Becky Bigby.
Unit 5- Meeting individual care and support needs.
AP1. Explain the importance of promoting equality and diversity for individuals with
different needs.
Equality is ensuring individuals or groups of individuals are treated equally
and no less favourably specific to their needs. In addition, it is also the belief
that no one should have poorer life chances because of the way they were
born, where they come from, what they believe or whether they have a
disability. Linking to the equality act 2010 this is a law which protects an
individual from discrimination and protects the rights of all individuals. There
are 9 characteristics that are protected by the equality act these include:
age, disability, gender, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy, race,
religion/beliefs, sex, sexual orientation. [Equality and Human Rights Commission
(2010] Promoting equality is a key aspect in general day to day life and it
protects people from being discriminated against. Inequality can cause an
individual to suffer from negative self-esteem, a lack of self-esteem can lead
to an individual suffering from increased mental health such as depression.
The individual may also feel isolated and not accepted, this may affect how
the individual sees others, and this may affect the individuals’ levels of
happiness. They may be less likely to engage in social interactions too. There
are also Benefits of Equality, and a few include: increased performance,
better and more positive working relationships, individuals feeling more
accepted and understood, equality initially creates happier and more content
healthier human beings [CIPD 2022, November 1]
Diversity is appreciating and valuing all forms of ‘difference’ in individuals.
These differences may include ethnicity, culture and beliefs, age, sexuality/
gender, social status, political beliefs, education etc. [Acas. 2023] An example
of diversity within a health and social care setting is- in a hospital there may
be an individual who is Muslim meaning they can only eat halal food, in this
scenario ensuring there is different options or a different menu for this
individual or anyone else, is an example of diversity. Respecting diversity
helps to ensure that everyone feels valued and have the same access to all
opportunities despite their differences. Ignoring diversity does not benefit
anyone. [Unionlearn. 2022] Like equality, if an individual feels their differences
are not being respected nor supported, they may feel a lack of self-esteem,
the feeling of isolation, a loss in faith in themselves, a lack of interest in their
job and if diversity is not met within a workplace the organization is unlikely
to retain loyalty.
Promoting both equality and diversity ensures that Valarie B’s needs are
met. Her parents died when she was 6 this could infer she suffers from
trauma and abandonment issues which could have left her feeling unlovable,
depressed, and torn. Equality within both case studies means that Valarie is
,treated equally and gets the support she needs. She has never been
assessed for support in terms of her hearing. This shows an example of
inequality. Valarie has not been given the opportunity to improve her hearing
nor received support. Promoting equality would mean settings provide clear
and simple signage and maps which use easy words and symbols for
communication and information, but the main thing would be getting support
for this and receiving the proper items she may need to help her with this
need. Valarie is obese, this could infer the idea that some health care
professionals may discriminate against her or view her as different, this
could leave Valarie feeling emotions of upset anger and worthlessness. To
show Equality and Diversity may mean Valarie could be set up with a
dietician, to encourage her and inform her on how to keep a healthy diet and
quick healthy vegetarian meal ideas. Valarie has suffered from
discrimination due to being bullied by local teenagers this is likely, she
already suffers from low self-esteem so this is likely to worsen as well as her
potentially feeling depressed which can lead to isolation. Talking to a
professional such as a counsellor could improve her overall confidence in
herself. For Tremayne’s these also ensure his needs are met. Tremayne has
autism and is quite disruptive whilst being subject to outbursts of temper,
this could mean he is discriminated against. The staff working within the
services need to ensure the Equality act 2010 is always implemented to
ensure he is given the best support as well as the other service users. If
equality is not met, Tremayne may develop low self-esteem. Therefore,
services must give him equal access to the services he may need to ensure
he feels comfortable and accepted as well equal opportunities to other
service users.
Tremayne is 54 years of age meaning he may struggle
developing/maintaining relationships or friendships, due to him being
admitted to the hospital he may feel lonely and secluded, meaning he would
need extra support in terms of his emotional development. An example of
extra support could simply be the professionals and hospital staff checking in
on him, making sure he is content, having someone check in on him is likely
to make him feel a little happier. As previously mentioned, he also has
outbursts of anger which cause other service users to become distressed. To
keep equality, the professions need to ensure that they are patient. Patience
may mean that Tremayne is calmer, and he will feel understood which could
prevent him from having outbursts of temper. As a result of this, the service
users around him may also feel more comfortable and less distressed.
Diversity would mean that no one makes a fuss or problem out of Tremayne
having this, and Equality would mean his needs are considered and the staff
promote the right services. This could be done through, adding wheat free
meals options to the hospital menu however this may not be that easy to do,
therefore an easier option could be to set Tremayne up with a dietician to
discuss his diet and the potential of a diet plan. Some individuals with autism
,don’t like change and in terms of interactions they may be selective with
who they speak too, as he lives with a team of carers, inference can be made
that he knows them well and as a result of this if he feels comfortable a carer
could come with him when seeing a dietician or the dietician could come to
where Tremayne is located so that he is a comfortable setting.
Both Valarie and Tremayne lead different lives, with different needs and
requirements. One of the most obvious differences within these two case
studies are the ages Valarie is 24 whilst Tremayne is 54. Meaning they are at
different life stages, and they have different needs and require different
types of support. Valarie’s has had a more sudden life change whereas
Tremayne’s have been more continuous and outgoing. Both Valarie and
Tremayne were admitted to hospital, however these were for different
reasons. Valarie was transferred following appendix surgery and Tremayne
was admitted due to breaking his legs in three places. They both also have
dietary requirements which will affect their lives, but these dietary
requirements differ. Valarie is vegetarian which tends to be a choice unless
for medical reasons. In other cases it might also be because of religious
reasons for example Muslim individuals must eat meat which is halal.
It is important to promote both equality and diversity towards both case
studies. Valarie already has mental health problems, obesity, low self-
esteem, bullying, unemployment, and a hearing impairment. It is vital that
she does not worsen in any of these aspects. If mental health problems
become worse, it can cause individuals to become isolated and withdrawn
which can lead to the worst-case scenario of suicide. Linking to her mental
health, having a low self-esteem will not help in terms of losing weight. Self-
esteem is how a person feels and sees themselves, if this is negative, she
may no value within herself and as previously mentioned she may not feel
motivated to change her lifestyle. If equality and diversity are met, Valarie’s
whole perspective on life and herself may completely change in a positive
way and moving forward she could become a healthier, happier individual. It
is important that through equality there are things such as written signs,
clear directions, information booklets and if she’s in a waiting room she may
not be able to hear her name called out, therefore a number appearing on a
screen could be helpful.
Tremayne has autism, although this is different and varies from individual-to-
individual equality is important. Not promoting equality towards him may
mean he becomes more frustrated and angrier, as he feels shut out and not
accepted, already he is subject to not only disruptive behavior but outburst
of anger. This would mean services such as hospitals would need to ensure
he is given the same opportunities to other service users providing him with
equal approaches. This could empower him as someone with a learning
condition like Tremayne may feel like an outcast or unaccepted within
societal standards and norms, therefore ensuring he is given equal
,opportunities and approaches is so important. Secondly, Tremayne has a
wheat allergy but does not seem to understand why he is feeling ill often, his
diet is also reasonably poor as he tends to live on pizza and sandwiches
bought from the local shop. In this case promoting equality and diversity
towards him is vital, firstly there could be a few reasons as to why he does
not understand, he may not realise what he is consuming. It is important that
when receiving help, he does not feel judged or foolish and that he is made
aware clearly and calmly of the affects that his diet is having on him. A
professional such as a dietician explaining this to tremayne could be a
breakthrough for him, as he may start to realise, he needs to change his diet
and he will feel better in himself and less ill.
M1 Analyse the impact of preventing discrimination for individuals with different needs.
Discrimination is treating an individual unfairly because of they who they are
or certain characteristics they possess. EOC. (2010). There are a few ways
in which an individual may be discriminated against. There are 9 protected
characteristics these are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and
civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex,
sexual orientation. An individual might be discriminated because of any one
of these protected characteristics however this is against the law and
legislations like the Equality act 2010 protects individuals and is a legal
framework to “tackle disadvantage and discrimination” [Equality and Human
Rights Commission, 2021] [nidirect. (2021]. There are four types of
discrimination, and these are: unfair discrimination, direct discrimination,
indirect discrimination, positive discrimination, and unfair discrimination.
Equality and Human Rights Commission. (2021)
Unfair discrimination is when an individual is treated unreasonably in
comparison to another individual. An example of this could be refusing a
service user treatment due to being ‘too old’. Initially it is when an individual
is treated without fairness because of who they are or maybe because of
attributes they have. All 4 types of discrimination have examples that come
with them, For unfair discrimination a couple more examples include “If an
employee is sexually harassed this is a form of unfair discrimination based
on sex” or “where an employee is unnecessarily side-lined because he/she is
disabled” [Israelstam, I. (n.d.]
Direct discrimination is when an individual is rude towards another individual
because of a difference. For example an individual who is overweight is
intentionally called by names by others. This specific type of discrimination a
large amount of people will face. If an individual is purposely treated less
favourably because they have one or more of their protected characteristics,
this is known as direct discrimination. General examples of direct
, discrimination include “refusing an employee time off work for a religious
event” “denying a same sex couple access to healthcare” “not allowing an
employee access to work opportunities because they are too young” “not
hiring a person because of their disability or not suitably accommodating
them” “someone is not offered a promotion because they're a woman and
the job goes to a less qualified man” [Burton, 2015]
Indirect discrimination is when “there is practice, condition, policy or rule”
that everyone needs to follow but “inadvertently puts people with one or
more of the protected characteristics at a disadvantage- this is known as
indirect discrimination” It tends to be more difficult to spot for example a
manager is discretely fairer to the male employers than the women. “This
will often be the unintentional; the employer who made the decision or has
plans for a new policy might think that through applying one rule, everyone
is being treated equally” This may be because of things like poor attitudes
towards diversity and equality or “unconscious bias” Examples of indirect
discrimination in general are “having a policy where all female and male
patients must be given care by someone of the same gender- some
individuals might prefer certain carers of the opposite gender or transgender
people might want to be seen by the gender they identify with” “having a
policy where staff are required to work on Sundays- this might disadvantage
those who are religious such as Christians that attend church” “serving lunch
to service users at a certain time each day without flexibility- this might not
be accommodating of people who are fasting” “identification systems or
dress codes for example Muslims who wear headscarves” Individuals
background or culture lead them to obtaining specific attitudes or
perceptions without even realising it. [Burton, 2015]
Lastly positive discrimination is when an arrangement is put in place in an
individual’s favour due to a difference that they have. It is a form of
discrimination in which favours someone by treating them differently in a
positive way t could include “an organisation appointing someone from an
underrepresented group into a role without considering whether they have
right skills for the post. Other candidates who are better qualified are passed
over. Positive discrimination is unlawful discrimination” Another example
which is similar includes “the hiring or promoting of an individual with a
disability to increase the number of people with disabilities in the workforce,
despite another candidate being better qualified” [www.springhouselaw.com,
2022]
Anyone can technically be discriminated against if they have something
different about them, for example a learning difficulty, different colour hair,
ethnicity, weight, and lots more. An example of discrimination within a
workplace is pay discrimination, this could be that a male gets paid
higher/more than a woman, despite them having the same job and carrying
