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Dignity and Respect Policy

1. Introduction

Our Home Care business is committed to ensuring that all individuals receiving our care are treated with dignity, respect, and compassion. We believe that every person has the right to receive care that upholds their self-worth, individuality, and human rights.

This policy applies to all employees, including Care Assistants, Senior Carers, Coordinators, Managers, and Directors. It also provides guidance for CIW inspectors on how we ensure dignity and respect are upheld in every aspect of our care delivery.

This policy supports compliance with the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 and the Regulated Services (Service Providers and Responsible Individuals) (Wales) Regulations 2017 (as amended), in particular the requirements relating to information, communication and respect and sensitivity. It also reflects Welsh Government statutory guidance for providers of care home and domiciliary support services (last updated 27 March 2024) and CIW’s inspection approach for care homes and domiciliary support services, including the introduction of published inspection ratings from April 2025.

2. Key Principles of Dignity and Respect

We embed the following principles into our daily care practices:

1. Person-Centred Care
   • Care is tailored to the individual’s needs, preferences, and choices.
   • Service users have control over their daily routines, such as meal choices, sleeping patterns, and social activities.
2. Privacy and Confidentiality
   • Service users have the right to personal privacy during care, including when bathing, dressing, or using the toilet.
   • Confidential information is handled in accordance with GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.
   • These arrangements also support our duty to treat individuals with respect and sensitivity, including respecting privacy, dignity and confidentiality.
3. Independence and Empowerment
   • Care is delivered in a way that promotes independence, encouraging service users to do as much as they can for themselves.
   • Staff support service users in decision-making without taking over.
4. Effective Communication
   • Staff communicate in a respectful, clear, and inclusive manner, considering any hearing, speech, or cognitive impairments.
   • We ensure that all communication is accessible, using tools such as easy-read documents and translation services if needed.
5. Welsh Language and Communication Choice (Active Offer)
   • We take reasonable steps to identify and meet each person’s language and communication needs, including offering services proactively in Welsh where Welsh is the person’s language of need and choice (“Active Offer”).
   • Information will be provided in an appropriate language, format and style, and we will provide or arrange aids/technology to support communication where required.
6. Respect for Diversity and Equality
   • We provide care that is inclusive and culturally sensitive, considering religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and personal identity.
   • Equality and Diversity training (E&D) is mandatory for all staff.

3. How We Manage Dignity and Respect Efficiently

A. Person-Centred Care Planning

What We Do:

• Each service user has a Personalised Care Plan (PCP) that details their individual needs and preferences.
• Care plans are co-produced with the service user and their family.
• Regular Care Reviews (CRs) ensure evolving needs are met.

For Staff:

• Involve service users in decision-making about their care.
• Follow the Service User’s Daily Preferences (SUDP) recorded in the care plan.

For CIW Inspectors:

• Our Care Management System (CMS) records individual care preferences and updates.
• Care audits ensure that service users’ choices are being respected.

B. Promoting Privacy and Confidentiality

What We Do:

• Provide private spaces for care where possible.
• Ensure that all personal care tasks are carried out discreetly.
• Maintain strict Data Protection (DP) protocols for handling personal records.

For Staff:

• Knock before entering a service user’s room.
• Close doors, curtains, and ensure dignity covers are used during personal care.
• Never discuss service users’ information outside of work settings.

For CIW Inspectors:

• We have a Confidentiality Policy, and all staff sign a Data Protection Agreement (DPA).
• Service users’ records are stored securely and accessed only by authorised personnel.

C. Encouraging Independence and Choice

What We Do:

• Enable service users to make choices about their care, meals, and daily activities.
• Provide mobility aids and assistive technology to promote independence.
• Offer enablement-focused support, encouraging self-care.

For Staff:

• Support, rather than take over, tasks service users can manage themselves.
• Encourage choice and provide options rather than making decisions on their behalf.
• Use Active Participation (AP) techniques to involve service users in activities.

For CIW Inspectors:

• Care records show how service users are empowered in decision-making.
• Observations confirm that staff promote active engagement rather than passive care.

D. Respectful and Inclusive Communication

What We Do:

• Train staff in compassionate communication techniques.
• Provide alternative communication methods for service users with speech or hearing difficulties.
• Use “Dignity in Care” language, avoiding infantilising or patronising speech.
• Identify and record each person’s communication needs and preferred language (including Welsh language choice) within their care plan, and review these needs at each care review or sooner if needs change.
• Provide information people need to make and take part in decisions in an appropriate language, style, presentation and format (e.g., easy read, large print, pictorial aids, interpreter/translation support) and ensure the person receives support to understand that information.

For Staff:

• Speak directly to the service user rather than their family members when appropriate.
• Use preferred names and titles, never assuming familiarity.
• Avoid jargon and ensure communication is clear and respectful.

For CIW Inspectors:

• Service users’ feedback confirms that staff communicate respectfully.
• Training logs verify that staff have completed Communication in Care (CIC) training.

E. Respect for Cultural, Religious, and Personal Beliefs

What We Do:

• Recognise and accommodate cultural, religious, and personal preferences in care delivery.
• Provide appropriate dietary options based on religious or cultural needs.
• Celebrate cultural and religious events in service users’ lives.

For Staff:

• Be aware of service users’ cultural and religious preferences, documented in their Cultural Awareness Profile (CAP).
• Adapt care routines to respect religious practices, e.g., prayer times, fasting periods.

For CIW Inspectors:

• Care plans include specific cultural and religious considerations.
• Service users report that their beliefs and customs are respected.

F. Access to Advocacy and Support to Raise Concerns

What We Do:

• We ensure people know how to raise concerns or make a complaint and how to access independent advocacy support where they want it.
• We will provide information in accessible formats and support the person to communicate their concern, including signposting to Llais (the Citizen Voice Body) for complaints advocacy.

For Staff:

• Remind service users (and, where appropriate, their representative) how to raise concerns without fear of disadvantage.
• Offer support to access independent advocacy (including Llais) where the person wants help to express their views or pursue a complaint.
• Record that information and signposting were provided, and any support requested/arranged, in the care record.

For CIW Inspectors:

• People can explain how to raise a concern and report they are supported to do so.
• Records show signposting/support for independent advocacy when needed.

4. Governance & Continuous Improvement

What We Do:

• Conduct Dignity in Care (DIC) Audits every 6 months.
• Hold Staff Reflection Sessions (SRS) to review care experiences.
• Encourage feedback from service users through Satisfaction Surveys (SSs).
• Review dignity-and-respect evidence against CIW’s current inspection framework themes and rating descriptors, and include learning/actions within our quality improvement plan.
• Ensure outcomes of audits, complaints/compliments, and feedback are analysed for themes and used to evidence improvement over time.

For Staff:

• Participate in Dignity Champion Training (DCT).
• Report concerns via our Whistleblowing Procedure (WP) if dignity is compromised.

For CIW Inspectors:

• Dignity in Care Reports demonstrate compliance and ongoing improvements.
• Supervision records show how staff training in dignity and respect is maintained.

5. Compliance Monitoring & Audit Procedures

• Internal Audits: Conducted quarterly to assess dignity and respect compliance.
• Annual Reviews: Full compliance check against CIW dignity and well-being standards.
• Staff Supervisions & Appraisals: Carried out every 6 months, ensuring adherence to best practices.

6. Conclusion

We are committed to upholding the highest standards of dignity and respect for every person who uses our domiciliary support service. This policy ensures that care is delivered in a person-centred, rights-based, empowering and inclusive way, in line with the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016, associated Regulations, and Welsh Government statutory guidance.

It provides clear direction for staff and assurance for people who use the service, their representatives, and Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) that dignity, respect, voice, choice, communication needs and individual wellbeing are central to how care is planned, delivered, monitored and improved.

7. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed at least annually and earlier where required in response to changes in legislation, Welsh Government statutory guidance, CIW expectations, service delivery changes, audit findings, incidents, complaints, safeguarding concerns, or learning from feedback.

The Responsible Individual (or delegated manager) is accountable for ensuring the review is completed on time, updates are communicated to staff, and revised versions are implemented in practice. Where changes are made, staff will be briefed and, where necessary, refresher training and competency checks will be completed.

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