Ethical and Legal Considerations 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.

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.

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.

Ms. Wenger is certified in Wisconsin to practice social work. Her certificate number was first issued on June 13, 2012. Ms. Wenger was employed as a program director at a community based residential facility, located in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The respondent provided contracted services to Client A, who was a Department of Corrections client. Ms. Wegner and client A had sexual contact in her office, Client A’s bedroom in the facility, and in various locations in the community. This had been going on from May-September of 2015. In September, Ms. Wegner ended the sexual relationship which caused Client A to have serious emotional and negative effects on Client A’s mental health. In December of 2015, Client A was admitted to a behavioral health hospital for suicidal thoughts, and chemical dependency issues.

The last four class periods, we have focused during lecture and in the assigned chapter on the basics of social work. Primarily, we have focused on the NASW Code of Ethics, which all social workers follow and are bound to as they work in the profession. In addition, we have focused on other concepts like assessment, accountability, and autonomy. A strong foundation and understanding in these core concepts will help to eventually help to make me, personally, an effective and committed social worker.

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).

In my current role as The Interim Housing and Community Worker at the YWCA I have to maintain many client files. Policies and Procedures are guidelines within the agency and they ensure workers act and maintain a certain level of professionalism and that the clients receive consistently of high quality of care and that their rights are protected. Policies and Procedures address several areas within an agency but one area in particular is pertaining directly to the client, more specifically a client’s privacy and confidentiality. There are a number of reasons why I would not allow anyone, even a family member such as my niece, to review any client files.

Social workers might be faced with ethical dilemmas simply because often times cultural practices conflict with human rights. Social workers might find themselves having to decide between what is best for their clients, what the clients want, and what is humanly right. Or, respecting their client’s cultural practices and up holding their beliefs of human rights. Such situations might allow oppression to happen. How? Rejecting a person from practicing their rituals regardless of the actions can be looked at as a form oppression. In the human rights document, article 27 allows for everyone to freely practice their cultural beliefs. On the other hand, allow them to practice their rituals, especially if it harms an individual is also a form of

Ethical is defined by doing or knowing right from wrong which relates to moral principles, most of us when we think about ethical standards we think about “doing the right thing even when no one else is looking”. As a social worker practitioner you are label as a professional who should always carry an ethical attitude. In the situation with Alfonso and his new client, he should consider the fact that he could have a personal relationship with the teenager that he is unaware of, like the simple fact that he lives near the clients, his children attends the same school as the client, furthermore both teenagers play on the same Boy Scout team, if Alfonso son and the teenage boys shall become close friends and Alfonso allows the teenagers to

The CSWE ensures that social workers are educated and competent in the field of social work. It serves as a guideline for social work educators. The (CSWE) uses the Educational Policy Act Standards (EPAS) to accredit baccalaureate and master’s level social work programs. EPAS supports academic excellence by establishing thresholds for professional competence (CSWE, 2015).

I enjoyed reading your break down of the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers ethical vales.

During psychiatric rotations, I was assigned to a unit designated for clients battling addiction who also had a psychological disorder. My client was a black woman in her 50’s with a history of drug-use. She was admitted for addiction, depression, and schizophrenia. We began to review her life. She discussed details of molestation and abuse from a young age into her adulthood. From rape and molestation by relatives to being date-raped in college resulting in her firstborn. As an adult, she married an abusive man, divorced him and married another abusive man. She bounced from one abusive relationship to the next.

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