Ethical Issues In Social Work

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.

Ethics are statements written that mirrors the principles of society it reflects society’s views of what is right or humanitarian. However, morals are not written and are codes setting out what is thought to be good enough or offensive behaviour.

Due to the widespread of inequality, social injustice, and variations of erroneous acts, social workers are imperative figures in contemporary society. In the social work profession, it is essential that each worker understand and enforce the six core ethical principles: service, social injustice, dignity and worth of a person, the importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. With the proper knowledge and sufficiency of each value, a social worker can effectively help to improve modern day society. In the story "The Seed," there were multiple instances in which the characters demonstrated both positive and inadequate ways to display each ethic.

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.

For the importance of this assignment, I had the opportunity of interviewing one of the social services workers. The social service worker in which I interviewed, was once a client but now holds a professional position within the agency. Understanding the demographics of Peoria, IL is one of the reasons, I was certain that I would receive valuable information about the numerous ethical dilemmas she had encountered. She began the interview explaining that due to being born and raised in Peoria, she knows everyone especially the clients. She continued by saying, she is familiar with numerous of clients due her affiliation with substances use. She stated that when she is faced with an ethical dilemma, she typically would meet with the Case Manger, which is a Licensed Clinical Professioal Counselor (LCPC) and would ask her how she should proceed with the client. The Case Manger typically refers her to the NASW Code of Ethics book that she keeps in her office. If the LCPC, could not help the worker find clarity, then they will consult with the Vice President of Mental Health Services to guide their decision making.

There are many ways in which social workers can avoid ethical dilemmas. In regards to the Jones case I will explain five ethical dilemmas. I will explain what 3 core values could have benefitted the Jones family and I will give three strategies I will use to practice ethical behavior in my field of social work in the future.

There are many tools in place to help professionals and clients associate with the field of social work to ensure ethical practices and a basic set of values and legal boundaries to protect the professionals in the field as well as the community they serve. Three such tools are NASW Code of Ethics, the CSWE Educational Policy and Standards, and HIPAA. These organizations and laws are set into place to protect the and support both the social worker and the vulnerable populations social workers serve, one such population being minors who are in the precarious situation of being unable to consent for themselves, having parents who often are incapable of making decisions on their behalf and susceptible to dual relationships with their social

Advocacy ensures that people who are vulnerable have a voice for the voiceless on their behalf for the injustice and policies that may impact them directly. Advocacy is helping or assisting an individual in acquiring the services they need. “Advocacy involves stepping forward on behalf of the client to promote fair and equitable treatment or gain needed resources” (Zastrow, 2013, p. 46). When advocating these issues can make the difference between a child being in a good position to make healthy choices in their life.

I blew the whistle in this situation when the lack of ethical care for residents and work ethics fell short of the normal standards. As a care provider one must always be aware of that the dignity of the client when it comes to their care. I return to my regular position after three months of working graveyards to find that the residents were being brought to the dining room in the hospital gowns. There was no regard for the resident’s dignity. Their backs were exposed and often the gown was exposing their chest. No one took in count how the resident must feel going into the dining room so exposed. The staff could of a least put on clothing over top of the gown or a sweater to hide what they were wearing. And use a lap blanket so they

The New York State Coalition against Domestic Violence (NYSCADV) provides training, support, technical assistance and advocacy to local direct service domestic violence programs across New York State. We achieve our mission through activism, training, prevention, technical assistance, legislative development and advocacy, and leadership development.

To begin with, the client whose name is Mr. Sam Pilsudski has an obstructed airway secondary to cancer of the larynx. He is a 67-year-old widower, and a father of one son and two daughters, who is unconscious and terminally ill, if not for a much-needed operation to remove both his cancer and larynx to save his life. However, one of Mr. Pilsudski’s daughters has adamantly refused to consent to the surgical procedure despite the physician explaining that although the operation would unfortunately render his patient disabled without a voice consequentially, but ultimately surviving the procedure to live and recover. Moreover, the physician attempted with rational and clear communication to express the gravity of the rather poor prognosis of his illness to his daughter that in the event of foregoing the surgery, his patient would surely die (Ralph Dolgoff, Donna Harrington, and Frank M. Loewenberg (2012), Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. 9th Ed; p. 279).

the colour of his skin, then it could lead to him having a feeling of

Ethical issues in general, regardless of the profession or field one is in are inevitable. Social workers understand the value base of the profession and its value base of the profession and its ethical standards, as well as relevant laws and regulations that may impact practice at the micro and macro level (Segal, 2016). Although social workers are trained and understand ethical standards does not prevent them to one-day face ethical issues. According to (Reamer, 2014) we have embarked on a new period, one which few of us, he suspected, could have anticipated. Today’s social workers can provide services online or via video counseling or text messages to clients they never meet in person. They may receive Facebook friend request from clients or former clients that lead to boundary challenges. These boundary challenges as Reamer categorizes them are part of what he calls the Digital period. “Issues steadily arise even among segments of the population that one would expect to

Traditionally, social worker are expected to not impose their own values on their clients, and suspended judgment about client behaviors, even when their own values or society values demand a judgement (Dolgroff, Harrington & Loewenberg, 2012). This can often pose difficult ethical decisions for social workers and clients, as personal value systems are inevitable. Social worker value gap, value neutrality and value imposition are important to consider when analyzing any ethical situation with our clients. Consideration needs to be given to both the social worker and the client as they interact together, although it is the social worker’s role to not impose their own values onto the client. The social worker must uphold the value of self