Learning Topic 4 Protecting the rights and interests of clients
This topic should provide you with the ability to recognise and report to an appropriate person any witnessed signs that are consistent with financial, physical, emotional or sexual abuse or neglect of the client. You will learn to:
implement work practices which support the protection of children and young people;
use relevant child protection procedures to report incidents or suspicions of harm; and
provide prompt and accurate reporting of relevant specific and general circumstances surrounding risk of harm.
Section 4.5 Helping clients to complain
One of the rights we have identified is that clients should always be able to complain about any aspect of the service they are receiving. All services benefit from user feedback and remember that a client’s right to be heard is supported by legislation and UN Declarations.
The basic principles underlying any complaints resolution process is that complaints should be dealt with fairly and promptly and that clients are not ‘punished’ in any way for making a complaint.
Sometimes it is difficult to identify what a client wants to express. A client may be clearly unhappy or unsettled but may be unable to clearly express her or his concerns. For example, this can happen with aged people or with people with disabilities, and also with children. At times, with appropriate permission and/or respect for the client, it may be possible to discuss your concerns with a family member, carer or advocate who may be able to assist with identifying what may be wrong.
Clients are often able to give feedback on services they are receiving, either directly or through others, but it may not always be well received by workers. It is important that all services are aware of the need to support every client’s right to comment on service received and to facilitate the giving of that feedback where necessary.
4.5.1 Hearing clients
All clients have a right to opportunities to express their concerns and provide feedback on the quality of service they are receiving. Even the very old or unwell or someone with a significant disability is able to participate and respond to those who care for them in varying ways. Indirect communication can be most effective in providing information, such as not being welcoming to a particular worker, not wanting to participate in a particular activity or not wanting to be around certain other clients.
Workers need to actively seek comments from clients on the services they offer. Workers need to allow clients to respond in a variety of ways—ways which are appropriate for their particular circumstances and abilities.
4.5.2 Hearing the concerns of others
Carers, family members or others can often voice concerns about a client’s care. When the environment of a service is open to feedback, this concern will be voiced earlier when there is a better chance of fixing a problem.
Some services are able to invite carers to communicate with workers and be involved with the service. In this case concerns are less likely to build up to complaints. If the environment or culture of a service is such that feedback from carers and family members, if appropriate, is welcome then there will be many unstructured as well as structured ways of addressing concerns as they arise.
Strategies which can be developed for providing opportunities for carers to voice their concerns are family meetings, invitations to afternoon teas, information sessions, etc. but we always have to be mindful of the client’s wishes and not breach confidentiality.
Providing a comment box, having a newsletter and arranging meetings are all examples of finding avenues for facilitating comments about the service.
Where some strategies for communication are regularly maintained within a service, clients and/or family members should feel confident in voicing concerns about the service they and the clients receive. Situations will still arise where complaints are made and these should be swiftly addressed through service policies and protocols.
Activity 4.4
Answer the following questions
You are busy planning recreational activities for a group of young people with physical disabilities. You almost have the afternoon planned. A client approaches you and says she does not want to join that activity but wants to have a different one.
Would you:
Barbara, a daughter of an aged person with dementia who attends a day programme, is anxious that her mother isn’t settling into the service and asks if she should send her to a service that caters specifically for dementia.
Would you:
You seem to hear a steady stream of complaints from clients and others about different parts of the service.
Do you:
Your clients are a little anxious about a guest speaker coming to a support group at the detoxification centre where you work.
