Good Practice for Home Carers

The course is designed for support workers who work in service users own homes. This working environment potentially places all parties at risk; the service users, due to their vulnerability and workers, through misunderstandings of professional boundaries, accusations of malpractice as well as the uncertain nature of lone working.

This two day course aims to clarify expectations of staff and good practice principles that underpin their work.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the course learners should have understood:

• The need to have clear policy and guidelines in this area of work
• The importance of clarity around confidentiality in this context
• What is meant by Professional conduct
• How to empower others, promote choice and independence
• Service users’ right to make mistakes and take risks
• The workers’ responsibilities regarding service users' risk taking including Risk Assessment
• The responsibility of the worker to integrate Diversity principles into their work
• The different ways in which service users can be abused
• Acting as the internal advocate and whistle blowing
• The importance of accurate and non judgmental recording
• How to handle service users’ medication and money
• Supervision/performance management as a monitor of good practice
• Appropriate conduct in public
• The limits of self-disclosure- how this could seriously breach boundaries and compromise either or both parties
• The complexity of disclosure of personal details, sharing of problems, getting too close to service users
• The need for care when sharing ‘social’ time with service users
• The need for good communication – not working in isolation
• How to engage with other disciplines
• How to handle complaints against self or others
• Behaviour expected within the homes of service users:
        - smoking
        - eating
        - moving furniture
        - making tea
        - using the telephone etc.
• The dangers in regularly undertaking tasks for individuals:
        - unfair treatment
        - getting too close and personal

• Workshop time: There will be the opportunity for group members to explore areas of concern to them e.g. sharing meals; consumption of alcohol; Gifts and Wills, Key Holding, borrowing & lending etc.

Training Methods:

• Warm-up exercises
• Tutor presentations
• OHP/PowerPoint
• Role Play
• Word shower method
• Group work
• Case studies
• Handouts
• Guideline and policy examination

CP184/5.9