Ethical Dilemmas Faced By Social Care Workers

In the field of social care work, relationships play a crucial role in supporting service users and promoting their wellbeing. Social care workers often form relationships with service users, their families, colleagues, and other professionals in order to provide effective care and support. This essay will discuss the role of a social care worker in managing relationships, the relationships they form, the importance of interpersonal skills, the significance of ethics in social care work, and the application of social exchange theory in relationship work.

Social care workers form a multitude of relationships in their work, including those with service users, the families of the service users, colleagues, and many other professionals. One of

In social care settings, empathy allows social care workers to connect with service users on a deeper level, demonstrating genuine concern and support for their wellbeing, leading to a stronger and more trusting relationship. (Moudatsou, Stavropoulou, Philalithis and Koukouli 2020). By listening to their service user’s experiences and perspectives, social care workers are better able to understand the various challenges and difficulties their service users are facing. Furthermore, empathy can help foster a sense of validation and acceptance for service users. By demonstrating empathy towards their service users, social care workers are able to communicate that their feelings and experiences are valid and important. This aids in creating a safe and supportive environment for service users to open up and express themselves as well as seek help without the fear of judgement or criticism (Beresford 2012). Empathy is particularly important in situations of conflict or when dealing with behaviours that challenge social care work. During times of conflict, showing empathy towards service users involved can help de-escalate tensions and facilitate open

Respect the rights and dignity of service users (CORU 2019). Adhering to ethical principles ensures that social care workers act in the best interests of the service users, maintain confidentiality, respect autonomy and exercise professional duty of care. Additionally, professional boundaries in social care relationships are essential for maintaining ethical conduct. These boundaries help to establish clear guidelines for appropriate behaviour and interactions between social care workers and their service users, ensuring that the relationship remains focused on the service user’s needs and best interests. Maintain high standards of personal conduct and behaviour (CORU 2019). By maintaining professional boundaries, social care workers can uphold the integrity of their role and protect both themselves and their service users from potential ethical issues (22). Demonstrate ethical awareness (CORU 2019). The Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics (CORU 2019) provides a comprehensive framework for social care workers to adhere to ethical standards in their practice. This code sets out clear guidelines for professional conduct, ethical behaviour, and decision making in social care work. It emphasises the importance of respecting autonomy, promoting social justice, and safeguarding the wellbeing of service users. Furthermore, the Freda principles, a