Big, brightly coloured pictures and simplified text have been used to make the General Social Care Council’s codes of practice for social care workers and employers more accessible to people with learning disabilities.
The pictorial version of the codes – which can be downloaded below – was developed by the GSCC, the social care workforce regulator in England, in association with staff and people with learning disabilities at Essex Care Consortium in Colchester, Essex.
The codes of practice, launched to acclaim in September 2002, are the first ever national codes of practice for the estimated 1.2 million social care workers and 25,000 social care employers in England. They set out the required behaviour and conduct for social care workers and standards for employers. The GSCC has so far distributed nearly 900,000 copies of the codes and also produced them in 29 different languages, Braille, large print, audio tape and sign language, as well as the new pictorial version. A Makaton version of the codes is in development.
Chair of the GSCC, Rodney Brooke, said: “The codes of practice are essential reading not just for social care workers and employers but also for carers and people who use social care services. It is vital that the people who use social care services also know the standards social care workers should be meeting.
“But I also see this version as being helpful for a much wider audience. Several people have commented that they find it helps them to understand the meaning of the codes.”
Gill Oliver, Partner of Essex Care Consortium, said residents had given valuable input into developing the version.
“Although the original codes are very clear and well written, some of the concepts are quite complex. We gave a great deal of thought to the language and the pictures to make them easier for people with a learning disability to understand,” she said.
Learning disability charity Mencap has welcomed the publication. Rachel Hughes, Accessible Communications Officer at Mencap, said: “We applaud any organisation that attempts to make information accessible to people with a learning disability, as they are so often excluded from society. It is important for people with a learning disability to know their rights and what people who support them should be doing. We welcome the General Social Care Council's commitment to work with people with a learning disability to develop inclusive information into the future.”
The GSCC opened the Social Care Register in April this year and is currently in the process of registering qualified social workers. Agreeing to abide by the Code of Practice for Social Care Workers is a requirement for registration.