Mrs. B has been admitted to the hospital following a fall at home. She is 85 years old and lives on her own

Topic : Protection of children and vulnerable persons

Learning Outcomes:

LO1: To promote and support the safety and security of users of services, those who care for them and all those who may come into contact with them

LO2: To raise awareness of the role of risk assessment/management in the provision of evidence-based care.

LO3: Provide a coherent multi-agency framework which will establish a consistent approach to the processes of risk assessment, risk management and risk taking whatever the context and environment of care/support.

LO4: To promote the adoption by all staff of ‘defensible decisions’ rather than ‘defensive decisions.

Assignment:

Read the following 3 case studies and write up a Safeguarding plan for the people concerned.

With clear evidence of reading to illustrate your answers student must demonstrate links to theories throughout.

CASE STUDY 1:

Leo is a 42-year-old man with Down syndrome. He has a supported living tenancy and shares his home with one other person. Leo and his housemate receive support from a provider during the day but not in the evenings and at night. Recently Leo has been frequently a local pub where he has made friends with a group of men. He has become involved in their business and delivers packages for them during the day for which he receives a small amount of money. Leo does not know what these packages contain but believes they are washing machine spares. Leo’s support staff have spoken to him about these activities an have told him that he must stop. They have tried to ban him from going to the pub. Leo says that the men from the pub are his friends and he can do what he likes.

CASE STUDY 2:

Mrs. B has been admitted to the hospital following a fall at home. She is 85 years old and lives on her own. Up until this point, she has managed independently with some support from her daughter (who lives 50 miles away) and her neighbours. The fall has resulted in a marked reduction in Mr. B’s mobility and currently she is unable to weight bear, requiring full support with her personal care needs. At times she is also getting confused. Mrs. B has been assessed by a physiotherapist who feel that the best option would be for her to move into a nursing home. Mrs. B’s daughter supports this recommendation as she feels that she would not be able to offer her mother the support she needs if she returned home. However, at this stage Mrs. B has not been assessed by a social care worker and there is the potential for her needs to be met at home with a package of care. Mrs. B has stated that she does not want to go into a nursing home.

CASE STUDY 3:

Susi is a female aged 45 who lives in her own rented accommodation. She has a support worker who visits a few times a week. Susi has a moderate learning disability; she has good practical skills that enable a high-level independence. Susi has a wide range of coping strategies developed over the years and is able to communicate verbally. Susi has been married twice (widowed and divorced). She has one child who is in permanent care with no contact. Susi grew up within a dysfunctional family. Historic concerns of grooming and sexual abuse from older males with in the family has lead to an acceptance by Susi of unwanted sexual relationships and tolerance of violence. Susi has family living locally but were unable to be considered a protective factor. Susi has recently disclosed to her support worker that she has been sending pictures of herself to strangers online.

Questions:

1. What are the main issues that present?
2. What indicators cause you concern?
3. Do you think that the person has capacity to make these choices? If you do, why? If not, why not and how you have reached this decision?
4. What other concerns might you have about the situation and how might you address these? Who would you involve? What will you do and why?