In this essay I will explain how social care values and principles influence
practice. I will then go on to examine these issues in relation to anti-
discriminatory practice. A value is something that is important to us and
something that has a sense of worth. These can be influenced by primary
socialisation, our parents passing on their values to us, or secondary socialisation
which would be values learnt from peers or teachers. Amongst the many values I
live my life by are respecting others, dignity and being trustworthy. Having these
values in a social care context means that I always respect services users and
respect the decisions they make whether I agree with it or not. I offer them
support and show I can be trusted by being empathetic and respecting their
dignity and allowing them to live an independent life.
Three core values that influence practice are confidentiality, choice and being non
judgemental. Whether you work with older adults or children you should always
approach your line of work professionally but having these core values will
ensure the service users trust in you and also ensure you do your job correctly.
Confidentiality influences practice because all information must be kept in a safe
and secure place and free from misuse. Service users have the right to keep all
their information private and if they feel this is not being done then they may lack
trust in the service providers and it may affect them in many ways. As well as
confidentiality, service users have the right to choice. They have the right to make
informed decisions on their own and this must be respected by the service
providers. If choices are made for the service user, they may not appreciate this
so by respecting choices made by service users we are giving them the chance to
be independent and making them feel they are in charge of their life which of
course they are but we are also giving them that...