SOCIAL CARE WORKERS & SETTINGS

A social care setting is any place a person receives care or assistance enabling him to live life to
their full potential. Assistance not necessarily hands on; effective listening & communication skills
& may provide help with daily living tasks; Enable client to engage socially within community.
A social care worker provides care or assistance required by the client to achieve optimum level of
physical, mental & social health.
S/C Settings.
Number & variety have greatly increased in Ireland for number of reasons:increased funding for
health service: greater number of voluntary organisations with services for people with physical,
sensory or learning disabilities: increased emphasis on care in the community.
Different types of S/C settings.
1. Acute hospitals. Care & treat people during acute illness.
2. District hospitals. Short term care for non-acute conditions.
3. Private nursing homes. Long term care for older people (also respite).
4. Residential homes for physically disabled (mainly voluntary organisations).
5. Residential homes for learning disabilities (voluntary).
6. Respite care centres for physically disabled & learning disabilities.
7. Group homes for learning disabilities (mainly voluntary).
8. Hostels accommodating learning disabilities & mental health patients.
9. Sheltered housing units for elderly and learning disabilities & mental health.
10. Assisted living units for physically disabled.
11. Day care centres for elderly & disabled.
12. Private homes where clients live cared for by a relative.
Social carers; informal within own home; employed formal paid s/c worker eg hospital; community
home help; house parent in group home.
Clients need care for variety of reasons.
Illness
family circumstances
disability
old age
inability to cope with daily living activities
WHAT IS A SOCIAL CARE WORKER?
Informal, volunteer & formal ( home help, care assistant & nurses' aide). Depending on which type,
s/c worker will have a certain number of nursing duties to perform.
Informal home carer provide total nursing care.
Voluntary Minimal hands on nursing tasks.
Institutional & community care settings have guidelines re procedures. Procedures less clearly
defined for informal carers.

TYPES OF S/C WORKERS.

There is a broad range of activities that s/c may perform depending on the facility. S/c workers,
depending on facility are referred to by different names or titles
Informal Carers in the Home
Majority of people receive care at home. A full time carer provides more than 42 hours a week in
the home (preventing employment).
Examples of informal carers parents to a child with physical, sensory or learning disability;
Spouse for his/her partner; people for sibling or sibling in-law; adult children for a parent/parent inlaw.
Being a carer impacts on carers lifestyle & effects carer gaining paid employment, physical &
mental health, social & leisure activities. Many carers are in ill-health as a result of physical, social
& emotional effects of caring (Carers Assoc. 2006. Association states that carers have same
responsibility as a team working in a nursing home but without benefit of expert training,normal
working conditions or support/companionship of colleagues.
Care provided includes helping with daily living activities (shopping, household tasks & Food
preparation). Also personal care (toilet care, bathing, dressing & feeding).
Home Help
Primarily employed by HSE & are important part of community care team. Work with both
individuals & families. Provide care to disabled, people recovering from illness following
hospitalisation and care for terminally ill. While part of community care team, home helps work
alone. Important they do not feel isolated and need adequate support ( Regular contact with
supervisor, home help organiser & colleagues).
Home helps may be employed privately by individuals or families. Duties of home help include
physical aspects of personal care (bathing, toilet care & feeding). Also may be responsible for
household takes (shopping, food preparation, lighting fires & general housework).
Home helps may be required to observe client's health conditions (necessary for reporting changes
to public health nurse or doctor).
For many clients home helps are vital link with outside world (especially elderly).
Care Attendants
Usually employed by voluntary organisations providing services for people with physical
disabilities (Irish wheelchair or MS society). Such organisations receive grant aid from HSE to
provide services required).
Role of care attendants is to provide relief for informal home-carers of people with a significant
physical disability.
Assistance of a care attendant enables carer to take time off ( shopping,hairdresser or socialise with
friends).
Care attendants work with a group of clients with specific geographical area. Work involves
personal care of the client (feeding & other necessities). Regular contact develops a positive
rapport (some may read to clients, help with correspondence, and occasionally take the client out)
Personal Assistants.
This s/c worker developed since 1990 under the Centre for Independent Living. Wide international

movement that promotes & pursues goals & ideas of independent living for all people with
disabilities.
Provide help dressing, bathing, cooking, being mobile & other daily living activities.
Distinctive feature of the role of a personal-assistant is that the care provided is under the direction
of the disabled person.
Nurses Aides (or attendents).
Nurses aides are employed in acute general hospitals, district hospitals, welfare homes, private
nusing homes or day-care centres. General nursing duties (bed making, bathing, feeding) & helping
with daily living activities. In a day-care centre nurses aides may also help with correspondence or
social activities.
Home Visitors or Community Visitors
Employed by voluntary organisations (ie. MSSociety & Irisj Wheelchair Association). Provide
social contact (especially in isolated rural areas) and social interaction. On occasion provide limited
personal care to loners.
Voluntary Workers
Provide services through volunteers. Examples;

Society of St Vincent de Paul - alleviate social need. Activities include home, hospital or
prison visits.
Brothers of Charity Services- people of all ages with learning difficulties.
Simon Community- care for the homeless. Operates night shelters, community houses and
'soup runs' in Ireland & UK.

House Parents
Provide services for people with learning disabilities within house/home ( usually hired by
voluntary organisations). Oversee effective management of a group home (housekeeping shopping
& chores). Must create homelike atmosphere & encourage residents to assist according to their
abilities.
Caretaker in a Sheltered Housing Unit
Provide accommodation for the elderly. Administered jointly by local authority & HSE. Role of
caretaker is to ensure security & safety for residents. Normally live in separate accomodation
within premises & be available for emergencies.
PRINCIPLES FOR THE PROVISION OF CARE
Care & caring is difficult to define. It depends on a specific type of quality relationship rather than
a set of tasks (Seymour 2004). Berman et al 2008 'caring means that people, relationships & things
matter.
Roach 2002 conceptualises caring as having 6 attributes kown as the six c's.
Compassion awareness of relationships with others.
Competence having knowledge & skills to respond adequately to others.
Confidence a quality that fosters trusting relationships.
Conscience morals,ethics & an informed sense of right & wrong

Commitment convergence between desires & obligations and the choice to act in
accordance.
Comportment appropriate bearing, demeanor, dress and language in harmony with a
caring presence.

Underlying the provision of care are a series of principles or values that should apply. Most
organisations will have a list of principles on which they base their standards of care.
In working with clients it is important to remember the human values or principles. Bell (1993);

fulfillment enable individuals to achieve what they are capable of physically, mentally,
intellectually, emotionally & socially.
Dignity - presentation of individual self respect.
Autonomy & individuality recognition & acceptance of the need for people to make their
own choices & decisions.
Independence need to maintain, support & encourage personal independence.
Esteem recognition of qualities, experience, abilities & talents of individuals.
Quality of experience need to enable people to experience as wide a range of everyday
activities as possible (especially those unable to leave home-carers).
Emotional needs recognition of needs for emotional expression & fulfillment, especially in
a relationship.

COMMON CORE PRINCIPLES TO SUPPORT SELF CARE

These principles are designed to help to support people to live independently, stay healthy & reach
& maintain full potential. Should be incorporated into practice as they ensure care is person
focused and promotes health & wellbeing.
1. Ensure individuals are able to make informed choices to manage their self care needs.
2. Comminicate to enable individual to assess their needs, and develpop & gain confidence to
self care.
3. Support/enable to access appropriate information to manage self care needs.
4. Support/enable individual to develop self care skills.
5. Support/enable individual to use technology to support self care
6. Advise how to access support networks, and participate in planning, development &
evaluation of services-people.
7. Support/enable risk management & risk taking to maximise independence & choices.
Workers have needs for training, supervision & support from co-workers/supervisor. Need to know
where to go in an emergency.
Interpersonal Skills
S/C workers must possess certain characteristics, eg caring attitude, consideration, dependability,
trustworthy, empathy, courtesy, respect, honesty, enthusiasm & self-awareness.
Providing personal care is an intimate act which requires sensitivity & understanding.
Communication Skills

talking directly face to face

speaking clearly

using touch appropriately,eg to gain attention but not overly familiar.

For visually impaired, say who you are on arrival, explaining what you are doing while
working & informing when enetering/exiting a room.
Clearly listening (problems, life history).

Poor practice example;

Use of diminutives (sweetie etc). Use clients own name.
Inappropriate pronouns We instead of you.
Shortened speech (slower rate, simply vocabulary). Speak as normal with a good pace.
Other examples of poor practice (Bell 1993).

adopting superficial approach or artificial jollity.

Over-correcting & unnecessary contradiction.
Showing impatience rather than listening.

HEALTH & SAFETY IN S/C SETTINGS

S/C worker role involves a number of hands on duties as well as interpersonal skills (eg
communicating with client, family or co-workers0. Overall objective is to provide health &
wellbeing. Other practical matters include safety measures, infection control.
SAFETY IN SOCIAL CARE SETTING
Accidents 5th highest cause of death in Ireland making safety very important. S/c worker must play
an important role in protecting client and worker from injury or death.
Effect of accidents vary from being physically unable to work, depression due to unemployment ,
or loss of independence. Prevention of accidents can be beneficial;

Physically in terms of avoiding physical harm

financially in terms of not losing job, medical bills, increased insurance premiums.
Emotionally in terms of not feeling anxious or depressed following an accident.

S/C is responsible to ensure clients safety at all times. Some basic rules

don't hurry slowing down helps observation and to attend to detail

open doors slowly
keep hazardous items off the floor
caution with oxygen
brakes on wheelchair when not in motion
look for trouble Continuously alert to possibility of dangerous item which may harm

THE SAFETY, HEALTH & WELFARE ACT IN IRELAND 2005

Health & safety is of growing importance to social, political, economic & health terms.
Legislative protection clearly states responsibility of employer & employee.
Kelleher notes that the legislation is a health promoting strategy due to promotion of positive work
practices & on prevention. Both employer & employee have defined duties of care. Overall aim is
to ensure a safe working place.
Accident prevention
Major cause of accidents to health care workers were handling & lifting, and slipping & falling.
Training to carry out tasks, lifting techniques. Precaution leads to prevention. Safety education &
enforcement of protective measures to reduce accidents. Common sense prevails.
Moving & lifting
Account for more than a third of injuries. Back injuries most common.
Legislation outlines responsibility of employers and managers to employees (both public & private
sector). When handling and risk of injury is present employer must take measures to avoid or
reduce the need for handing.
Compliance would also involve;
risk assessment on all manual handling
record & document results of that assessment
put appropriate control measures in place and communicate the findings to staff

provision of safe manual handling policy incorporating training and assessment