1. Care Value Base

2. What is a Care Value Base!
Health & Social care is a sector that treats every individual, whether service users or staff member as an individual who is unique in their own way.
At the heart of this philosophy is the CARE VALUE BASE which seeks to treat people equally and fairly while actively demonstrating and promoting rights, respect for diversity and the culture of the individual.

3. Principles of the Care Value Base
Putting the patient/service user at the heart of the service provision is central to the role of a care and health worker. ‘This is underpinned by an extremely important code of practice known as the care value base.

4. Key principles:- The promotion of anti-discriminatory practice.
The promotion and support of dignity, independence, and respect for and acknowledgement of personal beliefs and individual values thus empowering clients
Maintaining confidentiality.

5. Protection from abuse and harm.
The promotion of effective communication and relationships.
Advocacy

6. Anti-discriminatory practice
In order to actively promote anti-discriminatory practice carers need to challenge others who may inadvertently (or even deliberately) discriminate.
Challenging discriminatory attitudes and language is a way of indirectly empowering our service users.

7. Empowerment
Carers should work with clients to encourage them to maintain, regain or gain independence (empowerment).
This can be done through:-
Encourage choices and decision making.
Work with service users.
Encourage independent activities.
Offer opportunities and strategies for improvements in physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual well-being.
Promote individuality at all times.

8. Dignity, respect, independence
Maintenance of these areas when caring with a client’s needs is paramount in order to promote positive care environments.
Carers need to recognise that every client regardless of race, religion etc will have their own beliefs and values.
Belief’s and values are learnt throughout childhood and are continuously being influenced by others. (consider your values, worksheet)

9. Confidentiality
The care value base (and the law) demands that health and social care workers maintain service user confidentiality at all times.
This refers to all the information relating to our service users and the records associated with them, spoken, written or computerised.

10. Protection
All service users should be protected from any form of harm and abuse.
Abuse may take the form of:-
Physical
Neglect
Sexual
Emotional
Any concerns must be reported immediately.

11. Communication/Relationships
The use of effective communication and the development of relationships is an important aspect of the care value base.
Both are necessary in order to pass information between carer and service user.
Barriers to effective communication must be overcome.

12. Advocacy
Advocacy involved helping a client to make choices, speaking up for a client, or for those who can not make their own choices making the choice for them based on the best interest of the client.
The advocate must be putting forward the views of the client.
An advocate can be a family member, or friend, or a personal advocate such as a lawyer.