Unsafe practices and the duty of care

Ymarferion anniogel a dyletswydd gofal

Care

Every childcare worker should work in ways that avoid negligence and that could lead to harm to others. This is called the duty of care. When working with children, this means assessing risk in order to prevent accidents, making decisions and watching the children in order to ensure that they are always safe.

Codes of conduct and practice, standards, policies and procedures give clear guidance to childcare workers on the best practices to follow in order to ensure that everybody in the workplace is safe. Childcare workers have a duty of care and this means reporting any concerns they may have with regard to unsafe practices. Concerns can be with regard to poor work conditions or equipment, untrained workers, as well as suspicions of abuse or bullying. Childcare workers should know when, how and to whom they should report any danger or possible dangers in the environment.

Workers need to work together to ensure the safety and well-being of children, but mistakes can happen due to a lack of information, poor communication or failure to share information. Settings have forms to record incidents, accidents and near-misses. The date, time and facts of the incident should be recorded at once in order to inform the manager. Being open and honest about incidents or accidents is essential in order to ensure that parents/carers can trust the setting. By reporting incidents or accidents, it clearly shows that you are not trying to hide anything and that there is no case of negligence to answer.

Childcare workers have a duty to express their concerns if they suspect any sort of misconduct at the setting. This is called 'whistle-blowing'. Examples may include believing that practices or equipment is unsafe, suspicions with regard to abuse or bullying, discrimination or unfair preferences, substance abuse (alcohol or drugs) or the misuse of funds or resources (for example, fraud). Childcare workers may reveal their concerns to regulatory bodies appointed by the Government, e.g. Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW), or bodies such as the press, the police or the Welsh Government if required. Each setting should have a whistle-blowing policy in place so that every member of staff is aware of the procedures and their rights when disclosing this type of information. The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 was introduced in order to protect workers who are concerned about misconduct at their workplace and would like to blow the whistle.

Mae angen i bob gweithiwr gofal plant weithio mewn ffyrdd sy'n osgoi esgeulustod a allai arwain at niwed i bobl eraill. Gelwir hyn yn ddyletswydd gofal. Wrth weithio gyda phlant, mae hyn yn golygu asesu risg er mwyn atal damweiniau, gwneud penderfyniadau a gwylio plant er mwyn sicrhau eu bod yn ddiogel bob amser.

Mae codau ymddygiad ac arfer, safonau, polisïau a gweithdrefnau’n rhoi arweiniad clir i gweithwyr gofal plant am yr arferion gorau i’w dilyn er mwyn sicrhau bod pawb yn y lleoliad gwaith yn ddiogel. Mae gan gweithwyr gofal plant ddyletswydd gofal ac mae hyn yn golygu adrodd am unrhyw bryderon sydd ganddynt am arferion anniogel. Gallai pryderon fod yn ymwneud ag amodau gwaith neu offer gwael, gweithwyr sydd heb eu hyfforddi, yn ogystal ag amheuon o gamdriniaeth neu fwlio. Dylai gweithwyr gofal plant wybod pryd, sut, ac i bwy y dylent adrodd am unrhyw berygl neu beryglon posibl yn yr amgylchedd.

Mae’n angenrheidiol bod gweithwyr yn cydweithio tuag at ddiogelwch a lles plant, ond gall camgymeriadau ddigwydd trwy ddiffyg gwybodaeth, cyfathrebu gwael neu drwy beidio â rhannu gwybodaeth. Mae gan leoliadau ffurflenni er mwyn cofnodi digwyddiadau, damweiniau a damweiniau fu bron â digwydd. Dylid cofnodi’r dyddiad, amser a'r ffeithiau ynglŷn â’r digwyddiad ar unwaith er mwyn i’r rheolwr fod yn ymwybodol. Mae bod yn agored ac onest am ddigwyddiadau neu ddamweiniau’n hanfodol er mwyn i rieni/gofalwyr allu ymddiried yn y lleoliad. Drwy adrodd am unrhyw ddigwyddiadau neu ddamweiniau mae’n ei gwneud yn glir nad ydych yn ceisio cuddio unrhyw beth ac nid oes esgeulustod wedi digwydd.

Mae gan gweithwyr gofal plant ddyletswydd i fynegi eu pryderon os ydynt yn credu fod unrhyw fath o gamymddwyn yn y lleoliad. Gelwir hyn yn ‘chwythu'r chwiban’. Gallai enghreifftiau gynnwys credu bod arferion neu offer yn anniogel, amheuon o gamdriniaeth neu fwlio, gwahaniaethu neu ffafriaeth annheg, camddefnyddio sylweddau (alcohol neu gyffuriau), neu gamddefnyddio arian neu adnoddau (er enghraifft, twyll). Gall gweithwyr gofal plant ddatgelu eu pryderon i gyrff rheoleiddio a benodir gan y Llywodraeth, e.e. Arolygiaeth Gofal Cymru (AGC), neu i gyrff megis y wasg, yr heddlu neu i Lywodraeth Cymru os oes angen. Dylai pob lleoliad fod â pholisi ‘chwythu'r chwiban’ mewn lle er mwyn i bob aelod o staff fod yn ymwybodol o’r gweithdrefnau a’u hawliau wrth ddatgelu'r math hwn o wybodaeth. Cafodd Deddf Datgelu er Lles y Cyhoedd 1998 ei chyflwyno er mwyn amddiffyn gweithwyr sy’n poeni am gamweithredu yn eu gwaith ac sydd am ‘chwythu’r chwiban’.

Unsafe practices and the duty of care

Drag the practices to the correct column.

Ymarferion anniogel a dyletswydd gofal

Llusgwch yr arferion i’r golofn gywir.



      Put the correct answer opposite the statements.

      Rhowch yr ateb cywir gyferbyn â’r datganiadau.