Risk Enablement

Risk enablement plays a natural part in self-directed care and support. It empowers the individual to take control over their care, doing what they can to prevent themselves from being harmed or injured and agreeing the care and support that they need. Risk enablement involves supporting individuals to identify and assess their own risks, enabling them to take risks they choose. It is a key part of person-centred care and it emphasises that the individual is the expert in their care. Being in control increases a person’s self confidence. As confidence grows the person is more likely to be open about reporting anything they are unhappy about. As a result the risk of abuse and neglect is reduced.

Prevention does not mean being over protective or risk adverse, it includes (taken from SCIE):

• Identifying those who are at risk and those who pose risks and supporting both appropriately, in order to prevent people from being harmed and harming others.
• Enabling people to have control over their own lives
• Enabling people to identify risk and to manage it positively
• Enabling people to use advocates to enable them to assert themselves, know their rights and participate in safeguarding procedures and meetings
• Educating adults at risk on how to identify the dangers and what to do about them
• Educating the general public
• Educating people employed to support adults at risk on how to identify the dangers and what processes to follow to take appropriate action.
• Specific legislation, existing in criminal law and regulations about people’s rights and how to protect them
• Clear safeguarding procedures which everyone knows and follows
• Interagency and multiagency cooperation and collaboration
• Check and approve all those entering relevant posts through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

Use to answer question 10.2e of the Care Certificate