This page is designed to answer the following questions:
- 2.4 Reviewing available information and make valid decisions (Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care, Decision Making in Adult Care)
NOTE: This page has been quality assured for 2023 as per our Quality Assurance policy.
For this assessment criterion, you will be required to explain and reflect on how data from a selection of sources has enabled you to present a rationale and conclusions that justify your decisions to both internal and external stakeholders. You will be thinking about decisions that you have made that were informed by data and how you used this data to back up your decisions and gain the support of stakeholders.
SCIE published guidance about informed decision-making and stated that:
The process leading to a decision should be transparent so that it can be confidently and clearly explained. It is vital to be able to describe the evidence drawn upon and the critical thinking that has led to the decision. This information should be able to be satisfactorily demonstrated to all stakeholders involved.
Being able to explain the reasons for a decision and the decision-making process that was used increases the likelihood of it being supported by others and contributes to accountability for any decisions that are made. Even if things do not go right, being able to provide justification for your decisions can help others to understand your thought process.
As an example, perhaps you made a decision to close a service that your organisation provides to the community. By referring to financial reports that show the service is losing money, attendance records to show that the service is not being used very much and newspaper articles to show that similar (and better) services are available locally, you are more likely get support for your decision than if you made the decision without any justification.