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Respond holistically to client issues

Content

• Section 1: The client/worker relationship
  • How do you facilitate communication?
  • Defining boundaries and establishing trust and respect
  • Definition of 'holistic'
  • Indicators of harm, neglect, abuse or risk of harm
  • Observations, assessment tools and questioning
  • Autonomy, privacy and confidentiality
  • Applying organisational procedures for collecting and analysing client information
  • Issues impacting on the organisation's services
  • Self check
  • Summary
• Section 2: Determine the course of action to be followed
  • Developing a client action plan
  • The negotiation process
  • Assessing the risk
  • Sharing information on services/options with the client
  • Work with the client to set personal goals and explore personal strategies
  • Identify and plan for potential consequences of client's decisions
  • Procedures, legal requirements and duty of care obligations
  • Implementing duty of care and ethical behaviour standards
  • Referrals to other service providers
  • Evaluating the benefits of brief intervention
  • Specialist support procedures
  • Providing resources and information to clients
  • Self check
  • Summary
• Section 3: Provide a brief intervention as required
  • Assessing a client's need for intervention
  • Complying with cultural obligations
  • Strategies for motivating, supporting and encouraging the client
  • Accessing crisis services
  • Self check
  • Summary
• Section 4: Responding to vulnerable and at risk people
  • Identifying vulnerable and at risk situations
  • How do you assess the priority need for intervention?
  • Use a checklist to assess the need for intervention
  • Responding to emergencies and crisis situations
  • Following organisational and legislative requirements
  • Self check
  • Summary
• Section 5: Evaluate effectiveness of client services provided
  • Review client progress and outcomes
  • Keeping files up-to-date
  • Reflective practice strategies
  • Self check
  • Summary

Introduction

When you are working with a client for any length of time, it is important to assess whether the services provided by your organisation (or any other agency to whom you have referred your client) have dealt with the client’s needs in an holistic sense. Use this checklist as a guide.

• Have those services assisted the client to achieve the goals they initially sought?
• Has the experience of receiving a service enhanced the client's self-esteem or has it made them more dependent?
• Has the experience of receiving a service increased the knowledge and skills that the client can apply to other problems experienced in their life?
• Have the support workers provided effective role models to enhance the client's interpersonal functioning, especially in times of stress?

In exploring the effectiveness of these services, specific attention will be paid to the following areas:

• how clients’ progress or outcomes are reviewed regularly in accordance with organisational procedures and in consultation with clients, carers, case managers and other service providers
• how workers ensure clients’ file notes are complete, up-to-date and include the client’s stage of decision-making on each occasion
• how workers and organisations apply reflective practice strategies to ensure feedback is sought and incorporated in service delivery.

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