STR - Support Time Recovery - Activity 4.1 - Minimising risk

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STR / Support Time Recovery Training course

VRQ Level 2 Certificate in Mental Health

Answer to Question 1A

The most dangerous thing in most places is the people! People can be violent, especially if under the influence of drink or drugs (prescribed or otherwise), scared or angry. Most people do not get up in the morning think "I hope I get sectioned today"! When something like that happens people can react badly, panic and lash out at anybody around. As a self harmer myself I know just how creative people can be at finding objects in virtually any situation to use on themselves or in extreme circumstances somebody else that is in their way!

Answer to Question 1B

We keep an eye on everybody (service users and staff too) to spot signs of alcohol or drugs and do not allow people to attend that are under the influence of them as they are more likely to cause problems.

We check to make sure everybody is ok and if not, then we try to resolve any problems before the issues turn into major problems.

Make sure that environments are as safe as possible. I remember as a kid one of my Doctors was a huge cricket fan and had a cricket bat on the wall in his office, I personally think that may be a bad idea if he ever deals with very upset or angry people! Its almost impossible to make somewhere totally safe and a lot of people would be put off if they went to an arts and crafts group and were not trusted with anything more than plastic safety scissors, but just use a little common sense.

Answer to Question 2A

Fire is another common problem, especially in places with kitchens or that allow smoking. Being in a fire can be very scary and dangerous (I know!), so you need to do as much as possible to minimise any risks.

Answer to Question 2B

Good things you should do to minimise risk from fire are:

Check smoke detectors are working

Have regular fire drills

Check fire extinguishers are working and have not been tampered with in any way

Regularly check that all staff and service users know what to do in case of a fire

Make sure all fire exits are kept clear

Make sure there are clear, readable instructions of where the fire exits and meeting points are

Try to make sure that people use the kitchen in groups of at least two, that way if somebody has a call of nature or something, then food is not left cooking unattended

Use your brain when creating fire escapes, two or three flights of metal stairs is not a good way of getting elderly people in wheelchairs to safety!

Next: STR Activity 4.2 - Policies and procedures

Please note: The contents of the Level 2 Certificate in Mental Health Students workbook are copyrighted, so I have not included any of the questions, purely my answers which are only copyrighted to me! If you have access to the workbook it will make a lot more sense to you. Please do NOT copy my answers and use them as your own, I have just put them here to give you ideas for any parts you may be stuck on.