(RE) THINKING (RE) THINKING SOCIAL WORK ETHICSSOCIAL WORK ETHICS

OBJECTIVES FOR TRAINING

1. Explore social workers’ response to ethical dilemmas.

2. Identify and describe the importance of examining, understanding, and implementing the Social Work Code of Ethics.

3. Identify and discuss the social work ethical values, principles and standards that guide and direct practice.

4. Identify, describe, and discuss ethical issues or dilemmas related to self determination & culturally competent practice.

5. Demonstrate the application of principles and standards to specific day-to-day issues and dilemmas in school social work.

6. Review ethical decision-making prioritization and processes.

HOW DO SOCIAL WORKERS RESPOND TO ETHICAL

DILEMMAS?

Short to medium term responses

Emotional

Physical

Behavioral

Long term responses

Attitude

Awareness

Practice

Personal

WHAT BENEFIT DOES KNOWLEDGE OF THE CODE

OF ETHICS BRING TO THE SOCIAL WORK

PROFESSIONAL?

Clarity in ethics (ongoing) results in greater ethical practice

Decrease in long term emotional and physical impacts as well as decreased stress when faced with ethical dilemmas

Provides forum for on-going dialogue with other disciplines

Awareness of impact of various interpretations of the Code of Ethics

VALUES

Beliefs about

What “ought to be”

What is important

What is right and wrong

Can be coherent or contradictory

Societal Values

Governmental Values

Legal Values

Personal Values Personal Values

Social Work Values

WHAT DO I/WE BRING TO THE TABLE?

ETHICS & THE CODE OF ETHICS

Values (right vs. wrong) translated into guidelines for behavior i.e. principles

Ethical principles do not clearly state what will be done in all situations

Standards that are agreed to by profession

Specificity of Code

What “should” be done

What “should not” be done

Generality of Code

Open to interpretation

Unique circumstances

SOCIAL WORK VALUES & ETHICAL

PRINCIPLES

Identify the six social work values

Examine the ethical principles linked with the core values

See www.socialworkers.org

CHALLENGES TO ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN

SCHOOLS

Student under age of 18 years

Multiple client systems

Child/student

Family

Child/Family

School system

Primacy of client interest

Self-determinationSelf-determination

Confidentiality

Responsibility to employer

Responsibility to society

Ranking of ethical principles

Laws and rules

SELF DETERMINATION

“the rights and needs of clients to be free to make their own choices and decisions” (pg. 210, Barker, 1991 as cited by Reamer, 1999)

Code of Ethics Standard 1.02

SELF DETERMINATION SCENARIO

Jill, a 14 year old student who receives special education services, learns she is pregnant. She asks you to be present when she tells her mother. Jill asks that you do not share the information with anyone in the school. At the meeting between Jill and her mother, the mother responds with “you’re having an abortion!” The mother asks you to assist her daughter in making arrangements for the abortion, to follow-up with her after the abortion is completed, and to keep the information from Jill’s dad and school officials.

CULTURAL COMPETENCE

NASW CODE OF ETHICS

Standard 1.05 Cultural Competence and Social Diversity

(a) Social workers should understand culture and its function in human behavior and society, recognizing the strengths that exist in all cultures.

(b) Social workers should have a knowledge base of their clients’ cultures and be able to demonstrate competence in the provision of services that are sensitive to clients’ cultures and to differences among people and cultural groups.

(c) Social workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental or physical disability

NASW CODE OF ETHICS

Standard 4.02 Discrimination

Social workers should not practice, condone, facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical disability.

NASW STANDARDS FOR SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK

SERVICES

Standard 4

School social workers shall ensure that students and their families are provided services within the context of multicultural understanding and competence that enhance families’ support of students’ learning experiences.

CONTRADICTIONS REGARDING CULTURAL COMPETENCE (JOHNSON & MUNCH,

2009)

Knowing about cultures

Collective identities

CONTRADICTIONS REGARDING CULTURAL COMPETENCE (JOHNSON & MUNCH,

2009

Group rights

Cultural competence is achievable

CULTURALLY COMPETENT PRACTICE

Based upon the contradictions for culturally competent practice, what might be the implications for ethical social work practice?

How might you change your overall practice approaches?

How might you change your practice approach with specific clients/students/families?

CASE SCENARIOS

FRAMEWORK FOR SCENARIO DISCUSSION

Assess options

Ethical theories and principles

Laws and policies

Values

Information

Code of Ethics Standards

Process

Consultation

Documentation

Evaluation

THANK YOU

CONTACT INFORMATIONMLPFOHL@STCLOUDSTATE.EDU

REFERENCES

Doel, M., Allmark, P., Conway, P., Cowburn, M., Flynn, M., Nelson, P., & Tod, A. (2010). Professional boundaries: Crossing a line or entering the shadows? British Journal of Social Work, 40, 1866-1889.

Du, B.R.A. (1981). Confidentiality in social work practice: A comparison of rural and urban social workers in public social services. Dissertation.

Briggs, M. (2006). Home on the range: Social work ethics in a rural setting. The New Social Worker. 13 (1), 6-8.

Brownlee, K. (1996). Ethics in community mental health care: The ethics of non-sexual dual relationships: A Dilemma for the rural mental health profession. Community Mental Health Journal. 32 (5). 497-484.

Evans, A.L. (2006). Navigating through dual relationships: Applying ethical continuum in a rural field placement. The New Social Worker. 13 (1). 4-5.

Garrett, K. (1994). Caught in a bind: Ethical decision making in schools. Social work in Education 16 (2), 97-105.

Gripton, J. & Valentich, M. (2003). Making decisions about non-sexual boundary behavior. Canadian Social Work 5(1). 108-125.

REFERENCES (CONT)

Healy, L.M. (2007). Universalism and cultural relativism in social work ethics. International Social Work 50 (11), 11-26.

Johnson, Y.M. & Munch, S. (2009). Fundamental contradictions in cultural competence. Social Work (54) 3, 220-231.

Kopels, S. & Lindsey, B.C. The complexity of confidentiality in schools today: The school social work context.

McAuliffe, D. (2005). I’m still standing: Impacts and consequences of ethical dilemmas for social workers in direct practice. Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics. Retrieved from http://www.socialworker.com/jswve.

NASW (2002). NASW Standards for School Social Work Services. Retrieved from http://www.socialworker.org/.

NASW (2010). Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Retrieved from http://www.socialworker.org/pub/code/.

Pugh, R. (2007). Dual relationships: Personal and professional boundaries in rural social work. The British Journal of Social Work 37 (8). 1405-1423.

Raines, J.C. (2004). To tell or not to tell: ethical issues regarding confidentiality. School Social Work Journal, 28 (2), 61-78.

Reamer, F. (1999). Social work values and ethics, 2nd edition, New York: Columbia University Press.

Reamer, F. (2001). How to practice ethically: Part I. The New Social Worker, 8 (3).

Reamer, F. (2001). How to practice ethically: Part II. The New Social Worker, 9 (1), 18-20.

Strom-Gottfried, K. (2008) Justice v. mercy dilemmas. The ethics of practice with minors: High stakes, hard choices. Chicago: Lyceum Books, Inc.

References (cont)