principles into practice network

Care about rights

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Human rights sit at the very core of mental health, learning disability and dementia care services. As all care home providers seek to provide a safe, comfortable environment where the dignity of those in care is respected, human rights standards and principles provide a clear benchmark for care provision. Daily decisions and issues facing the care sector such as staffing levels, covert medication, physical restraint, nutritional and personal care and end of life care all carry human rights implications.

The Scottish Human Rights Commission has launched an innovative training and awareness raising project relating to the care and support of older people. Care about Rights aims to empower ordinary people to understand their rights, and increase the ability and accountability of those who have duties to respect, protect and fulfil human rights.

The project was developed by the Commission in partnership with the Private Care Sector Workforce Initiative team at Scottish Care, and with input from the Care Commission and Age Scotland.

Kavita Chetty of the Scottish Human Rights Commission said: "Human rights belong to everyone. However certain groups, including older people, can sometimes be more vulnerable to abuse or to not having their rights fully respected, protected or fulfilled.

"It is so important that human rights are understood by everyone who comes into contact with, and has responsibility for, care services for older people. This includes people who are using services, their families and carers, care service providers and the commissioners and regulators of care services."

Care about Rights uses film scenarios and case studies to increase awareness and gives practical advice about how to apply human rights principles. Copies of Care about Rights on CD ROM and DVD will be sent to every registered care and housing support service for older people in Scotland.

The project includes a series of outreach sessions being planned with Age Scotland regional groups which will provide a basic introduction to the connections between human rights and the issues affecting older people. The sessions, which take place over the coming year, are aimed at older peoples' groups, volunteers campaigning on issues affecting older people, and unpaid family carers. The first of these sessions have already taken place in Inverness and Galashiels.

Age Scotland CEO David Manion gave his support, saying: "Care about Rights will go a long way to bringing human rights closer to the people and making them more understandable.

"The pack explains concepts like responsibilities and proportionality simply and effectively, mainstreaming human rights as an older people's issue. We believe Care about Rights will prove invaluable in nurturing a human rights-based culture in care that can only improve service delivery."

The Care Commission has also committed to supporting the Care about Rights project.

Jacquie Roberts, Chief Executive of the Care Commission, said: "I have a very strong belief that whatever we do as a care regulator should be based on human rights. The value of each individual matters, and our judgements and assessments of services should be based on that - Care about Rights illustrates the importance of taking account of human rights in everyday situations.
"The examples in the pack are also excellent at demonstrating the rights that care staff have. That's important, because if we protect the rights of staff working in the care sector we can also protect their ability to respect other people's rights."

The Scottish Human Rights Commission will be talking to all of the operational management teams of the Care Commission to ensure their staff are aware of the project. This information will also be cascaded to staff involved in inspection and regulation to in order that the three separate target audiences for this training - the regulator of care services; providers of care; and older people themselves, are all supported in applying a human rights based approach to delivering and accessing care services.

We hope to work with you to build an understanding of the issues, concerns and needs of the sector and assist where we can to advance human dignity in care through increasing the sector's ability and accountability to fulfil human rights and empower residents to understand their rights. We believe human rights can be a tool for decision making, a way of doing things and a means of driving up standards in a way which benefits the interests of all and hope that the sector will engage with us on embedding human rights into the care sector.

For more information about the 'Care about rights' initiative go to www.scottishhumanrights.com or e-mail  hello@scottishhumanrights.com