The care values and principles that underpin positive care practice - including dignity and respect, the right to choose, confidentiality, equality and anti-discriminatory practice, the right to be safe, independence and realising potential - and what person-centred care means.

What this dot point is asking

The SQA wants you to know the care values and principles that guide everyone who works in care, and to explain how a care worker puts them into practice. These values are the heart of Unit 3. They turn the idea of "good care" into clear rules a worker can follow, and they are the basis of person-centred care, where the individual is at the centre of every decision.

Why care has shared values

Care work involves looking after people who may be vulnerable, so it needs a clear value base that everyone follows. Care values protect the people who use services, guide how staff behave, and give a standard you can measure good care against. In Scotland these values run through the Health and Social Care Standards, which set out what every person should expect from a care service.

The key care values

Learn each value as what it means and what the care worker does. That pairing answers most questions on this dot point.

• Dignity and respect. Treat the person as a worthwhile individual. The worker is polite, protects privacy when washing or dressing, listens, and never talks down to the person or over their head.
• The right to choose. The person controls their own life. The worker offers genuine choices (food, clothes, activities, routine) and respects the decision, even one the worker would not make.
• Confidentiality. Private information is kept private and shared only with those who need to know. The worker does not gossip and stores records securely.
• Equality and anti-discriminatory practice. Everyone is treated fairly, whatever their age, race, religion, sex, disability or background. The worker challenges discrimination rather than ignoring it.
• The right to be safe. The person is protected from harm, abuse and neglect. The worker follows safety procedures and reports concerns.
• Independence. The person does as much as they can for themselves. The worker supports and encourages rather than taking over, so skills are not lost.
• Realising potential. The person is helped to develop, learn and reach their goals. The worker focuses on what someone can do and the next step, not only on their needs.

Person-centred care

These values come together in person-centred care, the approach the SQA expects you to understand.

In person-centred care the worker listens to the person, involves them in planning their own care, respects their choices, and treats them as a partner. The opposite is a one-size-fits-all routine where everyone is treated the same for the convenience of staff. Person-centred care is the practical result of applying the values of dignity, choice, independence and realising potential together.

Why the values matter

When a care worker applies these values, the person feels respected, stays in control of their life and is kept safe, and the service meets the Health and Social Care Standards. When the values are ignored, care becomes impersonal and can cause real harm, such as loss of dignity, lost independence or discrimination. This is why every answer about good practice should come back to the values.

Try this

Q1. Name the care value that means keeping a person's private information private. [1 mark]

• Cue. Confidentiality.

Q2. State what is meant by person-centred care. [1 mark]

• Cue. Care that puts the individual at the centre, built around their own needs, wishes and choices rather than a fixed routine.