Implement person centred approaches in health and social care
This element focuses on embedding person-centred values into daily care practice, ensuring that the individual is at the heart of all decisions about their life and support. Learners will develop the skills to respect individual preferences, promote dignity, and enable active participation, while understanding the importance of consent and empowerment. Mastery of these principles is essential for delivering high-quality, compassionate care that upholds the rights and well-being of each person.
Assessment criteria
Topic Overview
The ProQual Level 2 Award in Healthcare and Social Care Support Skills introduces you to the fundamental principles and practices required to work effectively in health and social care settings. This qualification covers essential topics such as communication, equality and inclusion, duty of care, safeguarding, and person-centred approaches. It is designed for those starting their career in care or looking to formalise their existing skills, providing a solid foundation for further study or employment in roles like care assistant or support worker.
Understanding these support skills is crucial because they directly impact the quality of life and well-being of individuals who use care services. You will learn how to communicate sensitively with service users, respect their rights and choices, and work as part of a team to deliver safe, compassionate care. This qualification also emphasises the legal and ethical frameworks that govern care practice, ensuring you are aware of your responsibilities and how to protect vulnerable people from harm.
This award fits into the wider Health and Social Care curriculum by building core competencies that are transferable across various care settings, including residential homes, hospitals, and community support. It prepares you for progression to higher-level qualifications such as the Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care, and it aligns with the Care Certificate standards, making it a valuable stepping stone for anyone pursuing a career in the care sector.
Key Concepts
Core ideas you must understand for this topic
- →Person-centred care: Tailoring support to the individual's needs, preferences, and values, ensuring they are an active partner in their own care.
- →Duty of care: A legal obligation to always act in the best interest of individuals, avoiding harm and ensuring their safety and well-being.
- →Safeguarding: Protecting vulnerable adults and children from abuse, neglect, and exploitation, following local policies and procedures.
- →Effective communication: Using verbal and non-verbal methods to build trust, understand needs, and provide clear information, while respecting confidentiality.
- →Equality and inclusion: Ensuring everyone has equal access to care and is treated fairly, respecting diversity and challenging discrimination.
Learning Objectives
What you need to know and understand
- Understand person centred approaches for care and support, Be able to work in a person-centred way., Be able to establish consent when providing care or support, Be able to encourage active participation, Be able to support the individual’s right to make choices, Be able to promote individuals’ well-being
- Understand person centred approaches for care and support, Be able to work in a person-centred way., Be able to establish consent when providing care or support, Be able to encourage active participation, Be able to support the individual’s right to make choices, Be able to promote individuals’ well-being
Assessment Criteria
Key criteria assessors look for in your portfolio
- Award credit for demonstrating the ability to adapt communication style and care routines to reflect the individual's expressed preferences and life history.
- Credit should be given when the learner consistently obtains valid consent before providing care or support, clearly explaining what they are going to do and checking understanding.
- Evidence must show that the learner encourages the individual to take an active role in planning and reviewing their care, using prompts and tools to facilitate involvement.
- To meet the standard, the learner must document how they support the individual's right to make choices, including offering a range of options and respecting decisions even when they involve risk.
- Award credit for demonstrating a clear understanding of person-centred values such as individuality, rights, choice, privacy, independence, dignity, respect and partnership in care planning and delivery.
- Assess for evidence of working in a person-centred way by observing how the candidate adapts communication and support to the individual's specific needs, preferences and beliefs.
- Credit should be given when the candidate clearly explains the process of gaining informed consent, including recognising when an individual may lack capacity and the steps to take in line with legislation and best practice.
- Look for practical demonstration of encouraging active participation, for example by enabling the individual to take part in everyday activities and decisions about their care, however small.
- Award marks for evidence of supporting the individual’s right to make choices, including respecting their decisions even if they involve risk, while balancing duty of care and documenting risk assessments.
- Credit should be given for promoting well-being by considering the whole person – physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs – and taking a holistic approach to meeting them.
Assessment Guidance
Guidance for achieving higher grades
- 💡When being observed, always demonstrate that you have built a positive relationship by using the individual's preferred name and referencing their personal history or care plan.
- 💡In your reflective account or professional discussion, explicitly link your actions to the principles of person-centred care, using phrases like 'I ensured dignity by...' or 'I promoted independence through...'.
- 💡For the consent outcome, describe a scenario where you used a combination of verbal, written, and non-verbal methods to confirm consent, and how you dealt with a situation where consent was not initially given.
- 💡For promoting well-being, don't just describe what you did—explain the positive impact on the individual's physical, emotional, or social well-being, backed by feedback from the person or your observations.
- 💡In assignment responses, always link theory to practice by giving specific examples of how you applied person-centred principles in real care scenarios, using the individual's own words where possible.
- 💡When you are observed for competence, narrate your actions to make your decision-making explicit – explain why you are adapting your approach to the individual’s preferences and how you are seeking consent.
- 💡For written tasks, use the core values of care (dignity, respect, independence, choice, etc.) as a checklist to structure your answer, ensuring you touch on each aspect of person-centred working.
- 💡Always refer to key legislation and guidance such as the Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act 2005, and your own organisation’s policies on consent and risk management to demonstrate underpinning knowledge.
- 💡Use specific examples from care settings to illustrate your answers. For instance, when explaining communication, describe how you would adapt your approach for a service user with hearing loss or dementia.
- 💡Always link your answers to legislation and policies, such as the Care Act 2014, Health and Safety at Work Act, or your organisation's safeguarding procedures. This shows you understand the legal context.
- 💡When discussing duty of care, remember to balance it with the individual's right to take risks. Explain how you would support a service user's choice while managing potential harm.
Common Mistakes
Common errors to avoid in your coursework
- Assuming that consent once given applies to all care episodes without re-checking on each occasion or when circumstances change.
- Confusing active participation with simple involvement; learners may think that choosing an activity is enough, rather than enabling the person to lead their own care.
- Overlooking the individual's capacity to make decisions and prematurely involving others or making choices on their behalf without proper mental capacity assessment.
- Failing to document specific examples of how person-centred support was implemented, relying on generic statements that do not show individualisation.
- Confusing person-centred care with simply being kind and friendly, rather than it being a systematic approach that places the individual at the centre of all decision-making and care planning.
- Assuming consent is always verbal or written, overlooking that non-verbal cues and behaviour can indicate consent or dissent, especially with individuals who have communication difficulties.
- Believing that encouraging active participation means forcing independence; not recognising that participation can be at any level and is unique to the individual's abilities and wishes.
- Overriding an individual's choice because the care worker perceives it as unwise or unsafe, without proper risk assessment and documentation, which undermines the right to make choices.
- Focusing only on physical health when promoting well-being, rather than taking a holistic view that includes emotional, social and spiritual aspects of the individual's life.
- Misconception: 'Person-centred care means doing whatever the service user wants.' Correction: It means respecting their choices and involving them in decisions, but within the boundaries of safety, legal requirements, and professional judgement.
- Misconception: 'Confidentiality means never sharing any information.' Correction: Information can be shared on a need-to-know basis for the individual's care or to protect them from harm, in line with data protection laws and your organisation's policy.
- Misconception: 'Safeguarding is only about reporting abuse after it happens.' Correction: It also involves proactive measures like risk assessment, promoting dignity, and creating a safe environment to prevent abuse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions students ask about this topic
Pass / Merit / Distinction Evidence Checklist
How your portfolio evidence is graded for PROQUAL AWARDING BODY Implement person centred approaches in health and social care
Demonstrate baseline knowledge, accurate terminology, and core practical application.
Provide detailed analysis, structured explanations, and clear workplace reasoning.
Deliver thorough evaluation, original problem solving, and fully justified recommendations.
Before You Start
Prior knowledge that will help with this topic
- •Basic understanding of health and social care values, such as respect and dignity.
- •Familiarity with the concept of confidentiality and data protection (e.g., GDPR principles).
- •Awareness of different care settings (e.g., residential, domiciliary, clinical) and the roles of care workers.
Coursework AI Review
Self-check your coursework evidence against P/M/D criteria
Key Terminology
Essential terms to know
- Understand person centred approaches for care and support, Be able to work in a person-centred way., Be able to establish consent when providing care or support, Be able to encourage active participation, Be able to support the individual’s right to make choices, Be able to promote individuals’ well-being
- Understand person centred approaches for care and support, Be able to work in a person-centred way., Be able to establish consent when providing care or support, Be able to encourage active participation, Be able to support the individual’s right to make choices, Be able to promote individuals’ well-being
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