INTRODUCTION Social Workers advocate for populations that have been oppressed, that are vulnerable, and or living in poverty. One of the professional responsibilities of the Social Work profession is to assist those in need. When we come to the aid for those individuals, developing rapport, is a critical component that benefits the relationship between the Social Worker and the client tremendously. As the Social Worker engages with their clients, being empathetic increases the likelihood of gaining your client’s trust. Acquiring the trust of your client, encourages them to comfortably divulge information and express their authentic feelings. However, when information expressed by the client will cause possible harm to themselves or to others, …show more content…
Barksy, (2010) defines nonmaleficence as avoiding behaviors that are known to cause harm. If the School Social Worker agrees to keep the abuse undisclosed, it will not cause any harm in her relationship with Kate. Yet, that decision will be a breach of the professional expectations for Social Workers. By doing so, will keep Kate’s trust and will allow the School Social Worker to sustain a positive relationship. On the contrary, if the School Social Worker does report the abuse to Child Protective Services, she will be displaying the moral principal: beneficence. Barksy (2010) describes beneficence as advancing good for others which include preventing evil or harm, and removing evil or harm. The work relationship with Kate will be negatively impacted. It could possibly hinder future relationships with other students. What I have learned thus far, is that Social Workers must seek the best interest of their clients even if that violates the rapport and trust that was established with their client. MORAL …show more content…
In section 1.03 Informed Consent of the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics (2008) (Social workers should provide services to clients only in the context of a professional relationship based, when appropriate, on valid informed consent. Social workers should use clear and understandable language to inform clients of the purpose of the services, risks related to the services, limits to services because of the requirements of a third-party payer, relevant costs, reasonable alternatives, clients’ right to refuse or withdraw consent, and the time frame covered by the consent. Social workers should provide clients with an opportunity to ask
When working with this population, if a client is withholding their diagnosis from their sexual partners and having unprotected sex the social worker faces an ethical dilemma. Confidentiality is a major concern but so is duty to warn and the duty to protect. According to Granich (2012), “Mental health professionals do not have the legal right to disclose that a person is HIV-positive to another person. This is at the discretion of physicians in many states. However, social workers and mental health professionals must struggle with this legal situation if a client insists on potentially harming another person through risk of transmission of HIV”. Social workers need to consider the society in which they are working and the society that the
Handon, R. M. (2014, December). Client Relationships and Ethical Boundaries for Social Workers in Child Welfare. The New Social Worker, (winter), 1-6.
Case study #2. The standards from the Code of Ethics in this case would be Socials worker’s ethical responsibility to colleague’s respect plays an important matter. Social workers treat all colleagues with respect and avoid unwarranted negative criticism. Consultation: social workers should seek advice from other colleagues when needed especially if there is area of expertise and someone else they may have more knowledge regarding a situation. When going to the supervisor lately she doesn’t seem like she is interested. Social worker’s ethical responsibility in practice setting. A social worker who provide supervision are responsible for setting clear, appropriate, and culturally boundaries. Unethical conduct of colleagues definitely is one of the codes that needs to be addressed the social worker should seek resolution by discussing her concerns her supervisor that will be productive. After the talk if things still are not fixed the social worker must
Moreover, ethical issues are ubiquitous within the field of social work. As such, social workers employed in all facets of the profession, whether it is substance abuse, mental health, among many others encounter ethical issues common and specific to each area. According to the article “Ethical Issues in Addiction Counseling” by Cynthia G. Scott (2000), prominent ethical situations specific to the field of substance abuse include, “confidentiality and privileged communication” (p. 213). In her article Scott (2000) discuss the blurred boundaries of confidentiality with regards to group counseling. The author points out the discrepancy in federal confidentiality laws that prevent the practitioner from sharing confidential information disclosed
Confidentiality and trust between the client and social worker is an important part of the therapeutic process. Confidentiality is discussed frequently with the client, in trainings, and in supervisions. When a client first begins services there are multiple forms to fill out, many of which explain the agency’s confidentiality policies and provide client’s the opportunity to agree to share information with certain parties (i.e. their PCP, psychiatrist, specialty providers) or not share any information at all. Despite this focus on confidentiality there are some areas where “the rights of others take precedence over a client’s right to confidentiality” (Hepworth, Rooney, Rooney, & Gottfried, 2017, p. 76). In situations where child abuse or neglect is suspected by the social worker, the social worker will breach confidentiality in order to protect the child. In fact, “all 50 states have statutes making it mandatory for professional to report suspected or known child abuse. Moreover,
This relates to ethical issues as it is difficult to decide when confidential information should be shared, as described in my ethical dilemma above.
The National Association of Social Workers, NASW, considers the following as its six most core values; service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. The value of service is considered to be a core value because offering help to those in need is a crucial goal for all of those looking to practice in the field of Social Work. These services can include, but are not limited to, addressing social problems, helping those in need, and volunteering their knowledge to those who cannot otherwise afford such help. Social Justice is also an important core value for a Social Worker to develop. As a Social Worker one will encounter many people from several different walks of life, no two cases will ever be exactly the same. Some of these walks of life can leave a client vulnerable, defenseless, exploited, oppressed, and troubled. Therefore it is important to learn what Social Justice is, and how to help people from falling victim to injustice. Dignity and Worth of the Person is one of the most important values that one should uphold. People who need the help of a Social Worker many, but not all, times feel powerless, embarrassed, and worthless because they feel as though they cannot control aspects of their life an...
National Association of Social Workers [NASW]. (1998). The New NASW Code of Ethics Can Be Your Ally: Part I. Retrieved from: http://www.naswma.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=96
As a student new to social work, The Code of Ethics written by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is in the forefront of my mind whenever practicing my freshly learned skills. According to the Code, these rules were written as the “values, principles, and standards to guide social workers’ conduct” (Code of Ethics - NASW, n.d.). Within my most-recent session, certain aspects of this code were relevant, including informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, a commitment to the client, the dignity and worth of a person, the importance of human relationships, integrity and competency of the worker, and social diversity.
National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Washington DC: Author.
Corbin, J.R. (2007). Confidentiality and the duty to warn: Ethical and legal implications for the therapeutic relationship. The New Social Worker, 4-7.
Social workers agree that they should not disclose detailed personal information to clients about their intimate martial or relationship struggles however, there is no clear guidelines in regards to previous experiences that do not necessarily provide personal information (Reamer, Self-Disclosure in Clinical Social Work Eye on Ethics, 2006). There are also instances where a social worker may disclose personal information to strengthen the therapeutic alliance and nonphysical connection with clients. This approach is not always helpful for the client and can be rooted in the social workers own emotional and dependency needs (Reamer, Self-Disclosure in Clinical Social Work Eye on Ethics, 2006). This is where I feel as though I am facing an ethical dilemma. I first have to ask myself, “By sharing this information, am I helping the client or myself?” My primary obligation is to the client and I need to make sure that the client’s needs are being
Reamer explains that values are important in regard to “The nature of social work’s mission; the relationships that social workers have with clients, colleagues, and members of society; the methods of intervention that social workers use in their work, and the resolution of ethical dilemmas in practice” (p. 15). Reamer discusses the importance of ethical decision making and ethical risk management in regards to any ethical dilemma a social worker may face. Reamer also explores how our values can challenge our profession; opposing or conflicting personal, professional, cultural and religious values in particular. Other ethical issues include confidentiality, privacy, divided loyalties, professional boundaries, dual relationships, conflicts of interest, and a client’s free will or determinism (Reamer,
As a class discussion, we discussed how our personal values, thoughts, and feelings can interfere when working with clients in a social work profession. At that moment I had an epiphany; I realized just how biased I can be and thought about how that could affect my future work as a social worker. As my thoughts circled, I became conscious of how I can project my opinions onto parents and friends on the disciplinary actions of their children. For example, Mrs. Johnson, a parent in my classroom, advise me of her methods used for potty training, which I thought were unrealistic. So, I forced upon my classroom potty training procedures; they were used, consequently, my methods proved to be unsuccessful for Mrs. Johnson. There were little thoughts on the boundaries I crossed.
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