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Respecting the Religion and Beliefs of People Using the Service Policy

Policy Statement

This policy sets out the principles and procedures underpinning {{org_field_name}}’s approach (this could be care home or domiciliary care) to the religion and beliefs of people using the service. It is set in the context of the service’s respect for and commitment to human rights and policies on equality, diversity and inclusion.

{{org_field_name}}, in line with its registration requirements, accepts that every person using the service has the right to freedom of religion and belief and this includes opportunities and facilities to practice their religion without interference or stigma. We will do everything possible to ensure that all people using the service enjoy this right to the full.

Implementing the Policy on Religion and Belief

1. We will ensure that the information that we provide to prospective people using the service informs them of their rights in respect of their religion and beliefs and of what we can provide to further that right. We recognise that for some people, religion is inescapably linked with culture and sometimes with language, so we will make every effort to ensure that this information is accessible, comprehensible and expressed sympathetically for all who need to understand it.
2. In the course of making or considering the assessment of the needs of a prospective person receiving care, we will seek and record information regarding their religious needs so that we can give assurances that we will be able to respond appropriately when providing care, or when they enter {{org_field_name}}.
3. If we honestly feel that we would not be able to respond appropriately in respect of the religious needs of anyone who will receive care, we will advise the person, and if necessary their care manager, relatives and representative, accordingly.
4. In each person’s plan of care we will, in collaboration with the person receiving care, set out what contribution, if any, {{org_field_name}} needs to make to meet the person’s religious needs.
5. We will brief all relevant care staff on the religious needs of each person living in the home, and ensure that they understand what {{org_field_name}} has undertaken to fulfil these elements of the care plan.
6. [For care homes] We will establish relationships with relevant local religious groups, congregations and places of worship in order to facilitate the contacts necessary to the religious needs of people living in the home, including involvement in services or other faith activities, visits to the home by their co-religionists and clergy, and participation in religious rituals, ceremonies and festivals.
7. We recognise that contacts with places of worship and fellow believers are for many people an important element of their continued integration with the community, and we will take steps to make such continued contacts possible and meaningful.
8. [For care homes] We will provide people living in the home with the necessary space and privacy within the home to engage in personal religious practice such as prayer, worship, meditation or the reading of scriptures if and when they wish to.
9. [For care homes] We will make every possible effort to provide for any dietary requirements that are based on a person’s religious beliefs and help them to observe special festivals and anniversaries related to their faith.
10. [For care homes] We will ensure that no one living in the home has to participate in any religious activity if they do not wish to.
11. We acknowledge that at the time of dying and death, religious belief and practice may assume a particular significance, and if our workers are involved at such times we will try to observe any requests for special treatment, ritual, or family and community contacts which are requested, for anyone receiving care who is close to death and after, and for their friends and relatives.
12. We recognise that for some people the expression of personal and spiritual values takes forms outside a structure of religious belief and practice, and in such instances we will do everything possible to facilitate that expression in ways appropriate to individuals in order to make possible their maximum personal fulfilment.
13. We know that some people with severe disabilities, communication difficulties, mental disorders or terminal illnesses retain a sense of the importance of their personal faith; we will respect and try to respond to this need in any appropriate way.
14. We will take vigorous steps to ensure that no one is the subject of discrimination because of their religious beliefs or practices. A lack of respect for religious needs on the part of any member of staff will be the subject of disciplinary action.
15. We will seek in the makeup of the staff group to reflect the diversity of faiths and cultures among people living in the home and in the local community as a way of helping people to feel accepted and respected. We will not discriminate on grounds of religion against applicants for posts in {{org_field_name}}, and we will attempt to accommodate staff whose personal religious beliefs require them to be away from work at certain times or on specified days.
16. We see our efforts to promote appropriate responses to people’s religious needs as a part of all our efforts to provide each person living in the home with as fulfilling and participative a lifestyle as is possible according to their personal preferences, needs and choices.

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Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}

Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}

Next Review Date: {{next_review_date}}

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