Explain the role of supportive relationships in reducing
the risk of abuse and neglect
In this essay I will be explaining how supportive relationships help to reduce the risk
of abuse and neglect, including not being exposed to potentially abusive situations
because of the supportive relationship and also a reduced risk of financial abuse due
to having a trustworthy advocate (if the service user is lacking some or all capacity). I
will then go on to discuss the role of supportive relationships when aiming to reduce
the risk of abuse and neglect.
P6: Firstly, having somebody to rely on helps to reduce the risk of abuse and neglect
because if the service user has a friend or family member who is very supportive, they
may be able to provide some extent of care to the person which helps to ensure that
they are not being neglected. Also, if they are unable to provide care for the service
user, if the relationship is supportive and the service user is able to rely on them for
help and support, if they do begin to get abused or neglected then they can go to their
friend or family member and confide in them, and receive help and support from them.
Supportive relationships also help reduce the risk of abuse because it could mean that
service users’ are not being exposed to abusive situations/environments in the first
place. For example, sometimes people are at an increased risk of sexual abuse
because the perpetrator knows that they are alone, and do not have anybody close to
them who they can confide in. If a service user has supportive relationships with
friends, family members’ and healthcare workers’, where they feel that they can talk
to them and trust them, they will not be such an easy target. If however, the service
user is still targeted for sexual abuse for example, despite having supportive
relationships, the service user will feel comfortable telling someone, as they are
supportive relationships – and hopefully will not feel as if it is their fault.
If a service user has been allocated an advocate to help make financial decisions on
their behalf, having a supportive relationship between the advocate and the service
user helps to reduce the risk of financial abuse. This is because, if the advocate has
positive intentions and genuinely wants to support and help the service user, then they
will not take advantage of the situation that they are in and won’t financially exploit or
abuse the service user. If a service user has a supportive relationship with their
advocate, then the advocate can try and involve the service user as much as possible
in the decisions they make on their behalf to promote their dignity and help to empower
them as much as possible – this also would promote a person-centred approach which
would in-act reduce the risk of abuse if the advocate is solely doing what is best for
the service user.
the risk of abuse and neglect
In this essay I will be explaining how supportive relationships help to reduce the risk
of abuse and neglect, including not being exposed to potentially abusive situations
because of the supportive relationship and also a reduced risk of financial abuse due
to having a trustworthy advocate (if the service user is lacking some or all capacity). I
will then go on to discuss the role of supportive relationships when aiming to reduce
the risk of abuse and neglect.
P6: Firstly, having somebody to rely on helps to reduce the risk of abuse and neglect
because if the service user has a friend or family member who is very supportive, they
may be able to provide some extent of care to the person which helps to ensure that
they are not being neglected. Also, if they are unable to provide care for the service
user, if the relationship is supportive and the service user is able to rely on them for
help and support, if they do begin to get abused or neglected then they can go to their
friend or family member and confide in them, and receive help and support from them.
Supportive relationships also help reduce the risk of abuse because it could mean that
service users’ are not being exposed to abusive situations/environments in the first
place. For example, sometimes people are at an increased risk of sexual abuse
because the perpetrator knows that they are alone, and do not have anybody close to
them who they can confide in. If a service user has supportive relationships with
friends, family members’ and healthcare workers’, where they feel that they can talk
to them and trust them, they will not be such an easy target. If however, the service
user is still targeted for sexual abuse for example, despite having supportive
relationships, the service user will feel comfortable telling someone, as they are
supportive relationships – and hopefully will not feel as if it is their fault.
If a service user has been allocated an advocate to help make financial decisions on
their behalf, having a supportive relationship between the advocate and the service
user helps to reduce the risk of financial abuse. This is because, if the advocate has
positive intentions and genuinely wants to support and help the service user, then they
will not take advantage of the situation that they are in and won’t financially exploit or
abuse the service user. If a service user has a supportive relationship with their
advocate, then the advocate can try and involve the service user as much as possible
in the decisions they make on their behalf to promote their dignity and help to empower
them as much as possible – this also would promote a person-centred approach which
would in-act reduce the risk of abuse if the advocate is solely doing what is best for
the service user.
