P2 Discriminatory practice and P3 Effects of discrimination Looking at the words and ideas that will help you complete Assignment 1

P2: Discriminatory Practice We will start by looking at the language of discrimination. These are all possible ways for providers of care services to treat service users. They are all wrong and against the law but they still happen. You will need to draw on the DVDs you have watched and on DVDs which will be shown to you.

Covert abuse of power This means using power in a way that is hidden to disadvantage someone. It reveals underlying prejudice against a service user. I think Eileen in Inside I’m Dancing is guilty of the covert use of power. How? When?

Overt use of Power This is the use of power to disadvantage someone in a very open discriminatory way. There are loads of examples of overt discrimination in the DVDs you have watched. What examples can you think of in Winterbourne View? Undercover Nurse? Inside I’m Dancing? Panorama Undercover Elderly Care?

Prejudice A negative attitude towards a group or groups in society. This usually comes about as a result of judging people in a group without really knowing them or seeing their individual differences. The word means pre-judgement. Where have you seen evidence of prejudice in the DVDs you have seen?

Stereotyping This was defined as making generalisations and holding expectations about an individual. This is usually tied to assumptions about a group of people. What stereotyping did you see in the DVD’s you have watched. I think Eileen in Inside I’m Dancing stereotypes all the service users in her care as only able to function as children.

Labelling This carries stereotyping a bit further. It means that you make assumptions about someone based on the group they belong to and treat them in accordance with that view. Rory is labelled as a troublemaker (and treated as such) Michael is treated as ‘no bother’ and he lives up to those expectations. What other examples can you think of.

Bullying Your book defines this (in the glossary) as when an individual or group of people intimidate or harass others. Many of you will have watched bullying happen when at secondary school. You will see evidence of bullying in several of the DVDs you have watched. Can you identify when?

Abuse This includes a wide range of negative behaviours that might harm or damage individuals in a number of ways including: Physical abuse Mental/emotional abuse Sexual abuse Verbal abuse And a variety of other actions (Where have you seen abuse in the DVDs you have seen?

P3: Now… What impact does this discrimination have on service users and staff? If inappropriate use of power is made to discriminate against someone it will have an effect on them. If someone is bullied it will have an effect on them (and will have an effect on the bully as well.) In this next section we will be looking at the most common effects of discrimination on service users and we will also briefly look at the impact on service providers.

Marginalisation Marginalisation means being pushed to the edges of society, not thought about or empowered or encouraged to participate in society. Apply marginalisation to some of the service users you have seen in some of the DVDs you have watched. I think Michael in Inside I’m Dancing is a classic case of marginalisation. How?

Disempowerment This means that people can not take action for themselves. They can’t do anything about the prejudice and discrimination they face. Over time they begin to accept their position in society. Who have you seen in the DVDs who is disempowered?

Low self-esteem (self-identity) If we have low esteem it means that we don’t value ourselves highly. When we have low self-esteem we feel powerless and unable to cope with what life has to offer us. We might sink into mental health problems like depression. Did you see evidence of this in your DVD watching?

Restricted opportunities This means that service users are not given the full entitlement of the services to which they are entitled. Care workers might not give service users access to some activities maybe because it is too much trouble i.e. not taking someone who is blind to play Bingo because it is a hassle.

Aggression If someone is discriminated against they might feel so helpless that they become angry and use aggressive behaviour to show how they are feeling. They might get angry and yell at service providers or even become violent. Do you recognise this behaviour? Who and in which DVD did you see someone get very angry thinking that he was being discriminated against?

Criminality As an extension to aggression sometimes being discriminated against leads people to feel so powerless and so hopeless that they revert to criminal behaviour. This could include drug taking or being violent against service providers. Sometimes this might happen in A & E especially if people are drunk.

P2 and P3 You should now be ready to write up Tasks 2 and 3. With P2 make sure that you choose 2 different statuses and write about discriminatory behaviour for each (covering all 7 forms of discrimination as you do so.) Keep linking your thoughts to DVDs you have watched. With P3 you need to write about each effect of discrimination. Be sure to use the DVDs you have watched (or things from TV or from news reports.)