1.02 Self-Determination, Code Of Ethics

An essential job duty for any healthcare professional is to be able to service clients. The Code of Ethics (1999) outlines that service means to use the knowledge that a social worker has acquired through training and education to assist clients with issues that are inhibiting them from living their life completely and without suffering. By this definition, a social worker’s job is to assist a client with real-life issues, such as depression and anxiety, which are faced by the majority of the elderly population (Richardson & Barusch, 2006). For a social worker, assisting clients who face mental illness means

This essay will address the ethical dilemmas faced by social workers and how they address these ethical dilemmas when working with service users and carers. It will be illustrated that codes of practice and codes of ethics are of paramount importance when dealing with these dilemmas as they are ones that guide social workers as to how they should try and solve these dilemmas.

Social workers face complex ethical issues in every aspect of their profession. This work is often ethically challenging because it involves direct contact and interaction with individuals who are vulnerable. There are many factors that influence our decision making especially when working with at risk youths, we often face challenges in wanting to take on certain roles to protect our clients. These roles often conflict with our professional obligations. When our personal and professional values conflicts, our decisions may affect the individual, family, group, community and the organization.

During labour, her condition was worsening, the medical team contended whether to give T the blood transfusion which they found to be against the law.

A career in Social Work requires conviction to personal values that reflect and uphold the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics. Professional ethics are the foundation of social work, as the trade has an innate obligation to endorse ethical principles and basic values to advocate for the wellness of others. The core values adopted by all social workers, as distinguished by NASW, are service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. As a Clinical Social Worker, I will honor the NASW Code of Ethics in addition to my personal values of respect, self determination, responsibility, motivation, and wisdom. My personal values complement the NASW Code of Ethics and will resonate in my work as a social worker.

As a social worker many problems may arise because of the constant grey area of either letting your personal values interfere with your professional opinion. It is essential to provide your client with information and tools to help them succeed and overcome their problems. Following the core values is essential to being a resourceful, competent social worker. In some cases, core values are in conflict. In a situation where more than one core value is in conflict it is considered an ethical dilemma (Hick, 2009). It’s not guaranteed that a perfect solution will arise, therefore one of the core values is subsided because the other has more of an impact on the client.

1. The two ethical violations noted from the NASW Code of Ethics that was exhibited by the worker in the case titled No Mad Dog Looks is Commitment to Clients 1.01 which states "Social worker 's primary responsibility is to promote the well-being of clients. In general client 's interests are primary. However, social workers ' responsibility to the larger society or specific legal obligations may on limited occasions supersede the loyalty owed clients, and clients should be so advised. An example includes when a social worker is required by law to report that a client has abused a child or has threatened to harm self or others" (National Association of Social Workers, 2008). On page 111 of the article by Duncan, No Mad Dog Looks,

The ethical dilemma for this case can be identified as best interest of client against the obligation to nonmaleficence (Rothman, 2005). The principle of nonmaleficence is an ethical principle based on the broader idea of do no harm. This idea of do no harm is central to the social work profession. Social workers have an obligation to the client by protecting the clients’ best interest, as well as any third party individuals. The caseworker in this situation must balance the best interests of both Suzanne and Cindy.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has written a code of ethics that serves many purposes. The main purpose is to identify the core ethics and values that provide the foundation for the profession. It details six basic principles for social workers to follow: service, social justice, dignity and worth, human relationships, integrity, and competence (National Association of Social Workers, 1999). The code acts as an ethical guide for students, and those professionals just

Providing social services can sometimes be a difficult task, with uncertainties and challenges. The codes of ethics are a set of core values for social work professionals. It is important for a social work professional to understand the ethics of social work to make ethical decisions. In this, a social worker must provide quality unbiased service. Professional social

The commitment to act ethically is an essential aspect of social work due to the effect it can have on the quality of the service offered to those who engage with us. Through group discussions in our foundations of social work practice I have become extremely ethically aware and now will always seek to ascertain and respect, as far as possible, each individual’s preferences, wishes and involvement in decision making. From discussions with my fellow classmates I have learnt to strive to respect and uphold the values and principles of the profession by making sure I promote and work towards the code of ethics wherever possible. This in turn enables me act in a reliable, honest and trustworthy manner having worked closely with service users in a professional setting and learned of their good and bad experiences with practitioners through the service user experience we undertook in class. I believe I am now in a good position to apply the social work ethical principles to my professional practice, in a way that seeks to empower my service users and enable me to emulate the best practice. In addition from reading social work journals and staying on top of news regarding the profession more generally I am knowledgeable about the value base of social work as a profession .

As a social worker and or a human services worker we must focus on helping the client and the best interest of the client. In certain situations, we all carry to our picked range of work our own particular convictions and qualities. (SWT) Most of the clients that you come across and that you will help will be helpless, that would be why we are working with them, and are in need of a buffer from anymore abuse. We may need to change some of these convictions keeping in mind the end goal to work agreeably and for the best conclusion of our clients in the work setting. Maintaining a healthy relationship with your client you must keep tabs on moral issues identified by the “code of conduct” that you agree to when you decide to work in this field, you have to be attentive to individual qualities and how they may effect of the quality of care that you give.

One ethical principles from the core values that I feel most strongly that is needed is dignity and worth of the person. If we, as the practitioners don’t believe our client is worthy then we would be incapable of advocating for them, servicing them, and putting the effort required to help them. Dignity and Worth of the person mean believing everyone deserves the same treatment. We have to be able to accept our client’s culture, sexual orientation, anything that makes them who they are. If we can accept our client, we will not be able to work with them. Another reason I believe dignity and worth of the person is essential, is because Social Workers need that reminder when dealing with clients that might have committed a crime against an innocent person.

Moreover, this case should be analyzed based on the information provided by the NASW Code of Ethics. The ethical principle included in the NASW Code of Ethics (2008) states that “social worker’s primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems…Social workers seek to resolve conflicts between clients’ interests and the broader society’s interests in a socially responsible manner” (p.5). Suzanne’s social worker would only have to seek for Suzanne’s well-being because if Suzanne and Cindy get separated, they can lose contact, which would affect Suzanne 's emotions.

By withholding information from the client in respecting the wishes of Michael’s family by keeping the truth from the patient was posed by his family members. As a social worker, the primary mission is to “enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with attention to the needs and empowerment of individuals who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty” (Code of Ethics of the National Association of