Supporting Independence

Every person has the right to live as independently as possible. This includes the right to make decisions, express preferences, and, when appropriate, to take risks. The person-centred approach requires us to offer options to every person receiving care. Provide people with the correct information in order to maximise their ability to make an informed and independent choice. Independence means recognising what a person can do for themselves and supporting them to keep doing it. It allows individuals to take control of their own lives and to make their own decisions wherever possible.

In situations like these, the risk assessment gives us a clear, structured way to balance safety with autonomy and to support informed choices without unnecessary restrictions. It is the process of evaluating potential risks that may be involved in a specific activity or decision. In simple terms, it’s about identifying what could go wrong, how likely it is to happen, and what the impact might be, so we can plan how to prevent harm or respond if something does go wrong. The purpose of risk assessment is not to stop people from making their own choices. It’s to make those choices safer and more manageable, both for the individual and for those supporting them.

Your employer will have procedures and policies in place around risk assessment, health and safety, and support planning. You should follow these procedures, and if you’re ever uncertain about whether a decision should be supported or restricted, always speak to your manager. Sometimes, you may also involve other professionals, such as an individual’s GP family member or advocate, to help the individual understand the possible risks involved in their decisions. An advocate is a trusted, independent person who can speak up on behalf of someone who may need help expressing their views or making their wishes known. Advocates don’t make decisions for people, but they help ensure that decisions reflect what the individual truly wants.

In some cases, an individual may not be able to understand or retain the information needed to make a decision or to communicate their choice. In such situations, the person may lack mental capacity. A person’s ability to understand, retain, and use information in order to make an informed choice, and this ability can be affected by conditions such as dementia, learning disabilities, or mental illness. According to the Mental Capacity Act, everyone is presumed to have capacity unless it is proven otherwise. This means that you should always assume a person can make their own decisions, and only take action if there is a clear reason to believe that they cannot.