In scenario 1, the ethical dilemma that John Doe is faced with involves asking his wife to leave or obtaining an informed consent from the client before allowing observation from his wife. It is clear that John faces a challenge from his wife’s complaints hence asking her to leave would add more problems to his personal life. On the other hand, the session was coming to a close and hence it was a challenge to obtain an informed consent without interrupting the flow of the session.
What parts of the NASW Code of Ethics would a social worker consider in resolving this ethical dilemma? And how/why do they apply? (1a)
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The parts of the NASW Code of Ethics that John would consider in resolving this ethical dilemma include the ethical principles, the ethical responsibilities of the social workers to the clients and social workers’ ethical responsibilities as professionals. In the ethical principles the consideration is on the principle that states “social workers’ primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems”. The informed consent section on the social workers’ ethical responsibilities to clients comes in as the second part that John could consider in resolving his ethical dilemma. It applies since John’s wife is a third party and informed consent is needed before permitting her observation of the services. The ethical responsibility as a professional is on private conduct which states that “social workers should not allow their private conduct to interfere with their ability to fulfil their professional responsibilities”. It applies since John’s personal life is interfering with his ability to fulfil the other two aforementioned responsibilities.
What relevant laws and regulations should a social worker consider in resolving this ethical dilemma? And how/why do they apply? (1a)
The relevant law in this case is on protection of clients’ information from third parties by the social worker (Brayne et al., 2015). In this case, the wife is the third party and hence the social worker had a legal obligation to protect the client from her observation.
What personal values may conflict with client values and/or social work values in working on this case? How would you manage your personal values to remain professional? (1b)
In the case of John, the personal value of balance may conflict with the social work value of human relationships. The conflict arises in that John needs to have a balance in life while his work requires him to prioritize the clients before his own family, of which both are human relationships (Parrott, 2014).
Identify what professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and oral, written, and electronic communication would be important for the social worker working with this client system. (1c)
The professional demeanor would be to enhance the electronic communication to ensure that no observation is made by a third party such as his wife (Parrott, 2014). He would ensure calls are made before anyone can access his office as a way of preventing undue observations of services by third parties.
What questions or areas would a social worker inquire about while utilizing supervision and consultation in guiding professional judgment and behavior while working with this client system? (1e)
The areas of inquiry regard the extent of observation allowed since the session was ending and thus no meaningful information could have been obtained at such a time.
In the advanced world of technology, social work practice outcomes are continually challenged. What ethical safeguards should be in place to use technology (email, text, writing electronic case notes, etc.) appropriately in social work practice? (1d)
The ethical safeguards include language and comprehension levels that ensure that communication is certainly understood in a culturally acceptable manner (Reamer, 2013).
How would a Christian social worker integrate his or her Christian attitudes, values, and worldview into his or her social work profession and practice? (ILO #7-f)
A Christian social worker would integrate their Christian attitudes, values, and worldview in enabling sound judgment of ethical issues in professional practice (Parrott, 2014). For instance, John would use the Christian value of love to add to integrity and hence make a sound decision.
Scenario 2
The ethical dilemma is on sharing the information with your friend who is an expert in the case presented although she is not involved in the case and would keep the information confidential. On the one hand, you could share the information and breach the ethical code requiring that only professionals dealing with the case should access the client’s information. On the other hand, you could comply with the code and forfeit the valuable opinion of your colleague.
What parts of the NASW Code of Ethics would a social worker consider in resolving this ethical dilemma? And how/why do they apply? (1a)
The section on privacy and confidentiality applies in resolving thus ethical dilemma particularly the part that states that “in all instances, social workers should disclose the least amount of information necessary to achieve the desired purpose….” This part applies as you intend to consult with a fellow expert whose skills may come in handy in helping the client with a guarantee of confidentiality.
What relevant laws and regulations should a social worker consider in resolving this ethical dilemma? And how/why do they apply? (1a)
The relevant law is on requirement for consultations with other specialists when the conditions presented warrant the need for other professionals in handling the condition. (Brayne et al., 2015) It applies since consultations with the social worker’s colleague would ensure faster recovery.
What personal values may conflict with client values and/or social work values in working on this case? How would you manage your personal values to remain professional? (1b)
The personal value of consultation may conflict with the client value of confidentiality. In this case, you would ensure that your colleague keeps the shared information confidential and thus remain within the professional boundaries of practice (Parrott, 2014).
Identify what professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and oral, written, and electronic communication would be important for the social worker working with this client system. (1c)
The professional demeanor would be to ensure that communication takes place in a setting that guarantees privacy of the client’s information. You would ensure that the discussion with your colleague takes place in a private room to guarantee confidentiality (Parrott, 2014).
What questions or areas would a social worker inquire about while utilizing supervision and consultation in guiding professional judgment and behavior while working with this client system? (1e)
You would inquire about the possibility of authorizing your colleague to have access to the client’s records as it would be for the greater good (Parrott, 2014).
In the advanced world of technology, social work practice outcomes are continually challenged. What ethical safeguards should be in place to use technology (email, text, writing electronic case notes, etc.) appropriately in social work practice? (1d)
The ethical safeguard in this case would be to ensure that all information shared with your colleague electronically excludes any details that would reveal the client’s identity (Reamer, 2013).
How would a Christian social worker integrate his or her Christian attitudes, values, and worldview into his or her social work profession and practice? (ILO #7-f)
As a Christian, you would incorporate the value of self-control to limit the extent of information shared with your colleague and thus enhance the professional practice.
Scenario 3
The ethical dilemma that presents to the intern regards his relationship with the client. On the one hand he is faced with a choice of terminating the services in pursuit of a peaceful relationship with Jane without acting in self-interest. On the other hand, he has the choice of providing the services while in conflict with Jane.
What parts of the NASW Code of Ethics would a social worker consider in resolving this ethical dilemma? And how/why do they apply? (1a)
The part that applies is the section on conflict of interest which seems imminent in this case. Particularly, the part that states that “social workers should be alert to and avoid conflicts of interest that interfere with the exercise of professional discretion…” in this case, the client’s interests seem to be at stake and hence this section largely applies.
What relevant laws and regulations should a social worker consider in resolving this ethical dilemma? And how/why do they apply? (1a)
The relevant law for this scenario is on infliction of emotional distress as a result of the visit to the client’s home (Brayne et al., 2015). The scenario involves emotional distress on the client who confronts the intern for the turn of events hence this law is applicable.
What personal values may conflict with client values and/or social work values in working on this case? How would you manage your personal values to remain professional? (1b)
The personal value of service may conflict with the client’s value of confidentiality. In this case, the intern would have to terminate the services to the client and facilitate the transfer of service to a different social worker and hence uphold professionalism (Parrott, 2014).
Identify what professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and oral, written, and electronic communication would be important for the social worker working with this client system. (1c)
The professional demeanor that would be important for the social worker is the use of written communication clarifying the actions engaged in during internship as a way of according professional responsibility to Jane (Parrott, 2014).
What questions or areas would a social worker inquire about while utilizing supervision and consultation in guiding professional judgment and behavior while working with this client system? (1e)
The intern would make inquiries regarding the termination of services and the referral of the client given that he was not the case manager.
In the advanced world of technology, social work practice outcomes are continually challenged. What ethical safeguards should be in place to use technology (email, text, writing electronic case notes, etc.) appropriately in social work practice? (1d)
In this case, there should be measures to ensure that the client’s details are safeguarded in writing the electronic case notes especially during the interview and follow up sessions (Reamer, 2013).
How would a Christian social worker integrate his or her Christian attitudes, values, and worldview into his or her social work profession and practice? (ILO #7-f)
The intern would integrate the Christian value of being peace loving and keep his calm in dealing with the client to avoid confrontations in his line of practice.
Scenario 4
The ethical dilemma presented to the social worker is on either to seek the consent of the girl’s parents at the risk of having the girl withdraw from the program of support or enroll the girl in the support program without considering the obligation of parental consent before such an action.
What parts of the NASW Code of Ethics would a social worker consider in resolving this ethical dilemma? And how/why do they apply? (1a)
One of the parts that apply are the commitment to clients’ part that states “social workers’ primary responsibility is to promote the well-being of clients. The other part is on the informed consent that states that “in instances when clients lack the capacity to provide informed consent, social workers should protect the client’s interests by seeking permission from an appropriate third party…” These two parts apply in that the well-being of the client was a priority while at the same time, it was necessary to obtain informed consent from the parents.
What relevant laws and regulations should a social worker consider in resolving this ethical dilemma? And how/why do they apply? (1a)
The relevant law that applies is that individuals under the age of 18 years have the right to confidentiality but the legal rights remain under the custody of their parents (Brayne et al., 2015). This law applies in that the client has the right to confidentiality despite being 16 years old.
What personal values may conflict with client values and/or social work values in working on this case? How would you manage your personal values to remain professional? (1b)
The personal value of loyalty may conflict with the social work value of informed consent. To remain professional, the social worker would consider their primary obligation to the client and refrain from any action that could jeopardize the client’s welfare (Parrott, 2014).
Identify what professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and oral, written, and electronic communication would be important for the social worker working with this client system. (1c)
The professional demeanor in behavior that would be important for the social worker is on behavior. The social worker should behave in a manner as to maintain professionalism and not let emotions get the better of him/her (Parrott, 2014).
What questions or areas would a social worker inquire about while utilizing supervision and consultation in guiding professional judgment and behavior while working with this client system? (1e)
The social worker could inquire about the aspects of self-determination that could be limited to ensure that the client is free from potential harm.
In the advanced world of technology, social work practice outcomes are continually challenged. What ethical safeguards should be in place to use technology (email, text, writing electronic case notes, etc.) appropriately in social work practice? (1d)
The social worker should put measure to ensure that the technological platforms used in communication with the client do not disclose the client’s identity (Reamer, 2013).
How would a Christian social worker integrate his or her Christian attitudes, values, and worldview into his or her social work profession and practice? (ILO #7-f)
In this case, the social worker would use the Christian value of compassion to ensure that the client receives the needed support within the professional practice (Parrott, 2014).
Scenario 5
The ethical dilemma is on the conflict of interest that comes up with the relationship of Josh to the social worker’s daughter . On the one hand, the social worker could terminate the services to Josh in compliance with the requirement not to have dual relationships with clients and keep the daughter happy or could set boundaries against Josh and end the relationship thus causing a conflict with the daughter.
What parts of the NASW Code of Ethics would a social worker consider in resolving this ethical dilemma? And how/why do they apply? (1a)
The major part that applies in this case states that “social workers should not engage in dual or multiple relationships with clients or former clients…” This part applies since the social visit of Josh to the social worker’s home indicates a dual relationship that the social worker needs to attend to.
What relevant laws and regulations should a social worker consider in resolving this ethical dilemma? And how/why do they apply? (1a)
The relevant law is on termination of treatment which the law requires to be appropriate and based on reasonable grounds (Brayne et al., 2015). Since the social worker is presented with the possibility of terminating services to her client, this law applies to the scenario.
What personal values may conflict with client values and/or social work values in working on this case? How would you manage your personal values to remain professional? (1b)
The personal value of socialization may conflict with the social work value of professional discretion. In managing the situation, the social worker would sideline their value of socialization to uphold professionalism in the case presented (Parrott, 2014).
Identify what professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and oral, written, and electronic communication would be important for the social worker working with this client system. (1c)
The professional demeanor that would apply for the social worker is oral communication with the client to clarify the situation and the chosen cause of action (Parrott, 2014).
What questions or areas would a social worker inquire about while utilizing supervision and consultation in guiding professional judgment and behavior while working with this client system? (1e)
The social worker would inquire about areas in which the dual relationships with clients are allowed as well as the boundaries that need to be set in maintaining professional discretion.
In the advanced world of technology, social work practice outcomes are continually challenged. What ethical safeguards should be in place to use technology (email, text, writing electronic case notes, etc.) appropriately in social work practice? (1d)
The ethical safeguard in this case is on the electronic notes taken regarding Josh to ensure that the social worker’s daughter does not access them and thus protect the client’s confidentiality (Reamer, 2013).
How would a Christian social worker integrate his or her Christian attitudes, values, and worldview into his or her social work profession and practice? (ILO #7-f)
The social worker would use the Christian value of kindness and integrate it to her profession in ensuring that her daughter gets a chance to socialize with Josh as part of her professional practice (Parrott, 2014).
References
Brayne, H., Carr, H., & Goosey, D. (2015). Law for social workers . Oxford University Press, USA.
Reamer, F. G. (2013). Social work in a digital age: Ethical and risk management challenges. Social work , swt003.
Parrott, L. (2014). Values and ethics in social work practice . Learning Matters.
NASW Code of Ethics. (1996). Retrieved on May 26, 2017 https://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/default.asp .
