Module 4: Respect, fairness and rights

Module 4: Respect, fairness and rights. Video transcript

Full narration with what is on screen, for learners who prefer to read or cannot hear the video.

[00:00] Module 4: Respect, fairness and rights

On screen: Coming Home Carer Skills; About 6 minutes. Picture: Gurpreet and Balbir sit together at her dining table with two cups of chai, laughing at a shared joke. Balbir's wheeled walking frame stands beside her chair.

Welcome to Module 4 of Coming Home Carer Skills: Respect, fairness and rights. On screen are Gurpreet and his mum, Balbir. Balbir is 82. She is Sikh, she speaks Punjabi, and her faith shapes her day. We will look at respect, fairness, your rights in plain words, and asking for what the person needs.

[00:25] Before we start

On screen: Our own free course for family carers.; Topics follow the 16 Care Certificate standards (2025).; Not the Care Certificate. Not a qualification.; Not endorsed by Skills for Care, NHS England or Skills for Health..

First, a short note. Coming Home Carer Skills is our own free course for family carers. Its topics follow the 16 Care Certificate standards (2025) from Skills for Care, NHS England and Skills for Health. It is not the Care Certificate, it is not a qualification, and those organisations have not endorsed it.

[00:50] In this module

On screen: Respecting faith, culture and language; When a service is unfair; Rights in plain words; Asking for an interpreter or for changes.

By the end, you should know how to respect what matters, what to do if a service is unfair, your basic rights, and how to ask for help.

[01:00] Everyone is different

On screen: Faith, culture, food and language matter.; Ask the person what matters to them.; Do not guess.. Picture: Early morning. Balbir sits peacefully in her armchair by the window, eyes closed, hands resting in her lap. Gurpreet quietly brings in a tray with two cups of chai, careful not to disturb her.

Everyone is different. Faith, culture, food, language and the way someone likes to live all matter, especially when they need care. Balbir says her prayers every morning. She is vegetarian, and she keeps her hair covered. She would like a woman to help her wash. To find out what matters, ask the person, and listen. Do not guess. People from one community can want very different things.

[01:30] When a service gets it wrong

On screen: A man was sent to help Balbir wash.; Visits came in the middle of her prayers.; Letters came in small print, in English only.. Picture: At the open front door, Gurpreet talks calmly and politely with a young male care worker (unnamed extra, plain tunic, no logo or badge) who looks unsure. Balbir stands in the hallway behind with her wheeled walking frame, looking uneasy. Nobody is angry.

When Balbir started home care, things went wrong. A man was sent to help her wash, even though the family had asked for a woman. The visits came in the middle of her morning prayers. And the letters came in small print, in English only. At the GP surgery, someone said Gurpreet could interpret at her hospital appointment. Gurpreet felt that none of this was right.

[01:56] Being fair

On screen: Unfair: refusing someone, or giving a worse service, because of who they are.; Unfair: not making reasonable changes for a disabled person.; It is not always done on purpose.. Picture: At a café door with one step, a smiling café worker (unnamed extra, older woman) lays down a portable ramp. Anjali, in her wheelchair, laughs with Ravi beside her.

Being fair does not mean doing the same for everyone. It means everyone gets a fair chance. A service is unfair if it refuses someone, or gives them a worse service, because of who they are, such as their age, race, religion or disability. It can also be unfair not to make reasonable changes for a disabled person. The law calls these reasonable adjustments. When Ravi and Anjali went out for lunch, there was a step at the door. Ravi asked, and the staff brought out a ramp.

[02:32] Rights in plain words

On screen: England, Scotland and Wales: the Equality Act 2010; Northern Ireland: its own, separate equality laws; Both make discrimination against the law.. Picture: Four panels, one household in each nation, each reading a plain leaflet together: (1) Gurpreet and Balbir (England); (2) Rhys and Carys (Wales); (3) Morag and Alasdair (Scotland); (4) Ciara and Declan (Northern Ireland). All calm.

Now, rights in plain words. Discrimination means someone is put at a disadvantage because of who they are. In England, Scotland and Wales, the main law against discrimination is the Equality Act 2010. It covers things like age, disability, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. It applies at work, in shops, and in public services such as the NHS and councils. Northern Ireland has its own laws. The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland can tell you more.

[03:10] Human rights

On screen: The Human Rights Act 1998 covers the whole UK.; Public services must respect people's rights.; For example: private and family life, and faith.. Picture: Hamza, the social worker, sits at a kitchen table facing Declan and talks to him directly; Declan answers with a big smile. Ciara sits beside Declan, listening. A pack of playing cards on the table.

The Human Rights Act 1998 covers the whole of the UK. Public services, such as the NHS and councils, must respect people's basic rights. These include respect for private and family life, the freedom to follow a faith, and the right not to be abused or degraded. On screen, Hamza, a social worker, asks Declan what he wants, not just his sister.

[03:38] Carers have rights too

On screen: England, Scotland and Wales: ask for flexible working from day one.; Up to 1 week of unpaid carer's leave a year.; Northern Ireland: different rules. Ask Carers UK.. Picture: Gurpreet talks with his manager (unnamed extra, a woman in her 40s) in a small staff kitchen at work, both holding mugs, relaxed. She nods, open and friendly.

Carers have rights too. In England, Scotland and Wales, the Equality Act protects you from discrimination at work because you care for a disabled person. You can ask for flexible working from your first day in a job, and take up to 1 week of unpaid carer's leave a year. In Northern Ireland, the rules are different. For example, you can ask for flexible working once you have been in the job for 26 weeks. Carers UK can tell you more.

[04:09] Asking for what the person needs

On screen: Ask for a professional interpreter.; Ask for letters the person can read.; Ask for changes, and get them written in the care plan.. Picture: Gurpreet, Balbir and Tomasz sit round the dining table. Tomasz writes in a plain folder while Balbir explains something with her hands and Gurpreet nods.

So Gurpreet asked for what his mum needs. He talked to Tomasz, the care agency manager. They agreed that a woman would help Balbir wash, and visits would come after her prayers. Tomasz wrote this in her care plan. He asked the GP practice to book a professional Punjabi interpreter for every appointment. NHS guidance says family members should not usually be asked to interpret. You can also ask for letters in large print, or in a language the person can read.

[04:44] Getting advice

On screen: General information, not legal advice.; England, Scotland and Wales: Equality Advisory and Support Service, 0808 800 0082; Northern Ireland: Equality Commission, 028 9050 0600; Act quickly. There are time limits..

This module is general information. It is not legal advice. For free advice in England, Scotland and Wales, call the Equality Advisory and Support Service on 0808 800 0082. In Northern Ireland, call the Equality Commission on 028 9050 0600. Act quickly, because there are time limits.

[05:12] Get help

On screen: The service's complaints process; Equality Advisory and Support Service: 0808 800 0082; Equality Commission for Northern Ireland: 028 9050 0600; Carers UK helpline: 0808 808 7777 (free); Citizens Advice, or Advice NI.

If you need help, start with the service's own complaints process. Module 3 explains how to complain. For advice about caring, including your rights at work, Carers UK runs a free helpline on 0808 808 7777. Citizens Advice, or Advice NI in Northern Ireland, can help too.

[05:36] To sum up

On screen: Ask what matters to the person.; If a service is unfair, speak up.; Know the basics of your rights.; Ask for an interpreter or for changes.; Next: read the pages, then try the quiz.. Picture: Morning, after prayers. Joy, the paid care worker, walks beside Balbir as she pushes her wheeled walking frame to the breakfast table. Gurpreet pours chai. Everyone is smiling.

To sum up. Everyone is different, so ask the person what matters to them. If a service is unfair, speak up, and get advice. Your rights, and the person's rights, are there to use. Ask for what the person needs, such as an interpreter or a change to their care. Now read the pages below, then try the quiz. You can take it as many times as you like.