Understand Ethical Principles in Relation to Providing Support for Individuals

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics was established as a core value guide for Social Workers when providing services to clients or working with colleagues. The mission of a social worker is to enhance the wellbeing of people through an array of services. On a daily basis social workers are faced with making ethnical decisions and using professional judgement in lives of people. This paper will compare and contrast a social worker personal core values with the NASW core values comparing and contrasting the two. Also, this paper will also look at different vignette and ethical dilemmas that are in conflict with the NASW core values. Moreover, the paper will provide pros and cons for each professional course of actions

Chapter 3 explains the importance of ethical competence specific to the human services field. As a professional it is important to know and understand an organizations code of ethics, as it will be a reference tool in how to handle certain situations you are faced with. Human service professionals enter into the profession with a personal set of values, goals and ethical conduct but, must always remember that their actions should always reflect the values and ethics of the company they are now a part of (site). In the event of an ethical issue a professional should always refer the ethical standards to determine what action should be taken (site). Ethics are also in place to facilitate legal implications that stem from malpractice lawsuits.

Individual’s rights also need to be promoted in order for holistic support to be provided by professionals. All adults in a health and social care environment such as a care home have rights to their confidentiality, respect, choice and to have their individuality taken into consideration. They also have the right not to be discriminated against, to receive equal and fair treatment and also to have access to the policies and procedures of the health and social care organisation. They should know when and how to make a complaint should they feel there care need are not being met. Children in care settings also have promotion of rights. These individuals should always have the right to be heard and it remain confidential, to have their wishes considered, be provided with stimulating activities and the right to be safe and secure from harm.

These are underpinning principles and values that are used in health and social care settings for practices that are built upon ethical principles and putting the heart of the individual in health and social care in consideration.

In health and social care sector, health care professionals take into account four key ethical principles when providing service to the service users. The key ethical principles are justice, autonomy, beneficence and non-maleficence. In health and social care settings people must be treated fairly without being judgemental regardless of who they are or where they come from. Health care professionals must allow their service users choose the type of services or treatment they want and the professional should support them in getting quality care that will benefit their service users. Also, health care professional must not

My responsibility as a care worker is to be aware of the various policies and legislations that will facilitate good practice when supporting my clients to access services and facilities. I am also expected to monitor and evaluate the service provided to ensure it is meeting the needs of the client.

Moreover, an emphasis is imposed on the rights of a single patient to commit an act or decision even though it is in contrast with the views of the others. In regards to the ethical dilemma, a nurse could not justify the morality of the two possible choices based on their results and consequences. The Deontological approach would encourage the health care staff as well as the patient to ask themselves the most righteous choice for their situation. With this in mind, a combination of ethical theories can also be employed to give light to the dilemma. In view of this, another ethical approach could be applied to solve the issue, and this is the Right-based approach. This theory also aim to promote the rights of every person, and that, they are indispensable just to make ends meet. However, not all ethical theories can be incorporated in every dilemma in a health care setting because their foundations would contradict one another. In order to provide an effective and efficient solution, nurses should be knowledgeable of the principles enveloping each of the ethical theories and should be wise to apply them in appropriate issues and

Carers must respect confidential information and clearly explain agency policies about confidentiality to service users and carers. Carers and service users must be informed about confidentiality rules if not and something goes wrong it can cause a lot of problems to the care home.

Both me and my employer have duty of care when we deliver care to service users. It is means that we need to follow general rules, policies and procedures. We should accept and promote all the rules included in the General Social Care Council Code of Practice. I also should make sure that I fully understand my role as a care worker, undertake trainings to act in the best interest of the service users.

Explain a range of ethical and moral dilemmas which social workers and the team may encounter when dealing with this care – look at case study on the assignment brief.

Within health and social care there are a number of acts and procedures set out in legislation which must be followed. These acts ad procedures influence care settings by offering practical examples of good practice and the way that health and social care should be delivered. They provide advice on how to comply with the law and determine what is reasonably practicable. The acts enforce a duty of care to everyone who is involved at all levels such as the service

When looking at ethical dilemmas in human services one must be able identify and address the dilemma properly. Within the module for this week I am to evaluate three different dilemma scenarios and describe how I would approach each. In addition, I will be identifying what steps in the evaluation process I have used to make my decision on each ethical dilemma.

Duty of care in my own work role is to ensure that my service users are given quality care services always, and that I must follow the codes of practice and policies and practices of my organisation. It is my responsibility to keep my knowledge and understanding up-to-date regarding these policies.

As a professional practitioner in the field of social work a great practice is to develop a foundation structured around the ethical standard set by the National Association of Social Workers. Dilemmas can arise, creating issues that could have a massive effect on clients, families, clinicians, communities, and the organization involved. In order to find a solution to the issue(s) models of ethical reasoning and ethical decision can assist with resolving ethical issues. Briefly I will discuss the case study presented with ethical issues, and will examine ethical reasoning models as it relates to the problem-based scenario.

There is a great necessity for the code of ethics in social welfare. The first code of ethics was “adopted in 1960” and was a single page (NASW,1998, para. 8). The last major adoption was in 1996, which was similar to what we see today, in the 2008 edition. In this changing profession it is absolutely necessary for a social worker to have something to reference to when there is an ethical dilemma, because they will transpire from time to time (NASW, 1998).