As a social worker at my agency, I would help Martha by seeking an approval to house her at the Bethlehem Methodist Church if possible. However, should that not be possible, I would consider setting her up in my home or a hotel for the night. Service is one of the core values stipulated by the National Association of Ethical Workers in the code of ethics. The ethical principle of this core value asserts that addressing social problems and providing assistance to people in need is a social worker’s primary objective. The code of ethics requires all social workers to assist using a part of their professional competence without expecting any payment in return. In addition, the rendering of services by social workers should transcend their self-interests. Therefore, in the case of Martha, who is a person in need, I would consult the head of the church to try and secure accommodation for her there for the night or get some funds to set her up in an affordable hotel or inn for the night. If both options prove impractical, I will host her at my home, which is beyond my self-interest.
Dimensions of Diversity in the Case Study
Individuals and families in need come from diverse dimensions such as color, culture, race, and gender identity, among others. In the provided case study, different social agencies and institutions cater to specific social groups in the society such as women and mentally deranged people. For instance, the Doorstep Women’s Center specifically caters to adult women in need during the night hours to provide emergency housing and sustainable housing in the future. The officials in the agency thought that Martha might have mental problems because of the disturbance she caused and required her to undergo a mental evaluation. Martha, in this case, was eligible as an adult woman, but her probable mental problem disqualified her from being admitted back into DWC until she undergoes evaluation by specialists at Rochester Community Mental Health.
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Common Ethical Concerns and Dilemmas
Several scenarios and events present ethical concerns or dilemmas to social workers that relate to either their clients or their colleagues and administration. Some of these concerns and dilemmas involving clients include receiving presents as gratitude from clients, moral conflicts on major issues, confidentiality, especially when the client committed or intended to commit a crime, and dual relationships where the relationship with a client goes beyond professional limits. Conflicts with colleagues may stem from misconduct, self-interests, or prejudice by fellow social workers when they relate to clients.
The social workers in our agency address these ethical dilemmas and concerns in several ways at either an individual or group level. Solving such problems requires social workers to answer basic questions such as the key players in the scenario, the proposed ethical action and any legal considerations, the context and purpose of the proposed action, the one who bears the responsibility to make the decision, and the eventual resolution. The primary way staff at our agency try to resolve the dilemmas is by consulting the NASW’s Code of Ethics to recognize the principles that conflict with the current scenario and the importance of such principles to our work. Moreover, social workers present such concerns or dilemmas to the team or supervisors to get a second opinion if need be. In some circumstances where the concern or dilemma may have legal ramifications, social workers forward the issue to supervisors for them to check with federal and state law to avoid legal problems for the agency. Every social worker at the agency also has access to a hotline they can call to seek professional consultation on the ethical dilemmas while maintaining their client’s privacy.
Influence of NASW Code of Ethics to Our Social Workers
Our agency firmly upholds ethical standards and views the NASW’s Code of Ethics as a comprehensive guide for ethical, social work. At the agency, during the orientation and placement stage of employment, the management familiarizes employees with the code of ethics and make them know that it is a rigid guide that they ought to follow. Employees at the agency fully comply with the Code of Ethics and use it in their day to day approach of different scenarios. Failure to comply can lead to an employee’s suspension. Social workers keep a printed copy of the Code of Ethics close to them at all times and refer to it periodically. It is highly influential since all the solutions by the social workers at the agency come from the social workers’ core values and the ethical principles stated in it.
How Agency Deals with Ethics Violations by Staff
In the event of the violation of the Code of Ethics by any of the staff, there is a pre-defined protocol that the agency’s management follows. If the violation constitutes an illegality, the management suspends the responsible social worker and contacts the relevant authorities and licensing boards. If the legal authorities and licensing boards clear the social worker, they may retake their position on probation for a while. In the case of minor ethical misconduct such as an inappropriate relationship with a client or taking solicited rewards from clients, the management suspends the social worker for three months and investigates the matter. If they find the social worker culpable, they terminate their employment.
Important Code of Ethics Principles and Values
There are two specific core values and ethical principles in the Code of Ethics that resonate strongly with me. One of them is the core value of social justice and its principle that calls for social workers to seek to effect social change to ensure that everyone has equal access to vital resources, information, opportunities, and services. The ethical principle states that social workers should curb social unfairness. The other core value of great importance is service and its ethical principle, which calls for social workers to help people in need selflessly using their competencies to address a client’s social problem. Just like Martha’s situation in the case study, I have seen instances where I needed to provide services beyond my self-interests and have gone as far as funding some needy clients or getting them discounts at local inns using my social connections. In other instances, I have encountered children who could not access education because of poverty. In such cases, I contact the local leaders, educational institutions, or organizations offering scholarships and try to secure funding to enable them to access education.
