Glossary of Terms

Abuse – treatment that causes harm to an individual
Accessibility – ease with which something/somewhere can be approached
Accountability – responsibilities of workers to act according to the directives of their professional body
Act – a written law, made by Parliament
Adolescence – the third life stage
Adulthood – the fourth life stage
Ageing process – changes in the human body over a person’s life span
Amendment – an improvement, correcting a fault or making a proposed alteration to an Act or Bill
Anti-Discriminatory Practice – behaving in a manner that discourages discrimination against people based on race, disability, colour, gender, religion etc
Appeal – to reopen a case, to revise a previous decision
Articles – a statement or section within an Act
Assessment – a report carried out to assess the needs of an individual in order to put appropriate care and provision into place.
Authority – a legal power or right
Behaviour – the way in which people conduct themselves
Benefits – statutory financial contributions payed from the government to certain groups of people in order to give them support, and enable them to live in society
Breached – breaking a contract, rule or duty
Care organisations – agencies that provide care for certain client groups
Care plans – staged processes that are put into place in order to implement appropriate
Care settings – places that provide care for clients of all ages e.g. nurseries, residential homes, hospitals etc
Care value base – a basic set of values that outline good practice when dealing with clients e.g. treating clients with respect, promoting equality etc
Childhood – second life stage
Client – an individual who uses the health and social care service
Code of Practice – agreed documents that state the acceptable methods of working within care settings
Commission – a body that monitors an Act, it can advise and has powers to investigate cases
Convention – a formal assembly of representatives
Data Protection – the process of maintaining confidentiality, and allowing people access to their personal information
Day care – provision provided to individuals during the day e.g. nurseries and day centres
Dependent – a person who relies on another individual for e.g. physical support
Development – the process of acquiring new skills
Detained – confined, kept away from, or in custody
Direct – clear, open, obvious
Disability – a physical or mental impairment
Discrimination – treating someone differently and unfairly, based on prejudice
Domiciliary care – home care service within the private sector
Empowerment – allowing an individual to make their own choices and decisions
Equal – treating people the same, irrespectively of their race, religion, gender etc.
Ethics – moral codes of practice based on the care vale base
Exclusion – the act of barring or refusing entry
Funding – financial support that is given to allow health and social care services to be provided
Gender – male or female
Government – the system of running a country or community, the ruling power in a state
Growth – the increase in physical size
Harassment – attacking repeatedly (can be verbally, emotionally, physically)
Health – according to the World Health Organisation, 1948, health is ‘the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not just the absence of disease or infirmity’
Holistic development – an individual’s physical, social, emotional, language and social development
Inclusion – mixing with everyone else
Income – the money that is received into a household or by an individual
Indirect – hidden, under the surface
Informal care – the care that is provided by a member of the family, friend etc
Key Worker – the named individual who has responsibility for co-ordinating a client’s care
Later adulthood – the final life stage
Legislation – laws which have been made or enacted
Life event – an incident that happens in a person’s life, this can be expected or unexpected
Life stage – a defined period of growth or development
Means testing – a method of measuring if an individual is entitled to benefits based on their circumstances
Nature – development and growth that is influenced by genetics
Neglect – to disregard, to take no care for
Nurture – development that is influenced by environmental factors
Observation – a method of recording a person’s development, growth, behaviour etc
Personal care – care that meets the basic hygiene needs of an individual e.g. bathing, washing, toileting etc
Physical health – the well-being of the body
Primary health care – care that is provided by GP’s, community nurses, health visitiors etc
Prejudice – a discriminatory attitude towards someone, based on preconceived ideas
Racism – discrimination against unfair treatment of an individual / group of people on the basis of their race
Referral – being admitted to hospital or applying for a care service
Sectioning – the act of separating a person from others, sometimes against their will
Self-referral – when an individual refers himself/herself to a care service
Statement – a formal account, a declaration
Statutory services – care services that the government is under obligation to provide
Tertiary Care – care that is offered through specialist hospital services
Tribunal – a court of justice, a representative board that deals with appeals
Unemployment – the situation of being out of employment, whilst within working age
Value Base – includes all care values
Victimisation – making someone suffer or preying upon others
Voluntary Care Sector – organisations that provide care services free of charge