What Convention Rights must homes be careful to respect?

Any home taking people placed there by the local authority or the health authority must be aware of the following human rights which people are entitled to expect will be respected in a residential setting – because if they ignore them, the commissioning authority may be sued, and look to the homes under any indemnity they have had the foresight to require.

. The only acceptable limitation to any of these rights are those placed upon an individual client, which can be demonstrated as necessary, either to provide that client with the proper and appropriate level of care, or those limits necessary to protect the health, safety and quality of life of other clients.

The rights of clients are:

– to maintain independence as far as possible including the right to make decisions which may involve a degree of risk to themselves but not others i.e. staff, visitors, other residents and members of the public.

– to privacy and dignity;

– to exercise cultural, religious and sexual preferences;

– to maintain existing relationships and to develop new ones;

– to retain control of their own financial affairs;

– to retain control of their own medication and health care;

– to take an active part in all decisions about their life and future care;

– to complain, comment or compliment;

– to protection and security from the effect of any criminal act;

– to information;

– to an ongoing assessment of needs from appropriately qualified staff andan appropriate level of care to meet their needs;

– reasonable choice in all aspects of their life;

– to be represented by an advocate if they wish, the advocate to have free access to the client and with the client’s permission to have access to any information regarding the client;

– to receive in full the personal allowance laid down in Department of Work and Pensions provisions.