answer 1

Q 1 ans )

# introduction

Organisational policies and procedures provide guidelines for decision making processes and the way that work in an organisation should be carried out. The result of having clear, well-written policies and procedures are increased transparency, accountability, uniformity and stability.

CSI services are influenced by two sorts of policy:

• * policy imposed from the outside by legislative (Acts of Parliament) or administrative bodies (such as DoCS as a funding body) which provides the broad policy context in which the organisation operates
• * policy which originates within the organisation (generally developed by the management committee or manager of a service) and is influenced by the outside policy.

For example, the NSW Disability Services Act is broad government policy which impacts heavily on policy developed by organisations funded by the NSW Ageing, Disability and Home Care Department.

All funded services must comply with the Act in order to receive funding and there must be clear guidelines that organisations must follow such as having complaints procedures, assessing clients’ individually and ensuring that clients have an opportunity to make decisions about the service provided to them.

Another example is the Equal Opportunity Act, which would influence the development of a policy such as the staff recruitment policy discussed a bit earlier.

In this learning topic we are focussing on the second type of policy (organisational policy) but you still need to understand the impact of broader government policy on the development of organisational policy.

The other primary influences on policy are:

• * Ideology—the values and beliefs that the organisation holds about the issue). This impacts on what the policy will focus on. For instance, a disability service believes that people with disabilities are in an unequal relationship with some members of the rest of the community who do not treat them as individuals and adults, so they may develop policies around providing people with disabilities with support and information to empower them to become more independent and to live meaningful and fulfilling lives. Ideology is also influenced by community attitudes.
• * Incidents—sometimes policy is developed to address problems experienced by an organisation, such as an increasing number of incidents where people with disabilities are discriminated against in the workpcare

Q 2 ans ) consumer directed care

Consumer directed care is the new model of providing care by offering consumers more choice and flexibility. Consumer directed care gives people who receive home care more control over the care and services package they receive, including how it is delivered and who provides it.

Home care packages are designed to help people who want to stay living at home for as long as possible and are provided on a consumer directed care basis.

There are six principles to CDC:

• * Choice and control over your care as a consumer

• * Your rights will be respected and upheld

• * A mutually respected and balanced partnership with your provider

• * As little or as much participation in the management of your care as you wish

• * Your provider will assist with your wellness and re-ablement

• * You will have full transparency around how your package funding is used and what services you receive

Q 3 ans) code of practice

The code of practice for social care workers is a list of statements that describe the standards of professional conduct and practice required of social care workers as they go about their daily work

which explains how people working in a particular profession should behave.

The auctioneers are violating a code of practice by dealing in stolen goods

Standards of Practice Table of Contents

Regarding the Client Relationship:

1. * Identifying the Client
2. * Promoting Self-Determination
3. * Client Confidentiality
4. * Communication Technology and Practice
5. * Use of Social Media
6. * Recognition of the Aging Life Care Professional’s Personal Values and Beliefs
7. * Maintaining Professional Boundaries
8. * Continuity of Service
9. * Termination of Service

Regarding the Professionalism of the Practice:

1. * Explanation of Role
2. * Plan of Care
3. * Client Records
4. * Educating Clients Regarding Engaging Caregiving Services
5. * Undertaking Decision-Making Authority
6. * Working with Clients under Court Jurisdiction
7. * Continuing Education
8. * Consultation
9. * Certification

Regarding Business Policies:

1. * Fees for Service
2. * Advertising and Marketing
3. * Disclosure of Relationships with Service Providers
4. * Emergency Preparedness for the Aging Life Care Practice

Q 4 ans) Dignity of risk

Dignity of risk is the idea that self-determination and the right to take reasonable risks are essential for dignity and self esteem and so should not be impeded by excessively-cautious caregivers, concerned about their duty of care.

The concept is applicable to adults who are under care such as elderly people, people living with disability,and people with mental health problems. It has also been applied to children,including those living with disabilities.

Dignity of risk, in the aged care setting, is the concept that a person has the right to choose what they do and how they want to live, despite the fact that those lifestyle choices may come with risk. Some examples where consumers exercise dignity of risk include:

• * A residential consumer may wish to walk to the local shops every day, despite being frail and having to cross a busy road;
• * A home care consumer may wish to continue living in a second-floor bedroom, despite being at risk of fall when using the stairs;
• * A diabetic consumer may, against medical advice, wish to maintain a high-sugar diet.

These activities are obviously risky, especially to elderly persons that may be more vulnerable than the general population. However, Standard 1 requires aged care providers to support consumers in making their own choices and exercising autonomy, whilst assisting those consumers in understanding and managing the risks of those choices.

Q 5 ans)

A duty of care is breached when someone is injured because of the action (or in some cases, the lack of action) of another person when it was reasonably foreseeable that the action could cause injury, and a reasonable person in the same position would not have acted that way.

In tort law, a duty of care is a legal obligation which is imposed on an individual requiring adherence to a standard of reasonable care while performing any acts that could foreseeably harm others. It is the first element that must be established to proceed with an action in negligence. The claimant must be able to show a duty of care imposed by law which the defendant has breached. In turn, breaching a duty may subject an individual to liability. The duty of care may be imposed by operation of law between individuals who have no current direct relationship (familial or contractual or otherwise) but eventually become related in some manner, as defined by common law (meaning case law).

Duty of care may be considered a formalisation of the social contract, the implicit responsibilities held by individuals towards others within society. It is not a requirement that a duty of care be defined by law, though it will often develop through the jurisprudence of common law.