Ethics and Values in Social Work - Case Study Example

Ethics and Values in Social Work Introduction Social work remains a comprehensive career, and this profession expects the social workers to exercise judgment in the face of complex and competing claims and interests. Therefore, ethical decision-making plays a vital role, and it involves informed judgment of the individual social worker. Cases may come up that conflicts other people’s interests, and the social worker will make responsible judgments to resolve the conflicts. In this case-study, a social worker responsible for a group of young people involved in drug use has to apply ethical decision-making to expose information that will help the police arrest a drug dealer. The social worker fears that this may jeopardize the good working relationship between her and the young people who seem to trust her. However, it is her duty to help the police to keep off the drug peddlers, raising the dilemma in this case study. Therefore, the social worker has to make some ethical decisions to resolve the dilemma. The case study involves a social worker employed to work at a youth centre, and working with young people aged 14-20 years. This group indulges in drug use due to boredom and the social worker facilitates their social hall use to practice their music on condition they do not use illegal substances. She feels that this may rehabilitate them, and therefore she works with the group on drug-use. However, a drug peddler known to this group starts hanging around the centre, and the management pressurizes the social worker to reveal the [police the information she has from the young drug users. The dilemma arises because she feels like this would affect her working relationship with the young people hence slowing down the progress. She fears that she might betray her trust with them. This situation calls for an ethical decision-making considering she owes the society some social justices, and changes on behalf of the community. As a senior social worker, I would remind the young social worker on what British Association of Social Workers (BASW), Health and Care Professional Council (HCPC), and other Human Rights Bodies expect from her. I would also expound on the different ethical theories that guide social workers in their decision-making. The HCPC and BASW set the code of ethics that assist any social worker facing challenges in this hectic complex field. Kumar (2005 p. 28) argues that every social worker needs to abide with these codes. However, it is clear that working with these codes may sometimes conflict the user’s or the social worker’s values. According to BASW (2012 p.17), social work values include a range of beliefs on what regards as worthy in a social work context. The government became committed on advancing access to social work in the 1980s in order to support people with long-term needs like the drug abusers. The code of ethics demands that the social workers are accountable for their work and that they should understand the origin of these values and codes considering that their personal values may affect the decisions they make. According to BASW (2012 p.31), the social workers values include respecting all user’s values like culture, values, beliefs, and commitment to social injustices among others. These moral principles help in regulating the social work profession. Therefore, there is dire need for every social worker to follow these codes of ethics in order to overcome the challenges while maintaining a good relationship with their clients. The terms value and ethics remain an interchangeable core in social work. The term value involves attitudes, beliefs, or conceptions of what is good or desirable, therefore, providing direction for the social worker, and they stem from personal, social, or agency values. Different types of values affect different people’s decision-making, and priorities may come up depending on the type of dilemma. This case study involves a social worker who is responsible for rehabilitating young people involved in drugs. The progress seems successful although the decision she is about to take may affect the results. The young people may feel betrayed by the social worker once she gives out information to the police on the dealer’s whereabouts. The social worker has a duty to help, advocate, and link these young people to good services while resolving such dilemmas. The Council on Social Work Education (2008) demands that every social worker applies social work ethical principles in decision-making, practice, recognizing and managing personal values while tolerating ambiguities during ethical conflicts. These values revolve around virtue ethics theory that involves a person’s character normally developed through their personal beliefs. The social worker should weigh her values, which in this case involve saving the young people when making her decision. On the other hand, the BASW provides a code of ethics and recognizes that legal obligations may require a social worker to share confidential information. According to Dolgoff et al. (2009 p.45), ethical absolutism in social work is vital and argues that an action is inherently wrong or right apart from any consequences that might result from it. Gaie (2004p. 128) notes that any practice is morally right or wrong because of some feature intrinsic to the act itself and not because of its consequences. Therefore, a nurse shall always tell the truth to the client despite how much damage it may cause in this particular situation. In addition, deontologists like Plato believe that a person should act only according to absolutism theory hoping it becomes a global law and that fulfilling one’s obligation has a greater priority than the consequences. These ethics compel the social worker to tell both the police and the young group of people the truth despite the consequences. Having this peddler arrested will minimize the drug use in the region amongst the young people hence it bears more weight than saving the relationship between her and the young people. Another major ethical theory to consider in this case study includes relativism and Dolgoff (2009 p. 47) argues that the morality is relative to the norms of a person’s culture. These theories argue that the right thing differs among individuals and in this case, the social worker may feel it is right to report to the police. On the other hand, the young people may feel it is the wrong thing to do because it betrays them to the peddler. However, the social worker should apply subjective relativism in her decision-making since it allows people to be rulers of their principles. Therefore, the nurse should follow her personal values and ethics and in this case, she should give the information to the police. Consequentialism theory in social work relates to the consequences of the behavior in question according to Bloom and Klein (1997 p.120) rather than the behavior itself. In this case, the consequence is the use of drugs by these young people and not the peddling. The fact that these drugs may land into the hands of the young people in rehabilitation raises concern according to consequentialism. The social worker may apply this theory to give the information about the peddler to the police since it focuses on the consequences of a person’s actions when deciding whether to intervene. However, she has to identify whose consequences and the type of consequences. In this case study, the social worker’s interest is wholly on the young people and, therefore, the consequences base on them. These consequences include drug use, a habit she wants to rehabilitate. The primary objective of a social worker is to enhance the human wellbeing while helping them to meet their basic needs. Chenoweth and McAuliffe (2005 p. 13) argue that the social worker has a responsibility of paying attention to any environmental force creating, contributing, or addressing life problems. They help in promoting justice and social changes on behalf of the societal families, which may include groups, families, individuals, communities, or organisations. Therefore, social workers have to be sensitive to ethnic and cultural diversity, and they should strive to end poverty, oppression, and discrimination among other social injustices (Mizrahi & Davis 2008 p. 134). The activities involved in social work include direct practice, organising the community and supervising it, administration, developing policies and implementing them, engaging in social and political actions, and conducting researches and evaluations among others. Mizrahi and Davis (2008 p. 135) argue that the social work enhances the people’s capacity to address their needs. They also seek the responsiveness of social institutions, communities, and organisations to individual’s needs and consequently social problems. The social workers’ core values embrace service, social justice, people’s dignity, need for human relations, integrity, and competence. While applying these social work ethical theories, it is important to understand that no one theory offers the solution to the problem. In this case, the social worker may not have a particular theory to apply in her decision-making. As a registered worker, some of the values that relate to this dilemma include social justice, need for human relationships, competence, and integrity. Clearly most of these ethics come from my upbringing, cultural background, and school education. I feel strongly about these ethics because the societal morals continue deteriorating, and the young people seem to lose direction. I strongly believe that social injustices include older people peddling drugs to the young people hence corrupting the society. I also feel that the society fails the young people through lack of proper guidance. Therefore, it is my duty as a social worker to ensure proper counseling for the youth, and other rehabilitating practices. With my ethical awareness, I will be able to work alongside other professionals and service users. This alliance means that I will work along the police officers to ensure that they arrest the culprits. Therefore, in my practice I will think of these young people’s outcome regarding the use of drugs. In order to do this, I will have to weigh the good, and the bad and I will apply absolutism theory to determine whether to tell the truth to both the police and the young people. The theory demands that I should always tell the truth despite the consequences, and therefore, I will have to report to the police. In addition, the deontologist theory that demands the truth precedes the consequences, and therefore I will have to provide the police with the information. Dolgoff (2009 p. 47) argues that different people may have conflicting judgment on right and wrong, and while this is true, my virtue values allow me to provide the police with the information. As a social worker, I owe both these young people and the society social justice, and there is need to assist with the peddler’s arrest. Consequentialism theory plays a vital role in this case study hence the need to apply it when making the decision. The social worker has a duty to protect these young people from alcohol use. Therefore, according to this theory, the consequences triumph over the action, and therefore, it is important to provide the police with the information to ensure the peddlers’ arrest. Therefore, having an assessment on these young people would be the first step to take. According to Zastrow (2010 p. 52), undertaking this assessment in a professional and informed manner becomes highly rewarding, and sets a good foundation for further interventions. In this case, assessing the young people’s virtual values will help the social worker’s approach in revealing to them the truth. On the other hand, the peddler remains a big threat to these young people because there are high chances of him supplying them with the drugs. In addition, once left free, this peddler may also indulge the other young people out there with the drugs meaning the problem will still be out there. The social worker has to resolve this problem whether she has to lose trust with the young people or not. There is a high likelihood of curbing drug use in the region through arresting all the drug peddlers. The strengths of giving the information to the police include the fact that arresting the peddler will solve the root of the problem. While the young people may lose trust in the social worker, it is clear that they will have no one to supply them with drugs. Therefore, it is a risk worth taking considering that the consequences may bear more weight than counseling the young people. In addition, telling these young people the truth may enhance the relationship between them and the social worker especially if they understand the results. It is important for a social worker to understand the needs of these young people, and to make them understand the repercussions of having these peddlers on the street. Teaching then on the risks related to drugs including imprisonment, psychological, and physical issues among others may change their way of thinking. This process involves a struggling progress convincing these young people, but it is a vital professional development in any workplace. In this case, the main value seems to be reporting this peddler to the police. Therefore, in addition to using ethical theories in decision-making, it is important to apply equally the social work value and code of ethics as set by the British Association of Health Workers (BASW), ), Health and Care Professional Council (HCPC), and other Human Rights Bodies. Fox and Arnull (2013 p. 113) argues that in a case of conflicts and consequent legal actions, the social worker may use the set code of ethics as a defense for her actions. In this case, study, in case the young people rebelled against her action, the social worker would argue her case according to the set codes. The young people may never trust her again, but the social worker will reason with them on why she took the necessary action, which in this case involves revealing information to the police. Conclusion Social work remains a complex professional, and the social worker faces many challenges in the course of his or her duty. In this case, study, the social worker’s dilemma involves losing trust from her group or keeping the information to herself and having the peddler on the street selling drugs to the young people. There are several ethical theories relating to ethical decision, but none holds a concrete solution. Therefore, the social worker may need to apply her virtual moral morals in her decision-making. This process may include weighing the advantages and disadvantages of providing the police officers with the information before making her decision. However, it is important for every social worker to apply the code of ethics set by BASW and HCPC in order to have a defense in case of any legal issues arising due to conflicts in ethical decision-making. References BLOOM, M., & KLEIN, W. C. (1997). Controversial issues in human behavior in the social environment. Boston, Allyn and Bacon. BRAYNE, H., & CARR, H. (2013). Law for social workers. CHENOWETH, L. I., & MCAULIFFE, D. A. (2005). The road to social work & human service practice: an introductory text. Southbank, Vic, Thomson Learning. DOLGOFF, R., LOEWENBERG, F. M., & HARRINGTON, D. (2009). Ethical decisions for social work practice. Belmont, CA, Thomson Brooks/Cole. FOX, D., & ARNULL, E. (2013). Social work in the youth justice system: a multidisciplinary perspective. Maidenhead, McGraw Hill Education/Open University Press. GAIE, J. B. R. (2004). The ethics of medical involvement in capital punishment: a philosophical discussion. Dordrecht, Kluwer Academic. http://cdn.basw.co.uk/upload/basw_112315-7.pdf KUMAR, H. (2005). Social work and developmental issues. Delhi, Aakar Books. MIZRAHI, T., & DAVIS, L. E. (2008). The encyclopedia of social work. Washington, DC, NASW Press. ZASTROW, C. (2010). Introduction to social work and social welfare: empowering people. Belmont, CA, Brooks/Cole. Read More