Human rights in social care

Human rights belong to everyone. Each of us has a vital role in ensuring these rights are respected, protected, and upheld. When embedded in daily practice, they support people to live with dignity, autonomy and protection from discrimination or harm.

A rights‑based approach ensures that:

• people are actively involved in decisions about their care

• their individual needs and identities are recognised

• services understand and act on their legal duties

• practice aligns with the Health and Social Care Standards and our quality frameworks for care services.

The Scottish Human Rights Commission’s PANEL principles and FAIR approach are also useful to refer to.