Caring Foundations

Overview

This lesson introduces core principles that guide professional health and social care practice, linking them to how care should be planned, delivered and reviewed. Learners will discuss real-life scenarios and decide which principles apply and why.

Learning intentions

WALT: We are learning to understand the basic principles of care used in health and social care settings and apply them to short scenarios.

• Students will identify key principles (such as person-centred care, dignity, respect, confidentiality, consent and safeguarding).
• Students will explain how principles influence day-to-day care decisions and relationships with others.
• Students will practise applying principles to a realistic case study using clear reasoning.

Success criteria

• I can name and describe the basic principles that should guide care.
• I can match principles to actions in a scenario and justify my choices.
• I can explain how principles protect rights, safety and wellbeing in care.
• I can reflect on how care decisions may change when needs, risks or views differ.

Curriculum links

• PSHE education: relationships and health—understanding wellbeing and how it affects individuals and communities.
• PSHE education: keeping safe—risk awareness, safeguarding, and protecting people’s rights.
• Health and social care skills—ethical practice, respect for individuals, and person-centred approaches.
• Citizenship themes in PSHE—rights and responsibilities in caring roles, including consent and confidentiality.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 — Starter discussion: “What does good care look like?” Students write two qualities of “good care” from personal experience or observation. In pairs, they choose one quality and share why it matters.

2. 5–15 — Teacher input: Principles of care overview Deliver a clear introduction to the principles, using brief examples (no case study yet). Cover: person-centred care, dignity and respect, confidentiality, consent/choice, effective communication, and safeguarding from harm.

3. 15–25 — Principles sorting activity (group work) Provide scenario cards describing short care moments (e.g., sharing information, involving a person in decisions, supporting autonomy, noticing signs of harm). Groups sort each card under the most relevant principle(s) and add a one-sentence justification.

4. 25–35 — Whole-class carousel: challenge the “why” Each group shares one card and their reasoning. Teacher prompts: “What principle is being used?” “What could go wrong if that principle is ignored?” “How might the person’s needs or capacity affect the decision?”

5. 35–45 — Rights and responsibilities mini-brief (teacher-led + Q&A) Connect principles to rights-based practice in everyday terms: privacy, informed consent, honesty, fairness, and safe reporting. Emphasise that principles guide decisions even under pressure.

6. 45–55 — Individual application: 3-question case response Students respond to one longer, age-appropriate case (college/independent-living type). Questions include:

• Which two principles matter most and why?
• What should the care worker do next?
• What information should be shared and with whom (and what principle supports this)?

7. 55–60 — Plenary: exit reflection Students complete a short prompt: “One principle I will remember in care is… because…” Collect answers to inform lesson 11.

Resources

• Printed scenario cards (6–8 short cards) covering consent, dignity, confidentiality, safeguarding, communication
• One longer mini-case on paper or slide for the individual response
• Principle posters or a simple principle list displayed (person-centred, dignity/respect, confidentiality, consent/choice, safeguarding)
• Highlighters and sticky notes for sorting and justification
• Teacher checklist for quick formative assessment (naming, matching, justification)
• Pens/pencils; optional timers for carousel
• Dyslexia-friendly reading options: printed text in a larger font; one-page summary sheet of principles with short sentences; coloured overlays if school provides them

Assessment

• Formative: teacher observes group sorting and listens for accurate linking between principles and scenarios.
• Formative: individual case response is marked using a simple criteria grid (principles named, justification clear, next steps appropriate).
• Summative-in-lesson: exit reflection checks understanding of at least one principle and the student’s reasoning.

Differentiation

• Support for learners who need it: provide sentence starters for justifications (e.g., “This principle matters because…” “The next step should be…”); allow small-group responses before whole-class sharing.
• Support for dyslexia/SEND: larger-font materials, shorter paragraphs, and a one-page principle summary; allow audio read-through of the case; permit verbal responses recorded by a partner.
• Challenge/extension for confident learners: require additional reasoning about conflicting principles (e.g., confidentiality vs safeguarding) and ask “What would you do if the person’s capacity to consent is limited?”
• EAL support: pre-teach key terms in context using visuals and examples; provide a bilingual learner glossary if available; encourage peer support during sorting with clear roles.

Assessment (teacher note)

(Integrated above; no separate grading requirement in this lesson.)