The report discusses the basics of community service diplomacy through the review of the case study. The story that serves as a background for the work exemplifies the typical sexual problems that arise among mentally disabled people. Thus, it reveals the case of two adults who suffer from intellectual disabilities but want to live independently from their parents.
Social Principles as a Background of Community Serving
Dwelling on four core principles of social justice, which are participation, access, equity, and rights, one may outline the plan of clients’ treatment in similar situations. Therefore, participation involves an inclusion of a mentally retarded individual in all the types of social activities.
Since marriage is considered to be a civil institution, every person has a right to be involved in it. Moreover, in the client’s case, her boyfriend, who faces similar challenges, can become a support for her, for he can understand her feelings. Any social principle has a two-sided target. Consequently, the participation principle must be overtaken the community service as well. In this interpretation, the factor implies the service’s obligations to plan and organize the activities of the community (“Health Properties in Australia” par. 2).
Access principle underlines the rights of a future couple for receiving the appropriate healthcare services. The equity principle emphasizes that Anna, together with her boyfriend, should be susceptible to no discriminations within their surrounding community. According to the recent New South Wales regulation, “people with disability have the same human rights as other people” (Family & Community Services 6).
Therefore, living together, which is the couple’s primary aim, represents their full integrity. Finally, the last principle serves as a reiteration of the previous ones and underlines the political, legal, and social rights of intellectually disabled individuals. Consequently, due to the four core principles, Anne and Bruce may realize their social interests as well as satisfy their innate desires.
Supporting the Personal Values at Work
There is a strong tendency for the employees to question the appropriateness of decisions that are made by them at work. According to Sonia Jaspal, most of the modern workers feel their rights to be limited in the workspaces. Therefore, it is hard for them to raise any objections to the orders (par. 7). The cases of mental disabilities are the most challenging in this respect since they evoke a wide range of moral implications.
In the given situation, I rely on a consistent correlation between my persuasions and the acting standards of a community service work. Thus, I apply such values as personal independence, love, and care. In other words, due to my personal opinion, Anna and Bruce have an undeniable right for keeping in touch and living together since they reveal warm feelings towards each other. However, I take into consideration the fact that the relationships that arise between mentally retarded people are unstable.
That is why, they require constant surveillance and care. As a result, I consider it my duty to instruct the couple in the multiple daily activities as well as monitor their physical and mental health. Such strategy of community service care is offered by the modern Medicare rebates program.
According to it, general practitioners are responsible for handling such issues as lifestyle, mental progress, and general achievements of mentally disabled clients through six extra sessions of mental health care (Directory of Mental Health Services in New South Wales 2). Consequently, the program provides a good chance for me to bring my personal values to the clients as well as examine their impacts on the patients’ intellectual development.
Non-Discriminatory Treatment of Intellectually Retarded Females
Women with disabilities are strongly susceptible to discriminations and judgmental attitudes, due to their ‘difference’. Mainly, females, who suffer from mental disorders, are often ascribed the lower statuses in society. Moreover, their reproductive health is often disregarded. They are not expected to experience childbearing since it may seem dangerous for a global community (Women with Disabilities Australia 1).
However, there are multiple reasons that prove an inevitability of a non-discriminatory treatment of mentally disabled women. First, marriage, as well as parenting experience, is a part of their full integration. This factor can produce an impact on the mental health of the client. Moreover, the general health condition of Anna can be improved through it. Second, women with intellectual impairments do not lose their reproduction functions.
Consequently, if females are hindered in their sexual development, it may cause damages to their hormonal pictures. Third, disability is not an abnormality. That is why such people should be granted the basic human rights. Finally, since people with mental disorders possess equal recognition before the law, they should have an absolute access to justice.
Disability Service Standards Application
The basic disability service standards that reiterate the human rights approach to the treatment of mentally disabled people include service access, feedback and complaints, participation and inclusion. The first standard claims that people with impairments should be provided with a complex healthcare guidance. Thus, in the case of Anna and Bruce, the young people require constant progress monitoring, daily assistance, and care.
A number of such offers are provided by family community services that work directly with the individual couples (“Disability Services” par. 2). The feedback and complaints standard refers to the quality of progress evaluation and disputes handling. Thus, it may be concluded that Anna has to be provided with constant consultations that concern family life.
It is a direct responsibility of community services to provide the client with solutions if she faces any problems as well as estimate her overall performance in family life. Finally, participation and inclusion standard implies maintaining Anna’s connection to her family and friends so that to promote their participation in the client’s life.
Key Responsibilities of Community Service Workers
The employees of community services have the Workplace Health & Safety obligation. It implies establishing a strong connection between healthcare regulations and the client’s wishes. Thus, the workers have to be motivated to satisfy Anna’s needs, but they should rely on the acting community service rules while taking any decisions. The second core responsibility, Duty of Care, implies a strict adherence of the employees to reasonable assistance.
Thus, the support worker, who works with Anna, is responsible for foreseeing any possible challenges that she can possibly face while living with Bruce. The Dignity of Risk responsibility creates space for individually retarded people to make independent choices. Thus, it is the worker’s duty to allow Anna living with her boyfriend. The responsibility of Dignity of Respect implies the worker’s caring treatment of clients.
Therefore, Anna should be treated politely, and a community service worker has to ensure her human rights as well as meet her needs. Finally, Privacy and Confidentiality responsibility presupposes supporting the relationships of trust between a client and a worker. Thus, Anna’s decision to keep her intentions in secret from her parents, the support worker should respect her choice and is not allowed to break the confidentiality rule.
Works Cited
Directory of Mental Health Services in New South Wales 2013, “Medicare Programs”. Way Ahead.
Disability Services 2014.
Family & Community Services 2014, “Disability Inclusion Act”. New South Wales Government.
Health Properties in Australia 2015.
Jaspal, Sonia. “Maintaining Personal Values at Work.” Sonia Jaspal’s RiskBoard, 2010.
Women with Disabilities Australia 2014, “Gender & Disability Issues”. People with Disability.