Case Study: Catholic Service
The Catholic service in your care facility has been changed from Tuesdays to Thursdays – the priest is not able to attend on Tuesdays anymore.
Unfortunately, the service now clashes with the time that clients are able to go out for coffee in the local town. The clients are taken to the coffee shop nearby and are also able to walk around the town and do a little shopping if they wish.
The Catholic clients are very annoyed that they can no longer go on their coffee excursion. It’s not their fault that the priest has needed to change arrangements!
When something about it is said to a staff member, the staff member says, ‘Well, you don’t have to go to church! I’m sure God will agree that drinking a delicious cup of coffee is much more important than listening to the priest. The priest probably won’t care anyway!’
Later that same week, one of the clients overhears a couple of the workers making fun of the Catholic clients about their situation, and how they are putting a church visit above coffee and shopping.
- Do you think the Catholic clients are being discriminated against? Explain your answer.
- Identify one way that the concerns of the Catholic clients could be addressed to ensure their religious needs are still respected?
- What action would you take if someone in the client group tells you they want to put in a formal complaint regardless of what decision is made about the situation?