Positive risk-taking means encouraging people to make choices that lead to personal growth, learning and new experiences while still ensuring their safety and wellbeing.

Here are five tips for empowering the people you support to take positive risks.

Build a trusting relationship

Building a trusting relationship with the people you support is essential for promoting positive risk-taking. They need to trust that you have their best interests at heart and will support them through the decision-making process. This can be achieved by actively listening to their preferences, needs and desires and involving them in the planning and decision-making process. Make sure their care plans reflect their unique needs and that you have recorded their consent to that care. Encourage the people you support to share their aspirations and goals and help them in identifying potential risks and ways to manage them.

Encourage them to take control of their lives

Empowering the people you support to take control of their lives is a key aspect of positive risk-taking. Support them to develop their self-confidence and decision-making skills, setting goals alongside them and tracking their progress. This can involve promoting opportunities for them to take part in activities that challenge their boundaries and push them out of their comfort zone.

Focus on the benefits

It can be easy to focus on the potential risks of a situation rather than the benefits. As a care provider, you should focus on the positive outcomes of a decision and encourage the people you support to see the potential benefits, such as personal growth, learning new skills and achieving their goals. Positive reinforcement and encouragement can go a long way in building self-esteem and confidence.

Manage risks effectively

Effective risk management is crucial when empowering people to take positive risks. Involve the people you support in the risk assessment process and encourage them to identify potential risks and strategies to manage them. This can involve developing contingency plans, setting boundaries and identifying support networks that can be accessed if needed. Effective risk management can help them feel more confident in their decisions and reduce the potential for harm.

Provide ongoing support

Positive risk-taking is a continuous process that requires ongoing support and guidance. Provide ongoing support, regularly reviewing and evaluating progress and encouraging the people you support to reflect on their experiences. This can involve providing opportunities for feedback and sharing positive experiences to build confidence and inspire others to take positive risks.

How Log my Care can help

Log my Care’s Outcomes and Goals feature enables care providers to define goals and use photos and videos to track and evidence progress, easily demonstrating goal attainment to local authorities and families. End-to-end goal management was previously unheard of in social care. With this feature, care providers can define desired results, such as improved mental health, increased mobility or better quality of life and set specific and measurable actions with the people they support to increase their independence.

Making it easier for care providers to coordinate their team’s efforts towards achieving specific goals for the people they support and empowering them to take positive risks and develop independence. By setting and working towards specific goals that matter most to them, those accessing care can develop a sense of purpose and fulfilment, enhancing their overall wellbeing.

For more information, watch Log my Care’s free on-demand webinar about improving outcomes and goals for the people you support.