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Communication and Engagement with Service Users and Families Policy

1. Purpose

At {{org_field_name}}, we are committed to maintaining open, honest, and meaningful communication with the people we support and their families. Effective communication is fundamental to delivering high-quality, person-centred care that respects individual preferences, needs, and rights. This policy outlines our approach to engaging with individuals and their families, ensuring their voices are heard, their concerns are addressed, and their contributions shape the service they receive.

This policy supports compliance with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, in particular Regulation 9 (Person-centred care), Regulation 10 (Dignity and respect), Regulation 11 (Need for consent), Regulation 16 (Receiving and acting on complaints), Regulation 17 (Good governance), Regulation 18 (Staffing) and Regulation 20 (Duty of candour). It also reflects the Care Act 2014, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, the Equality Act 2010, the UK General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018, and the NHS Accessible Information Standard as it applies to adult social care services.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that communication and engagement with people we support, families, carers, advocates and representatives is lawful, person-centred, accessible, respectful, well recorded, and responsive to individual communication needs, choices, risks and rights.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all staff, including permanent, temporary, agency, and volunteer workers who have interactions with individuals we support and their families. It covers all forms of communication, including face-to-face interactions, written communication, digital correspondence, and engagement through advocacy groups.

For the purposes of this policy, “families and representatives” includes family members, informal carers, advocates, Independent Mental Capacity Advocates (IMCAs), attorneys acting under a valid Lasting Power of Attorney, court-appointed deputies, and any other person lawfully authorised or appropriately involved in decisions about the individual’s care, treatment, welfare or support.

3. Related Policies

• SL07 – Person-Centred Care Policy
• SL08 – Dignity and Respect Policy
• SL09 – Consent to Care Policy
• SL34 – Confidentiality and Data Protection (GDPR) Policy
• SL13 – Safeguarding Adults from Abuse and Improper Treatment Policy
• SL39 – Mental Capacity and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Policy

4. Principles of Communication and Engagement

4.1 Person-Centred Communication

Communication with each person we support will be tailored to their individual needs, preferences, abilities, culture, background, protected characteristics, and preferred methods of understanding and expression.

On admission, assessment, transition, review, and whenever needs change, staff must identify and record the person’s communication needs, including any needs relating to learning disability, autism, sensory impairment, cognitive impairment, literacy, language, culture, religion, trauma, mental health, or use of alternative and augmentative communication.

Staff must record clearly in care and support records:

• the person’s preferred language and method of communication;
• whether they need information in easy read, large print, braille, audio, pictorial, digital, translated or other accessible formats;
• whether they require communication support such as an interpreter, signer, advocate, communication aid, hearing support, visual support, or assistive technology; and
• any known barriers to communication and how these will be reduced.

Information must be provided in a way the person can understand, and staff must check understanding rather than assume understanding. People must be given appropriate time, support and opportunity to express their views and participate in decisions about their care and support.

Communication needs must be reviewed regularly and shared with relevant staff and professionals on a need-to-know basis so that support remains safe, effective, consistent and person-centred.

4.2 Engagement with Families, Carers and Representatives

We recognise the important role that families, carers and representatives can play in a person’s life and, where appropriate, in supporting communication, emotional wellbeing, care planning and review.

Staff must involve families and representatives only in ways that are consistent with:

• the person’s wishes, preferences and consent;
• the Mental Capacity Act 2005 where there is doubt about the person’s capacity to make a specific decision;
• any valid Lasting Power of Attorney, court order, deputyship, or other lawful authority;
• confidentiality and data protection requirements; and
• safeguarding considerations, including where family involvement may place the person at risk of harm, coercion, abuse or distress.

Where a person has capacity, their decision about whether and how family members are involved must be respected. Where a person lacks capacity to make a specific decision, staff must follow the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and involve those lawfully entitled or appropriately placed to contribute to best-interest decision-making.

The service will maintain a clear record of who may be contacted, what information may be shared, any restrictions requested by the person, and the lawful basis for sharing information.

Families and representatives will be given a clear point of contact and offered structured opportunities for engagement, such as reviews, meetings, updates and feedback processes, where this is consistent with the person’s rights and wishes.

4.3 Supporting Individuals to Communicate

• Staff ensure that individuals feel comfortable expressing their views and concerns without fear of judgment or retaliation.
• Advocacy services are available for individuals who require independent representation.
• Alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) tools are used to support individuals with complex communication needs.
• People we support are encouraged to participate in meetings, care reviews, and decision-making processes that affect them.

Staff must make all reasonable adjustments to enable the person to communicate effectively and to be involved as fully as possible in decisions affecting them. No person will be excluded from discussions, reviews, complaints processes or safeguarding processes because of communication difficulties alone.

Where a person would benefit from independent support to express their views, understand information, or participate in decisions, the service will support access to advocacy, including statutory advocacy where required. This includes referral to an Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) where the legal criteria are met.

4.4 Handling Feedback, Concerns, and Complaints

The service will maintain an effective, fair and accessible system for identifying, receiving, recording, investigating, responding to and learning from feedback, concerns and complaints.

People we support, and those acting on their behalf where appropriate, must be given information in an accessible format about how to raise a concern or make a complaint, who they can speak to, expected timescales, and how concerns will be handled.

Staff must distinguish between routine feedback, low-level concerns, safeguarding concerns, whistleblowing concerns, and formal complaints, and must respond in line with the relevant policy and escalation route.

All complaints must be acknowledged promptly, investigated proportionately and thoroughly, and responded to in a clear and respectful manner. Records must show the nature of the complaint, actions taken, outcome, whether the complainant was satisfied, and what learning or service improvement followed.

No person will be treated unfairly, ignored, disadvantaged or subjected to negative consequences because they, or someone acting on their behalf, raise a concern or complaint.

Complaint themes, outcomes and learning will be reviewed as part of governance, quality assurance and service improvement processes.

4.5 Digital and Written Communication

• Emails, letters, and other written communication are clear, professional, and respectful.
• Digital communication, including messaging apps or video calls, is used appropriately to enhance engagement while ensuring confidentiality.
• Families and individuals can opt-in to receive digital updates about care planning, progress, and service changes.
• All written and digital communication must comply with the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, confidentiality obligations, information-sharing protocols, and organisational guidance on secure communication. Staff must ensure that personal information is shared lawfully, proportionately, accurately and on a need-to-know basis, and that significant communications affecting care, consent, risk, complaints or safeguarding are recorded in the person’s records.
• Staff must use only approved systems and devices for service-related communication. Personal devices, informal messaging channels and social media must not be used to share confidential information unless specifically authorised under organisational policy and appropriate safeguards are in place.

4.6 Promoting a Culture of Open Communication

• Senior management fosters a culture where open and honest communication is encouraged.
• Staff are trained in active listening techniques to enhance understanding and rapport.
• A no-blame culture ensures that individuals feel comfortable raising concerns without fear of negative repercussions.
• Regular team meetings and supervision sessions reinforce the importance of effective communication.

Open communication also includes being honest and transparent when something goes wrong. Where required, the service will act in accordance with the statutory and professional duty of candour, including informing the person and/or relevant representative in an open, timely and compassionate way, offering an apology where appropriate, explaining what is known, setting out what action will be taken, and recording the process.

4.7 Multi-Agency Collaboration

We will work collaboratively with local authorities, health professionals, commissioners, advocates, safeguarding teams and other relevant agencies to support coordinated, safe and person-centred care.

Information will only be shared where there is a lawful basis to do so, and staff must take account of the person’s wishes, capacity, safety, confidentiality and any safeguarding duty.

Where information is shared in the person’s best interests or for safeguarding purposes, the decision-making rationale must be clearly recorded.

The service will maintain clear internal accountability for who leads communication with external professionals, how agreed actions are followed up, and how important updates are recorded and reflected in the person’s care and support arrangements.

4.8 Consent, Mental Capacity and Best-Interest Communication

Staff must presume capacity unless there is reason to doubt it and must support the person to make their own decisions wherever possible. Communication must be adapted to maximise the person’s ability to understand, retain, use or weigh relevant information and communicate their decision.

Consent must be sought before care, treatment, support interventions, information-sharing decisions and family involvement, unless another lawful basis applies.

Where there is doubt about a person’s capacity to make a specific decision, staff must follow the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and organisational procedures, including assessment of capacity, consultation with relevant others, and best-interest decision-making where required.

Staff must clearly record the decision to be made, what support was provided to aid communication, the outcome of any capacity assessment, who was consulted, and the rationale for any best-interest decision.

Restrictions on family involvement requested by a person with capacity must be respected unless there is an overriding legal or safeguarding reason to act otherwise.

4.9 Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessible Information

Communication and engagement must be inclusive and must not disadvantage any person because of disability, age, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, or any other protected characteristic.

The service will make reasonable adjustments to remove barriers to communication and participation.

In line with the Accessible Information Standard, the service will identify, record, flag, share appropriately and meet people’s information and communication needs where they have a disability, impairment or sensory loss.

Accessible information needs will be reviewed regularly and reflected in care planning, meetings, complaints handling, emergency communication and service changes.

5. Staff Training and Development

All staff must receive induction, training, supervision and ongoing support appropriate to their role in relation to communication and engagement.

Mandatory learning in this area will include, as relevant to role:

• person-centred communication;
• equality, diversity, inclusion and human rights;
• the Accessible Information Standard and accessible communication;
• consent and the Mental Capacity Act 2005;
• advocacy and involving representatives lawfully;
• professional boundaries and confidentiality;
• complaints handling and conflict resolution;
• safeguarding and recognising coercion or closed-culture risks;
• accurate record keeping; and
• duty of candour and openness.

Competence must not be assumed on the basis of training attendance alone. Managers must assess staff understanding through supervision, observation, spot checks, audits, reflective discussions and, where appropriate, competency assessments.

Where communication needs within the service require specialist knowledge, the provider will arrange additional training, coaching or expert input.

6. Monitoring and Continuous Improvement

The provider will maintain systems and processes to assess, monitor and improve the quality, safety and effectiveness of communication and engagement practices.

Monitoring will include, as appropriate:

• audits of care records to check that communication needs are identified, recorded and reviewed;
• review of consent records and capacity-related decision-making;
• review of complaints, compliments, concerns and outcomes;
• feedback from people we support, families, representatives and advocates;
• supervision findings, staff competency checks and training compliance;
• review of incidents, safeguarding concerns and any communication-related errors; and
• action plans showing how learning has been implemented and reviewed.

Governance systems must ensure that communication practice is not only policy-compliant on paper but embedded in day-to-day support and reflected in people’s lived experience.

6.1 Records and Documentation

Records relating to communication and engagement must be accurate, complete, contemporaneous, factual and respectful. Records should evidence communication needs, preferences, consent discussions, family involvement, advocacy involvement, complaints, outcomes, follow-up actions and review.

Managers must regularly audit whether records reflect the person’s lived experience and whether staff are following the communication arrangements recorded in care and support documentation.

7. Confidentiality and Data Protection

• All personal communication records are securely stored and accessible only to authorised personnel.
• Confidentiality is maintained in all interactions, ensuring compliance with GDPR and Data Protection laws (SL34).
• Staff must not share personal information with family members, representatives or external agencies unless there is a lawful basis to do so. Where the person has capacity, their wishes and consent should normally be sought and respected. Where the person lacks capacity in relation to the specific decision, staff must act in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005, confidentiality requirements, safeguarding duties and any other applicable legal authority. The reason for sharing, and with whom information was shared, must be recorded.
• Information sharing decisions must be proportionate, limited to what is necessary, and consistent with the person’s rights, safety and wellbeing. Staff must seek management advice where there is uncertainty.

8. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed at least annually and sooner where required following changes in legislation, CQC guidance, case law, national standards, organisational learning, complaints trends, safeguarding findings, incidents, audit outcomes, or feedback from people using the service, families, representatives, advocates or commissioners.

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