MSPs support Care about Rights

On 20 January 2011 Irene Oldfather MSP, Convener of the Cross-Party Group on Alzheimer's, kindly sponsored a lunchtime reception at the Scottish Parliament which gave other MSPs the opportunity to get involved in supporting the Care about Rights project.

The reception was attended by 17 MSPs, all of whom welcomed the project and its objectives to embed human rights into the delivery of care and support services, and empower people to understand and claim their rights.

Representatives from the care sector who have been involved in the training as well as a representative from the senior citizens network, the Care Commission and Scottish Care attended the gathering and shared their experiences with each other and the MSPs. The Commission would like to thank everyone who attended the event, which has led to many MSPs publicising their support for Care about Rights in their local press and media.

Irene Oldfather MSP, who sponsored the event, said: "I want to congratulate the Scottish Human Rights Commission on bringing this work together. Care about Rights is a very positive and in-depth training pack and which I hope will improve awareness and knowledge of human rights issues, and give practical advice about how to apply human rights principles in the delivery of care.

"Despite the wide range of high quality care available in Scotland, some people receiving care can feel vulnerable, while some carers are unsure of their rights and responsibilities. We all have a responsibility to raise awareness of human rights for older people and make sure that those rights are recognised, acted upon, and respected - dignity in care must be paramount. High quality training and awareness raising materials such as these will be a great help, and I'm very pleased to give my support to Care about Rights."

The Commission has also welcomed the support of their key partners in delivering this project, in particular Scottish Care, the Care Commission and Age Scotland. When the project was launched in September 2010 others on the event panel also showed their support:

"Given the challenges we face in the coming years around older people's services, setting out that human rights are fundamental in our society is timely and important. Scottish Care have been delighted to support the development of Care about Rights, and to facilitate its roll out across the country. The training pack is a unique tool which brings focus and understanding specifically to human rights in the care sector, which is to be welcomed." Gloria McLoughlin, Depute Chief Executive, Scottish Care

"I have a very strong belief that whatever we do as a care regulator should be based on human rights. The value of each individual matters, and our judgments and assessments of services should be based on that - Care about Rights illustrates the importance of taking account of human rights in everyday situations.

"The examples in the pack are also excellent at demonstrating the rights that care staff have. That's important, because if we protect the rights of staff working in the care sector we can also protect their ability to respect other people's rights." Jacquie Roberts, Chief Executive of the Care Commission

Links

Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group on Alzheimer's
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/crosspartygroups/groups/cpg-alz.htm

Scottish Care
http://www.scottishcare.org/

The Care Commission
www.carecommission.com

Age Scotland
www.agescotland.org.uk