Sometimes your duty to safeguard an individual’s well-being may come into direct conflict with an individual’s right to make choices of their own free will. It is likely that an individual you care for may make decisions you fundamentally disagree with and object to.
For example, an individual you care for who has a physical disability may decide to try out a new physical activity one day. As their carer, you might take issue with this, as you are aware of the individual’s physical condition and how the activity could worsen it. You understand that you should allow the individual the right to live as independently as possible, but their choices may go against your duty of care to them.
The Code of Conduct encourages you to work in ways that respect and protect an individual’s rights, but certain situations may cause a dilemma where this is difficult to uphold. In the next section, we will go over how you should act in these situations, what to do, and what not to do.