Applying Values and Ethics to Practice Chapter 4 The NASW Code of Ethics Applying Values and Ethics to Practice Chapter 4

Class Objectives: Learn to apply ethical principles to guide professional practice. Understanding core social work values and their importance to daily practice Develop self-awareness and an understanding of how personal values can intersect with professional practice Be familiar with core ethical issues Know a set of steps for resolving ethical dilemmas

Why Ethical Practice is Essential for Social Workers Today? Technological advances Scarcity of resources Workforce development struggles Stricter mandated reporting laws These are difficult times – the interest in professional ethics is high but morality of society seems low. What kind of challenges are you all facing today?

Social Workers are Expected to Adhere to The National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics Approved by the 1996 NASW Delegate Assembly and revised by the 2008 Delegate Assembly

An Ought to Guide for Social Workers Values = beliefs Ethics = rules of conduct that embody those beliefs Functions Served by the Code of Ethics: Affirms social work as a profession Outlines the standards by which the public may hold social workers accountable Guides social work behavior and actions during ethical dilemmas

NASW Code of Ethics – Composed of 4 Sections 1)"Preamble" summarizes the profession's mission and core values 2)"Purpose of the NASW Code of Ethics“ - provides an overview of the Code's main functions and a brief guide for dealing with ethical dilemmas

4 Sections continued 3)"Ethical Principles” - presents broad ethical principles, based on social work's core values, that inform social work practice 4)"Ethical Standards” - includes specific ethical standards to guide social workers' conduct and to provide a basis for adjudication.

The Foundation of the Social Work Perspective ETHICAL PRINCIPLES Social workers’ primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems Social workers challenge social injustice Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person Social workers recognize the central importance of human relationships Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner Social Workers practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise CORE VALUES Service Social Justice Dignity and worth of the person Importance of human relationships Integrity Competence

The Social Workers Ethical Standards Ethical responsibilities to clients Ethical responsibilities to colleagues Ethical responsibilities in practice settings Ethical responsibilities as professionals Ethical responsibilities to the social work profession Ethical responsibilities to the broader society

An ethical dilemma occurs when an individual holds two or more values that compete with each other.

Kinds of Ethical Dilemmas Between personal and professional values Between two professional values Between professional and cultural values Between any combination of these Ex. between personal and professional values – whether counseling on abortion is ethically allowable if I am committed to the right-to life perspective Ex. between 2 social work values – between protecting my client from harm or maximizing her autonomy

Social Work is Both a Science and an Art Many times we must make decisions based on values. Social workers may face ethical dilemmas in practice every day. It is a challenge not to become overly emotionally involved in a case and lose your objectivity. You have a responsibility to equip yourself with the tools needed to deal with ethical dilemmas in practice

The Challenge for Social Workers Ethical Problems Occur when one must decide what the right thing to do is when given a difficult practice situation. Ethical Dilemmas - Occur when one must choose between 2 or more relevant but contradictory alternatives to solve a problem in practice. Ethical problems happen everyday, social workers face problems every day. Dilemmas are also a regular occurrence for social workers, but may cause more worry, because there is no easy answer to them.

Guidelines for Dealing with Ethical Dilemmas 1. Recognize that the dilemma exists. 2. Develop self-awareness about your personal values 3. Understand the NASW Code of Ethics and your professional responsibility to adhere to it. 4. Realize that some clients may need to be referred to another worker. Ethical dilemmas make us uncomfortable so we’d like to avoid them.

Ethical Rules Screen Examine the Code of Ethics to determine if any of the Code Rules/Standards are applicable. These rules take precedence over the worker’s personal value system. 1 or more of the Code The Code does not rules apply: address the specific problem, or several rules provide conflicting guidance Follow the Code Rules Use the Ethical Principles Screen Use this diagram to talk through the case study and see if it confirms their decision. The ERS should always be used first.

Were you able to come to a resolution of the ethical dilemma? Review a Case Were you able to come to a resolution of the ethical dilemma? After using the ERS, if not satisfactory guidance was found, the social worker can use the Ethical Principles Screen that we will now go over. Lets look at what other tools are available to help our ethical reasoning process.

Ethical Principle Screen Principle 1: Protection of Life – guard against any event that puts a person’s life at risk Principle 2: Equality and Inequality – commitment to equal and fair access to services and basic treatment Principle 3: Autonomy and Freedom – affirms the notion of self-determination and supports people’s right to make choices regarding their lives. Developed by Dolgoff, Loewenberg, and Harrigton’s Rank Order of Ethical Priorities

Ethical Principles Screen cont. Principle 4: Least Harm – Supports the idea of protecting people from harm Principle 5: Quality of Life – people, families, and communities have the right to define and pursue the quality of life they desire

Ethical Principles Screen cont. Principle 6: Privacy and Confidentiality – supports the right of people to be protected from having their private stories made public. Worker must have written consent to share client information such as circumstances, or identifying information Principle 7: Truthfulness and Full Disclosure – clients should be told truthful, accurate information and have help understanding it

Ethical Principles Screen Protection of Life Equality and Inequality Autonomy and Freedom Least Harm Quality of Life Privacy and Confidentiality Truthfulness and Full Disclosure Adopted from Frank Loewenberg, Ralph Dolgott and Donna Harrington. See citation on your handouts. The EPS is a guide for rank-ordering ethical principles. It is a priority list - the rule is that the satisfaction of a higher order principle takes precedence over the satisfaction of a lower-order principle. No legal body has approved this screen, it is simply suggested as a tool for helping social workers. When more than one ethical principle is relevant in the analysis of a set of practice options and each of these principles leads to a different outcome, the rank order suggested in the EPS should be utilized to make a decision. Ex. An assessment based on Ethical Principle ! Is more compelling than one using Ethical Principle 2 or 3

Case Study Rank Order the Ethical Factors: 1. Protection of Life 2. Right to Equality 3. Right to Autonomy 4. Right to Experience Least Harm 5. Right to a Decent Quality of Life 6. Right to Privacy and Confidentiality 7. Right to Truth and all Relevant Information

Case Study What to do? 1st Evaluate your personal values and how they play into the situation 2nd rank order the issues using the 7 ethical principles 3rd seek consultation and feedback from ethics review board if possible

In this state, social workers are governed by the Louisiana Social Work Practice Act On the Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners Webpage under “Laws & Rules” tab

Revisions to the Mandatory Reporting Laws Passed as 2012 Legislation School coaches on all levels are mandatory reporters (HB 166 chap. 380) Any person who witnesses the sexual abuse of a child and knowingly or willingly fails to report it shall face fines and imprisonment (HB 577 chap. 268) Failure to report sexual abuse is a crime (felony) and may be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned with or without hard labor for not more than 5 yrs or both (LA SB 4 chap. 614) No employee can be discharged or suspended for reporting sexual abuse of a minor by a fellow employee (LA SB 158, chap 148)

The Diversity Competent Social Worker Is aware of his or her own values and the influence these have on attitude toward diverse groups Seeks to develop an awareness of his or her own values in every situation encountered Is aware of value conflicts that may arise between personal values, professional values and the values of society Actively seeks ways to resolve value conflicts and engages in lifelong learning to improve her use of values in diversity competent practice

Resources NASW website: (contains the code) http://www.naswdc.org/pubs/code.asp Within the NASW – Sweli – Social Work Ethics and Law Institute, and LDF – NASW Legal Defense Fund NASW LA website: www.naswla.org Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners: www.labse.org/ Loewenberg, F.M., Dolgoff, R. & Harrington. D. (2000). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice, 6th ed., Itasca, IL: F.E. Peacock Publishers, Inc. (7th ed. now available) Sweli is designed to advance knowledge and LDF provides financial assistance for legal cases concerning NASW members.