Better Together information pack: 3a Communicating effectively
The Better Together pack has been split into different documents, each covering a different area of information about Mencap and our services; including how we work with the people we support, and the importance of building and maintaining strong
relationships
Relationships are about the people in your life. You might have different types of relationships like friendships, family relationships, or a boyfriend or girlfriend.
with their family and friends.
Unless stated otherwise, all sections of the information pack are applicable to England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The information on this page follows the How does Mencap support people in a person centred way? section of the Better Together information pack.
Communicating effectively
Communication is at the centre of our relationships with each other
What you can expect from us:
- Open conversations that are respectful and considerate
- An agreement with you about what communication works for you, making sure we know how we do this and how
often is best for you - That we will listen to you and try to answer any questions you have
- To come back with clear answers wherever possible.
What we expect from you:
- Speak with someone if you have any questions or concerns
- Tell us about any changes that we need to know about
- Talk with our colleagues in a respectful and considerate way
- Understand that we may not be able to answer questions immediately and may need time to get more information
- Recognise that your family member may at times ask us not to share some information. If your family member has the capacity to make this decision, we must respect their wishes.
Maintaining respect
Respect is at the heart of all we do.
What you can expect from us:
- Respect for you as family members
- Working in partnership with you to meet your family member's needs
- Patience and empathy with you
- The following of our policies to keep you and your family member safe
- Keeping professional boundaries
- A friendly and supportive approach
- Respect for your confidentiality including
data -
Consultation
Consultation is finding out what people think about something.
with you and your family member about any changes in the way we work.
What we expect from you:
- Respect the places where people live or work, and treat them as other people’s safe spaces
- Follow any policies and agreements that people have in their homes or work spaces, including agreements on smoking, visiting pets and infection control
- Patience and empathy with Mencap colleagues
- Confidentiality
- Respect for Mencap colleagues' personal time and communicate with them during their work time.
No to abuse and discrimination
All people have the right to live and work freely, without
abuse
Abuse is when someone bullies you and does or says something to you that makes you feel hurt, upset or scared.
or
discrimination
Discrimination is when someone is treated differently (usually in a bad way) because of things like their disability or their religion.
.
What you can expect from us:
- No discrimination or abuse
- Respect for all your personal characteristics, such as race,
sexuality
Sexuality is how you feel about yourself and your body. It is about finding out and knowing what feels right for you.
,
religion
Religion is to do with the things you believe about the world. For example you may believe there is a god or something else. Examples of religions are Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.
- No cyberbullying, harassment or data breaches
- Professional behaviour towards you from all our colleagues even when they are not at work
- No abuse, rude or aggressive behaviour.
What we expect from you:
- Discrimination against people is unlawful. It's not acceptable to Mencap and if shown, could result in action against
you - No discrimination, including for any personal characteristic, such as race, sexuality, religion
- No abuse, rude or aggressive behaviour.
Making a complaint
People have the right to share their concerns and to get the right outcome.
What you can expect from us:
- The right to
complain
Complain is when you say you are not happy about something.
without the concern that we may treat you differently - Make sure that you have information on how to complain
- An effective complaints process, that reliably checks any complaints you have made
- Feedback about any complaints you make including a clear description of the outcome of your complaint
- That we can describe the learning from any complaints that you have made and any actions that we are taking.
What we expect from you:
- Know that you can use the complaints process to raise a concern with us
- Use our complaints process to tell us about any concerns you have that you have not been able to resolve
- Give us the opportunity to resolve complaints using this process.
Mencap takes all instances of inappropriate behaviour very seriously. Our Equity
Diversity
Diversity means people from all different cultures and backgrounds.
and Inclusion
strategy
A strategy is a plan to show what an organisation, or a person, wants to do and how they are going to do it.
, and our legal obligations under the
Equality
Equality is when everyone is treated fairly.
Act 2010, underpin our work.
We will not tolerate any incident or behaviours which may make people we support, family members or colleagues feel threatened/harassed, intimidated or excluded. Such behaviours conflict with our commitment to create an inclusive
organisation
An organisation are a group of people who work together.
.
Where any individual persistently demonstrates discriminatory or offensive behaviours, Mencap reserves the right to take appropriate action under our formal procedures including, in extreme circumstances, the right to withdraw services or support.
The next section of the Better Together information pack is How does Mencap support people to manage their money?
The information on this page was first published as a PDF in September 2022.