More handpicked essays just for you.
Ethics and impact on decision making
Theories and methods of social work
Evaluate the parameters of various ethical decision making approaches
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Alicia is in a bind because she wants to give the kids the right to self-determination but she also wants to protect them. According to the NASW code of ethics, "social workers respect and promote the right of clients to self-determination and assist clients in their efforts to identify and clarify their goals. Social workers may limit clients' right to self-determination when, in the social workers' professional judgment, clients' actions or potential actions pose a serious, foreseeable, and imminent risk to themselves or others" (NASW, 2008). When Alicia reached out to Pete Anderson, the clinical director of WCF, to seek advice on how to respond to the group, his response was that she not tell them what to do but help them come to their own conclusions. However, this is also an issue of confidentiality being that it is inappropriate for her to share this information with anyone else unless she informs the group of this disclosure.
With almost half the nation divided among their views, abortion remains one of the most controversial topics in our society. Since Roe v. Wade, our views in society as well as following court cases have been progressing toward the woman’s right to choose. The precedent set by Roe v. Wade made the Supreme Court acknowledge that it cannot rule specifically when life begins and it also affirms that it is the woman’s right to have an abortion under the 14th Amendment. In the 1st Amendment, the Establishment Clause forbids the government from passing laws “which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another”. Many Christian pro-lifers use their religious beliefs to dispute when life begins.
Abortion is not only a fluctuating concept in our society, but an ethical and emotional debate, as well. The image I have chosen presents concepts from a cultural and historical background, as well as presents an ethical, emotional, and logical appeal to the audience. The debate about abortion has simply been overblown and exhausted. The truth of the matter is, abortion is murder. Ending a life, whether innocent or guilty, is murder.
Ethical Issues in Social Work Practice The social work profession and its Code of Ethics dictate that social workers must act in the best interest of the client, even when those actions challenge the practitioner’s personal, cultural and religious values. In practice; however, ethical decision-making is more complex than in theory. As helping professionals, social workers are constantly faced with ethical decision-making or ethical dilemmas. As noted by Banks (2005), an ethical dilemma occurs “when a worker is faced with a choice between two equally unwelcome alternatives that may involve a conflict of moral principles, and it is not clear what choice will be the right one” (as cited in McAuliffe & Chenoweth, 2008, p. 43).
The beginning of the article discusses the ethical dilemmas during client support. It argues about two situations in which ethics needs to be considered. Some people argue that ethics is required in every case, while others disagree. However, the article says that value based decisions are needed in a social worker’s decision other than simply considering knowledge.
In the social work profession, it is a requirement to have a thorough understanding of ethics and some of the ethical dilemmas that one can face. On my journey as a social work student one of my assignments was specific to ethical dilemmas. The ethical dilemma that I chose to write in this paper about was multiple relationships and violating counselor client boundaries. The class that I wrote this in was HMS 102 which was values of human services. The main topic of the paper focused on the negative effects of sexual relationships.
What is the NASW? Why did the NASW create a Code of Ethics for social workers? The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) developed a code of values which is intended to serve as a model or guide to professional behavior for social workers. The NASW Code of Ethics includes a set of core values which lay the foundation, policies, and mission for the social work office which the foundation of social work is based upon Workers, N. A. (2008).
For cases like the aforementioned, social workers must follow the proper code of ethic and not get morally involved. While one may empathize with the patient, it is important that all ethical codes are being followed. In these situations, the social worker must follow the NASW code of ethics by one being culturally competent to the parents’ religious beliefs as well as ensuring that the best decision is made in the child’s care. In the case where the parents are refusing treatment based off religious purposes, the social worker must understand how the religion works and use this information as a way to help the patient receive care without crossing any additional ethical lines. When dealing with young cancer patients who wish to end their treatments, social workers must safeguard the interest and rights of the patient (NASW, 2008, 1.14).
The dilemma lies in how the social work practitioner would respect the patient’s autonomy and determining whether the patient is competent. Furthermore, the social work practitioner is responsible for assessing whether the patient understands the consequences of his or her behaviours. Because, often than not, there are different risks associated with the patient’s refusal to medical treatment and services. Thus, in such cases, social workers would face the ethical dilemma of deciding whether to protect or limit the right of how the patient should live his or her life.
From time to time, social work practitioners face different challenges and one of such example is being confronted with ethical dilemmas. An ethical dilemma is defined as “when the social worker sees himself or herself as facing a choice between two equally unwelcoming alternatives, which may involve a conflict of moral values, and it is not clear which choice will be the right one” (Banks, 2012). Ethical dilemmas can occur in the context of either client or organisational-related conflict situations at work. The first ethical dilemma is when the patient refuses medical treatment and services because he or she would not accept that there is any problem.
Ethical decision-making process are influenced by both individual and environmental characteristics, as well as an interaction with the cognitive process (Cooper, 2012). For every public official whose loyalty is to himself, his organization, and the public, the ethical decision-making process is dynamic, it is not constant, it involves a process of recognizing the problem and moving through the course of action towards finding a possible solution. It is contingent upon several factors. There is no one-size-fits-all for every situation, but the course of action is determined by the individual and environmental factors involved and the ethical character the public official has built over time. Ethical Decision Making
Rape happens (pause), health issues occur (pause), and so do teen pregnancies(pause). Our bodies, our lives, our right to decide. Worldwide, 47,000 women die a year from unsafe abortions (pause). Anything from a simple herbal tea to a prescribed drug and occasionally even going to Mexico to have it done illegally.
Correspondingly, it will guide me to provide my clients with the ability to make informed consent. Additionally, this value is important to my future practice because it ensures that I become an advocate for my clients in every capacity, including human rights. Lastly, as a social worker, I will ensure that I work towards my clients being free from violence and the threat of violence (Heinonen & Spearman, 2010, p. 34). Secondly, as a social worker it is necessary that my practice is guided by my value of providing a service to humanity.
For example, finds out whether continuing or terminating a pregnancy cause greater physical or psychological harms and risks to the mother. On the other hand, Bonevski & Adams (2001) further added that abortion may expose the mother to grief and regret. As such, it is important to gain mother’s consent before making the decision. Apart from that, in resolving slightly similar case study of 18 years old student was referred in view of her request for termination of pregnancy. She was gang-raped and found out she is pregnant.
One of those most challenging areas I have experience during my current placement is ethical decision-making. We studied many possible scenarios during our Values, Ethics and Professional Issues class, and discussed the various types of decision-making models to help guide us when having to make difficult decisions. While the class was invaluable, because it helped me identify my own biases, and also shed light on how I have made decisions in the past and how I can possibly make decisions in the future, I knew that having to make real-life decisions would not be so cut and dry. This placement has been challenging for me, because my ongoing assignment with one of my supervisors requires constant ethical decision-making, sometimes even in the
