United Response Stamp of Support programme encourages carers to allow people with disabilities to take sensible risks.A disabled woman made herself a cup of tea for the first time after her support workers realised providing her with a surface-mounted cup and a hot water dispenser meant she was no longer in danger of scalding herself.
Staff at the charity United Response came up with the solution because they realised that the benefit of making a cup of tea far outweighed the possibility of her being scalded. The support workers felt confident that it was a risk worth taking.
A young adult with a learning disability now travels to work by bus on his own, rather than taking expensive taxis. The staff knew there was a possibility that he could get lost on the way, so they gave him a mobile phone to ring them if needed. Staff realised that the financial and personal benefits were greater than the chances of him getting off the bus at the wrong stop.
Both cases illustrate the success of the charity's Stamp of Support initiative – which is encouraging "positive risk-taking" by staff in the organisation, which supports 1,300 adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities or mental ill-health.
The charity wanted its 3,500 support staff to have the confidence to take a calculated risk when making decisions which would help service users achieve their "hopes and dreams".
"We didn't want them to risk their safety, but we wanted them to know that so long as they have acted reasonably then we will support them all the way," says Shonagh Methven, the charity's senior business partner for risk management.
The Stamp of Support slogan now appears on all its health and safety material and on a staff keyring.
Staff guidance and advice to support them to make a positive risk decision – even if it ends in failure – has been written into the charity's risk management strategy.
This article is published by Guardian Professional. Join the Healthcare Professionals Network to receive regular emails and exclusive offers.
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