How to Write Good Social Care Policies

At Bettal, we specialise in writing high quality CQC compliant social care policies and procedures, https://bettal.co.uk/policies-and-procedures/, and have done so for more than 25 years.  We understand that sometimes a care provider might need a policy or procedure which is not in our suite and for which we have no demand so providers are left with two choices, commission someone to write it for you or write it yourself.

Effective care policies are essential for ensuring services are delivered in a coherent and consistent way which meets the needs of both Service Users and the CQC.  Policies and procedures provide the basis for the delivery of care and provide the basis of the accountability of both the service and staff members.

In this blog post, we will explore the key steps and pointers for writing good, effective and compliant social care policies.  These steps reflect the approach we take at Bettal to writing policies, so we know that they work.

Understanding the Purpose of Social Care Policies

Before we look at how good social care policies are written, it’s important that we understand the purposes which underpin their creation. In essence, social care policies are written in order to:

• Provide coherent and consistent guidance for staff and service providers in a variety of matters.
• Ensure that care is delivered in ways which protect and promote the safety, security and wellbeing of Service Users.
• Ensure that services are provided in a way which is equitable and fair,
• Make sure that the provision of services complies with regulatory and other legal requirements.
• Ensure that the care given meets the requirements of CQC compliance.
• Support the values, mission and aims and objectives of the service.
• Provide guidance for the service in the management of staff.

Key Steps to Writing Effective Social Care Policies

There are a number of stages to the process of writing good social care policies and procedures.  Following these stages helps to makes sure that the person writing the policy can produce policies of a good standard.

Identify the Need

This might seem like an obvious thing to have to do, but many policies are not clear in their content because the person writing them is unsure about why the policy is needed and uncertain as to who the policy applies.

Identifying the need means being clear about who needs the policy and what the policy is going to do for them.  This might mean identifying a way of working within the organisation relating to issues such as Service User care, staff management or general issues such as meeting the requirement of health and safety legislation or CQC compliance.

So quite often the reason a policy is needed is to respond to a legal requirement, such as the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, see: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/37/contents, or more social care focussed regulations such as the Duty of Candour, see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-screening-programmes-duty-of-candour/duty-of-candour.

It is imperative therefore that the person writing the policy has a good understanding of what these pieces of legislation require of providers.

Research and Gather Information

There is no point writing a policy that is not based on current legal and regulatory requirements and contemporary best practice.  This means that the writer needs to undertake a thorough review of the existing literature, e.g. regulations, best practice documents and other people’s policies, before getting to grips with writing their policy.

One of the key downfalls of many policies is that they are based on outdated legislation and practice because this stage of the process has been undertaken badly.  So a top tip is to ensure that when writing a policy the most recent version of any legislation have been identified.

Define Clear Objectives

A good policy has a policy statement.  This sets out what the policy aims to do and should form a focus for the whole of the rest of the content of the policy.  The best policies stick to the policy statement, or, when necessary and new information is identified, they update the policy statement to match the newly identified content.

Draft the Policy

It is a good idea to set the policy out under various headings.  These might include things like defining terms, identifying whose responsibility different elements of the policy are etc.  The CQC in their notes to providers during the application process identify, for example, what they expect to see in some key policies, https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-regulation/providers/registration/supporting-documents-provider.  These expectations need to be met in full for the policy to meet the requirements of CQC compliance.

When the writer is not experienced in writing policies, it is worth sharing the policy with an experienced colleague at this stage to get their feedback on any early draft.  A top tip is to choose someone who is experienced and will be honest rather than your best friend to do this.

Review and Revise

After revising the draft with a colleague, the policy should be shared with key stakeholders for more comprehensive feedback, e.g. managers, staff, professional colleagues and/or Service Users.  A top tip is to set a deadline for feedback of no more than a week or so to ensure that people do not put it to the bottom of their work pile and forget to do it.

Once the stakeholder comments are in, the draft should be revised taking onto account the useful comments made and disregarding those comments which are not so helpful or useful.  Top tip, remember some stakeholders will not understand the need for the policy or have anything useful to say about its content, so it is necessary to be discerning when considering all feedback.

Implement and Communicate

Policies are only of real value when they are shared with the people who need to apply them.  It is important therefore that once a policy is written, or revised, that it is shared widely with people and that there is a record of this process.  Top tip: for some policies, for example safeguarding and whistleblowing it is important to make sure all staff have seen and read the policy and to keep a record of this.

Monitor and Evaluate

Once a policy is in use it is imperative that the person responsible for the policy, for example the manger, infection prevention and control lead or safeguarding lead, keeps it up to date changing the content when regulations or other things affecting the policy change.

It is also important to monitor the use of the policy in practice to ensure people understand it and the elements of it meet the needs of the service and the individuals.

Summary

Writing your own policies as a domiciliary care agency or supported living provider can be time consuming but if you follow the guidance in this blog can be successfully undertaken.

There are many good reasons for subscribing to Bettal for your policies and procedures not least among which are that they are tried and tested and written and updated by health and social care professionals. We also pride ourselves on our customer support, something which is not always available from some of the larger providers.

Bettal Quality Consultancy has a comprehensive and regularly updated suite of policies, procedures, risk assessments and comprehensive documentation tailored to all forms of social care provision, to support busy registered managers and their teams achieve CQC compliant care.

Contact Bettal Quality Consultancy today to learn how our comprehensive and value for money policies and procedures can help you achieve successful care provision and CQC compliance.

Visit our website at [bettal.co.uk](https://www.bettal.co.uk),

Email us at [info@bettal.co.uk](mailto:info@bettal.co.uk),

Or call us at 08085 020483 to get started!

Peter Ellis MA MSc BSc(Hons) RN

Consultant

Bettal Quality Consultancy