Module 5.Being Someone who Enables RiskIn this module, you will learn that:
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In this module, you will learn about what it means to be someone who enables risk. Enabling risk is part of supporting people to make decisions. You are enabling the person’s choice, even when risk is identified.
By now, you will have noticed that many benefits come from supporting a person with cognitive disability to take risks. In this module, you will also learn that there are many benefits that you can experience when you enable these opportunities to happen for others.
This video is an introduction to this module.
By now, you will have noticed that many benefits come from supporting a person with cognitive disability to take risks. In this module, you will also learn that there are many benefits that you can experience when you enable these opportunities to happen for others.
This video is an introduction to this module.
Skills needed to enable risk
People with cognitive disabilities want to take part in activities involving risk but they may have difficulties with things such as:
- planning ahead
- understanding risks
- weighing up the positive and negative outcomes that can come from taking risks
- being engaged
Therefore, you need particular skills to provide support for people with cognitive disability to take risks. You cannot just rely on every day common sense.
Thinking about the work you do and the support you provide, you can probably already name some of the skills you need to have when enabling risk.
Thinking about the work you do and the support you provide, you can probably already name some of the skills you need to have when enabling risk.
Thinking about what has been discussed and shown in this learning resource, and what you might have tried, you will have noticed that the following skills are used by someone who enables risk:
- Listening: to what the person wants.
- Communication: talking through or observing, or talking with others to explore the person’s options.
- Planning: including the ability to plan your time and organise activities.
- Creative thinking: to think of alternatives or modifications to the risky activity if needed.
- Teamwork: working with others to enable risk.
- Flexible thinking: you may need to change your support ‘on the run’ as the situation changes and evolves in real time. You will also need to think about the 4 Essentials all at the same time to get the risk enablement process started.
- Judgement: making a decision about what to give priority to so that risk can be enabled.
- Reflective practice: thinking about what you did and whether it worked and how you might do it differently the next time. This is part of being accountable.
Empowering others to take risks means you also empower yourself
Trained disability support workers have described how they felt after they enabled people with cognitive disabilities to take a risk.
Their responses were very positive.
From trying something new that involved risk, disability support workers learnt things about the person they supported. These included:
Disability support workers also learnt things about themselves.
They said they were more engaged, felt a sense of achievement, empowerment, accomplishment and success. Some were already planning what they would do differently the next time with the person they support. For example, they wanted to work on giving attention to the 4 Essentials more evenly. When disability support workers enabled risk, their relationship with the person was strengthened.
They also said things like:
Their responses were very positive.
From trying something new that involved risk, disability support workers learnt things about the person they supported. These included:
- What the person liked or did not like
- The person's strengths
- What the person can do with little support
- What made the person happy
Disability support workers also learnt things about themselves.
They said they were more engaged, felt a sense of achievement, empowerment, accomplishment and success. Some were already planning what they would do differently the next time with the person they support. For example, they wanted to work on giving attention to the 4 Essentials more evenly. When disability support workers enabled risk, their relationship with the person was strengthened.
They also said things like:
The way I am looking at it now is to basically not put cotton wool around the clients. If they wish to do something that I feel is risky, it’s not my choice. It’s now my choice to support their risk.
ACTIVITY 5.1 Experiences from risk enablement
Please watch the video, and then answer the questions. Write in the downloadable workbook located in the Resources section.
This video contains quotes from disability support workers who share their experiences after they have put their risk enablement training into practice.
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How do I know if I'm doing it right?
Remember, every situation is going to be different for each person and there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to risk enablement and no one right way to enable risk.
The best way forward is to follow the process of risk enablement that you have learnt in Module 4, and take the risk. Working together is a key part of the risk enablement process so you can always ask for help if unsure.
Not everything can be planned in advance and even the things that you have planned sometimes do not go the way you would have liked them to go.
Risk enablement is a reflective process. It is going to take time and practice. You can always change it the next time to make it work better and minimise harm further.
Eventually, enabling risk will become a part of your everyday routine for the people you support.
The best way forward is to follow the process of risk enablement that you have learnt in Module 4, and take the risk. Working together is a key part of the risk enablement process so you can always ask for help if unsure.
Not everything can be planned in advance and even the things that you have planned sometimes do not go the way you would have liked them to go.
Risk enablement is a reflective process. It is going to take time and practice. You can always change it the next time to make it work better and minimise harm further.
Eventually, enabling risk will become a part of your everyday routine for the people you support.
ACTIVITY 5.2 Application
Please read the questions carefully, then complete the questions in the downloadable workbook located in the Resources section.
Now that you have learnt how to enable risk, it is now time to think about how you will apply what you have learned.
Think about a person you support.
How will you enable them to take a risk? You will need to think about how you will apply the 4 Essentials, and the aspects of Working Together, Planning, Taking Account of Context to their scenario. Finally, demonstrate your Accountability by describing the process you took.
Follow the questions below to help you through the risk enablement process for the person you support.
Think about a person you support.
How will you enable them to take a risk? You will need to think about how you will apply the 4 Essentials, and the aspects of Working Together, Planning, Taking Account of Context to their scenario. Finally, demonstrate your Accountability by describing the process you took.
Follow the questions below to help you through the risk enablement process for the person you support.
- Briefly write the person’s scenario below. What is the activity that they want to do that involves risk?
- What is the risk in your person’s situation?
Work through the questions below to describe how you will apply the 4 Essentials.
- Describe how you will Put Positives First to enable the person you support to take part in their risky activity.
- Describe how you will Be Proactive to enable the risk for the person you support.
- Describe how you will Stay True to Preferences to enable the risk for the person you support.
- Describe how you will Minimise Harm to enable the risk for the person you support.
Work through the questions below to describe how you will apply the aspects that you must consider as part of the risk enablement process.
- Describe whether you worked with others to enable the risk for the person you support. List the people you worked with.
- Did you consider the context to enable the risk for the person you support? Explain.
- Did you engage in planning to enable the risk for the person you support? Explain.
- In order to be accountable, you need to be able to describe what you did. Briefly summarise what you did above to enable risk for the person you support.
Where do I stand: Do I have the support of my organisation?
Enabling risk makes the support you provide better. It is better for the person you support, for yourself and your organisation. The people you support will be more engaged. They will learn to do things for themselves and will become less vulnerable and exercise more control and choice over their own life.
There will be times when things do not go to plan and a person may experience some negative consequences. This can happen to anyone.
Some organisations will support their employees to take risks. They also will support their employees when something goes wrong on the condition that they can fully explain how they got to the outcome they did.
What was the process you followed?
There are differences between organisations. It is important that you make sure you know the process your organisation will need you to follow when you are faced with unwanted outcomes from engaging in enabling risk.
One disability support worker discovered the following:
There will be times when things do not go to plan and a person may experience some negative consequences. This can happen to anyone.
Some organisations will support their employees to take risks. They also will support their employees when something goes wrong on the condition that they can fully explain how they got to the outcome they did.
What was the process you followed?
There are differences between organisations. It is important that you make sure you know the process your organisation will need you to follow when you are faced with unwanted outcomes from engaging in enabling risk.
One disability support worker discovered the following:
Our organisation’s pretty open to making sure that the people we support have a good life, and they’re open to taking risks, just as long as you provide them with the information about the risks, yeah.
ACTIVITY 5.3 Organisational processes and support
Please read the questions carefully, then complete the questions in the downloadable workbook located in the Resources section.
- Talk to your manager or supervisor about how to locate your organisation’s policy and/or procedure that relates to risk enablement. Note: it is possible that it might be called something like: Client Safety Policy or Duty of Care Policy, for example.
- If someone you support is harmed while being supported to undertake a risky activity, describe how your organisation will support you through this process. Note: this might be a good topic to discuss openly at a staff meeting.
If you have any questions about this module, or would like some further guidance about the activities, you can send an enquiry using the Contact Form. Suggested responses to the activities are provided in the Resources section.
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Closing comments
By now you will have learnt that the whole process of risk enablement requires you to think about the 4 Essentials all at once while also working with others, planning and taking account of context. Following the risk enablement process not only means that you enable risk for the people you support, it also provides you with a means to describe the process you took to enable positive risk taking. You will therefore be accountable.
With ongoing reflection and through applying what you have learnt from this online training resource to your working life, you will be able to weigh the 4 Essentials more readily and work closely with each person you support to achieve their choice.
With ongoing reflection and through applying what you have learnt from this online training resource to your working life, you will be able to weigh the 4 Essentials more readily and work closely with each person you support to achieve their choice.
SUMMARY MODULE 5
Being someone who enables risk takes time and practice.
Risk enablement is not something you only learn about but a process that you should apply every day in your work.
In this module you learnt that:
Risk enablement is not something you only learn about but a process that you should apply every day in your work.
In this module you learnt that:
- Refining your skills will assist you to put the risk enablement process into practice
- Taking the risk and learning as you go is a good way forward to becoming someone who enables risk
- You need to be aware of the process your organisation requires you to follow when reporting harm from risk enablement.