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Introduction The National Association of Social Workers (NASW, 2008) defines social work as a helping profession in which individuals, groups and/or communities are assisted by social workers to enhance or restore their ability to function. NASW also notes that: social work practice consists of the professional application of social work values, principles, and standards in helping people obtain services; providing counseling and psychotherapy with individuals, families, and groups; helping communities or groups provide or improve social and health services; as well as participating in relevant legislative processes. As a result, social workers are routinely challenged to make decisions that involve ethical issues or dilemmas (Dolgoff, Harrington & Loewenberg, 2012). Some decisions involve disclosing confidential information without a client’s consent (for example, when a client threatens to harm himself, herself, or someone else); limiting a client’s right to self-determination against his or her wishes (for example, when a social worker pursues involuntary psychiatric hospitalization of a troubled …show more content…
In the chosen exemplar, a 15-year-old female client told her social worker that she was dealing drugs with her boyfriend, who was recently release from jail for selling drugs. The client’s parents have forbidden their daughter to have contact with the boyfriend and asked the social worker to contact them if their daughter tells her she is seeing him again. As I reviewed the Code and thought about what to do, I was reminded of one of the questions social workers should consider when making an ethical decision. Who is my client? I know my client is the 15-year-old female but since she is an under age adolescent are her parents also my
Working with people can be challenging, but so rewarding all at the same time. As humans, we are certainly not perfect and we are making mistakes daily. Making decisions is one thing that does not come easily to us, and depending on the day you can get multiple different answers to one situation. The NASW Code of Ethics is an extremely helpful tool when we are working with clients and something that does not ever waiver in ethical decision-making. If we are working in the Social work profession, then we must insure we are making the correct decision for everyone who is involved with the client.
Ethical Issues in Social Work I will provide practical help for new social workers to help them understand and deal with ethical issues and dilemmas which they will face. There are many ethical issues which are important to social work, but I feel that these are all covered by the care value base. The care value base Was devised by the care sector consortium in 1992, this was so that the workers in health and social care had a common set of values and principles which they would all adhere to. It is important because for the first time the social care sector had a clear set of guidelines from which ethical judgements could be made. The care value base is divided into 5 elements - The care value base covers - Equality and Diversity - Rights and responsibilities - Confidentiality - Promoting anti Discrimination - Effective communication Equality and Diversity Carers must value diversity themselves before they can effectively care for the different races, religions and differently abled people they will come across in their caring profession.
Social workers will face ethical dilemmas when working with clients throughout their career. As a social work intern, it is important to understand the ethical standards of the profession in order to make the best possible decision in regards to any dilemma that might be encountered. Relevant to social workers today, especially in regards to working in a school setting with clients who are minors, there seems to be a conflict that exists between the standards of self-determination/confidentiality and professional conduct. Students tend to disclose a lot of information that brings these standards into conflict and the professional social worker has to use their judgment in deciding how to handle the situation.
Loewenberg, F. M., & Dolgoff, R. (1996). Ethical decisions for social work practice (4th ed.). Itasca, Ill: F.E. Peacock Publishers.
Social workers have responsibilities to their clients to respect their privacy, and if the client cannot trust us in that, a rapport will never be form. Social workers must fight for the confidentiality of individuals, including families. Social workers are legally obligated to respect the privacy of their clients, and keep their information away from any third parties (NASW, 2008, p.7-8). Advocating for all those standards, would assure clients that social workers are really looking out for their well-being. When rights are taking away from clients, it’s our job as social worker to take up the necessary role and connect the clients with resources. For example, if a client’s health information has been violated by an insurance it’s our job to connect them to a better
In reading the Jones case, it is apparent that there are many different ethical dilemmas present throughout the entire scenario, and not only do many of these dilemmas violate the social workers Code of Ethics, they also violate Laws and standards of practice (SOPs). While analyzing the ethical dilemmas, I kept in mind the core values of social work and thought of multiple different strategies in which I could apply these values to positively impact the Jones family and practice ethical behavior.
To conclusion this, ethical issues rising in social work have regularly received substantial attention but responses to them have habitually been premised on the conviction that professional boundaries are clear for all to see and are professionally determined on the basis of separation and passivity as opposed to connection and dynamism. Working together with the client in the setting of professional boundaries is most likely to have a optimistic impact on the quality of the relationships we have with clients itself a vital factor in successful outcomes.
Social work as a profession strives to help the welfare of those within the community whether its persons or families through advocacy. Often times clients are those who may be vulnerable and disadvantaged. Social workers aim to help people fulfill basic needs in their everyday lives and assist them by providing beneficial resources and intervention counseling. They do more than just help them in their current situation, it’s about helping them to survive and set attainable goals to live a fuller and better life for themselves, and most time for their families.
Conditions of “engaging in appropriate study, training, and consultation,” while having competent people in intervention or techniques providing supervision is ethical (Code of Ethics, n.d.). Another criteria that defines competence in the field of social-work recognizes the role of the practitioner regarding identifying and targeting families that are troublesome, along with the negotiation of access which requires special consideration (Spratt, 2011). The profession of the social worker is to design alternative examples while viewing issues in order to understand and act upon social problems (Spratt, 2011). Through the continued required development of support and one’s understanding, along with the appreciation of the position the practitioner might take in the development of solutions rendering it effective, and considerations are made regarding what leads to harms taking place over the life-span (Spratt, 2011). As an example to substantiate this claim of competence, we see social workers working within their professional boundaries, while attempting to perfect their development in the field in order to “advance their expertise” (Code of Ethics,
The ethical dilemma in my conflict is that I, as an individual providing information and listening to the stories of domestic violence survivors, do not allow my past life experience to affect the outcomes of clients. Being that my agency oversees the eighteen domestic violence agencies in the State of Connecticut, I work with a very diverse population and at times encounter situations where self-disclosure is a complex issue. Self-disclosure to clients raises numerous boundary issues which in turn can result in conflicts of interest in a relationship with a client. By over identifying with clients, I risk the boundary line becoming blurred and the possibility of treating my own needs and experiences rather than my clients. The Code of Ethics (2015) states that a social worker should not let their own personal problems interfere with their professional judgement and performance which can jeopardize the best interest of the people for whom they have a professional responsibility.
All social workers are beholden to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics. Professional ethics are the main core of social work. The profession has an obligation to articulate its basic values, ethical principles, and ethical standards. The code is composed of thematic sections that outline a social worker’s responsibility to clients, colleagues, employers, and the profession. Some responsibilities that a social worker has to a client are that the clients are their primary responsibility, fostering maximum self-determination in clients, respecting the privacy of clients, keeping information that has been shared during the course of their duties confidential and charging fees for services that are fair and considerate
The social work profession and its Code of Ethics dictate that social workers must act in the best interest of the client, even when those actions challenge the practitioner’s personal, cultural and religious values. In practice; however, ethical decision-making is more complex than in theory. As helping professionals, social workers are constantly faced with ethical decision-making or ethical dilemmas. As noted by Banks (2005), an ethical dilemma occurs “when a worker is faced with a choice between two equally unwelcome alternatives that may involve a conflict of moral principles, and it is not clear what choice will be the right one” (as cited in McAuliffe & Chenoweth, 2008, p. 43). In addition, ethical decision-making is a process that
Especially, section 1. Social workers’ ethical responsibilities to clients. Within section 1, there is 1.02 self-determination. According to the NASW (2008), section 1.02 which states “Social workers respect and promote the right of clients to self-determination and assist clients in their efforts to identify and clarify their goals. Social workers may limit clients’ right to self-determination when, in the social workers’ professional judgment, clients’ actions or potential actions pose a serious, foreseeable, and imminent risk to themselves or others.” Self-determination is one of the foundation of social work’s sole mission and
The social worker is guided by a professional code of ethics in assisting people to achieve an effective level of psychosocial functioning and effecting social change to improve the well-being of everyone. Social work is founded on the principles of service; social and economic justice; personal dignity and worth; the importance of human relationships; integrity; and competence” (Daley &Haas, 2011, p.3).
Social work is a profession. For its profession, social workers must have knowledge of special areas, and follow its ethics and values. They also have skill sets to do their practices. Being a student of social work, and an intern at a center for adult day health care, I prepare myself to step on the career pathway of practicing social work in all macro-mezzo-micro levels, and promoting the values and ethics for this profession. The rest of this essay is a hypothetical case study that me as a school social worker engages with in practice with multiple systems involving individuals, families, groups, organizations, institutions, communities, and societies, along with applying the standards of the NASW Code of Ethics, relevant laws, and regulations, models for ethical decision-making to demonstrate ethical and professional behavior.