Applying Ethical Principles of Social Work Practice - Essay Example

Applying Ethical Principles of Social Work Practice-Ethical Problem Solving Process Name Institution Applying Ethical Principles of Social Work Practice-Ethical Problem Solving Process Introduction and Background The major aim of the social work profession is to improve human life and also aid in meeting the primary basic human needs of all individuals with specific emphasis on the needs and empowerment of individuals who are not only living in abject poverty but also for those who are oppressed and vulnerable. As a result, it can be truly ascertained that indeed, social work deals with not only the well being of an individual in a social context but also for the well being of the society as well. The fundamental associated with social work is therefore the attention that is given to the environmental forces which create, contribute towards and address the problems in the living people. Social workers are tasked with the responsibility of both promoting social change and social justice with and on behalf of their clients. Inclusively, the term “Clients” in this case are used to refer to individuals, groups, families, communities or organizations. Competent social workers are normally sensitive to ethnic and cultural diversity and they therefore strive with the aim of ending such oppression, discrimination, poverty and different types of social injustice (Reamer, 2010). Social workers strive to achieve such objectives through numerous activities like for instance through community organizing, direct practice, , consultation, supervision, administration, political and social action, advocacy, evaluation, research, education and through the development of policies and subsequent implementation. Generally, social workers will at most times seek to enhance people’s capacity to address their own personal needs through the promotion of responsiveness of communities, organizations and other social institutions to the needs of individuals and social problems. The unique perspective and purpose of social work is rooted in its core values that are deeply rooted and embraced by all social workers in its history. The set of core values include service, social justice, dignity and worth of the individual, importance of human relationships, competence and integrity. The Ethical Dilemma A case Involving the Challenges Associated with Living with HIV/AIDS MaryJane (not real name) is a Social Worker who has opted to offer her services through an online platform using emails and her website. Using internet technology, MaryJane advertises her clinical services through which she informs clients that they are able to get information and advice from her regarding any health complications especially on HIV/AIDS. She advertises on her website that indeed, she is capable of offering consultations through responding emails to her clients within a period of two days. In essence, MaryJane’s website provides her clients with information regarding the goals of the online counselling, her qualifications or credentials, her experience and portfolio, the confidentiality policy and the total fees charged for the services. The willing customers are then eventually requested to fill an online questionnaire regarding their family and personal backgrounds; any prior counselling that was given to them, any medications and other medical issues and even personal concerns and issues. In one of the online counselling sessions, MaryJane comes across a client living with HIV/AIDS virus and she has to apply the ethical concepts in ethical work. The Ethical Challenge In the recent past, the advent of Information and Communication Technology has made many social workers to resort to the various platforms offered by the internet to provide their services. However, the use of such technological innovation tools has posed numerous ethical challenges in social work. For instance, social workers offering their services through the use of the internet or email need to be well aware of not only the client’s informed consent but also their right to both confidentiality and privacy. It was therefore prudent for MaryJane to identify the initial ethical issue at hand before standing to offer any counselling advice. It should be noted that the provision of online counselling by social workers do not provide an opportunity for such social workers and the clients to meet face to face. As a result, some of the critical and vital aspects of the counselling process that include the actions of the body language, facial expression and other means of non-verbal communications are unavailable. In addition to that, such circumstances do not provide the social worker with a good opportunity or chance to better manage the crisis of a patient and they also lack accurate or clear information regarding the actual identity of the client. That part, communication through the use of email also has numerous challenges in that such information can either be misdirected or even be read by other third parties. The possibility of the emails being attacked by viruses before they reach the recipient should also not be ruled out in circumstances where social workers opt to use the internet in the provision of their services. In order to fully protect clients, social workers who have opted to use social platforms in order to provide their services should always post a comprehensive and clear statement on their websites which fully discloses the potential benefits and risks of using social platforms to offer counselling to their clients. In addition, such statements should also provide the clients with information regarding the comprehensive tools of assessment, the security precautions that need to be undertaken in order to prevent any breaches in confidentiality, negotiation of a relevant plan aimed at managing emergencies and crises and also provide clear communication tips aimed at enhancing any possible likelihood that the counsellor’s clients will be in a better position of communicating their needs effectively. The internet platforms should also free from viruses which may lead to the destruction of the clients’ computer systems. In carrying out their social work, Social Workers have a moral obligation of ensuring that the professional ethics are upheld through articulating the basic values, ethical standards and ethical principles. As an initial step, the social workers should therefore identify the ethical issue at hand which is a client living with HIV/AIDS. Ethical Problem Solving Processes and the Outcome Identification of the Ethical Issue In dealing with the client living with HIV/AIDS using an internet platform like the internet, the Social Worker should first of all ascertain if there is an ethical issue and ensure that the NASW principles and values are observed to the latter. The Social Workers should also gather a lot of specific information not only from the client but also from peers, Social Work Supervisors and from other reliable bases. A list should be compiled comprising of all the vital and needed information so that the social worker can make reference from them when addressing the patient living with HIV/AIDS. Gathering of Lots of Information The Social Worker should therefore gather full information regarding the client based on the past and present and ensure a good solution is offered to them on the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Incase of any doubt, social workers should always seek the input of other people and ascertain what they think regarding a particular situation to ensure that a conclusive solution is achieved. The professional input that is achieved from such personnel is well kept. Engage in Problem Solving After that, the Social Worker should now engage in the problem solving process through ensuring that all the information and situation as it applies to the Ethical Standards of NASW. Good language should be used by the Social Worker who should ensure that the situation is assessed according to professional standards. Moreover, the situation at hand should be assessed by the social worker based on the ethical principles of hierarchy. The social worker should therefore advise the client on how to stay health with the HIV/AIDS pandemic without infecting other people. Selection of Best action and Evaluation Decision making during the guiding and counselling sessions should therefore be based on vital factors of importance. The fourth stage is the evaluation stage in which the outcome of carrying out the Social Worker’s actions has to be ascertained. At this stage, the social worker, should if needed, engage in an enhanced ethical problem action or solving. After ascertaining whether the records of the ethical problem regarding the problem has been kept clear and specific, the social worker should ensure there is clear documentation which should be kept together in a safe and confidential location or place. Making a Follow up The fifth process is the follow up process which seeks to ascertain whether the situation appears to be stable or resolved. The situation of the client living with HIV/AIDS should be rethought and when required, new information should be gathered and other people should be consulted. A file of the practice and policy information that is applicable should be kept. The policy of privacy and confidentiality should always be upheld by the social worker when dealing with the client by ensuring that the clients have a right to have their personal information be safeguarded and not be carelessly disclosed (Riebschleger. (2014). Critical Thinking Apart from the NASW Code of Ethics, there are other sources of information regarding ethical thinking that can be very beneficial to social workers. Generally, social workers should be able of considering the ethical principles and theory, laws, agency policies, regulations and other vital codes of ethics. In essence, social workers should actually be able of to become aware of the effect on the ethical decision making processes of their clients together with their own religious, cultural and personal values, practices and beliefs. The social workers should therefore be in a better position of knowing any conflicts between their professional and personal values and thus deal with them appropriately. For other additional guidance, all social workers should be able to consult other relevant literature on ethical decision making and professional ethics and thus seek relevant consultation especially when they are faced with ethical dilemmas in the course of their work. In circumstances where the ethical obligations of a social worker are in conflict with the regulations and policies of the relevant laws, then the social workers should actually make responsible efforts with an aim of resolving the conflict in a consistent manner based on the values, standards and principles that are expressed in the NASW Code of Ethics (NASW, 2014). From the assignment, I have been able to discover that social workers are faced with numerous challenges which they need to resolve in order to make their work fulfilling. It is also through the assignment that I have been able to learn that there are some situations or circumstances in social work which call for special measures and that some situations actually call for more advanced solutions so as to make the situation become under control. In the case study above, I could have done the online counselling differently by ensuring that I hire other technical personnel tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that all the emails and other internet interaction mechanisms are free from viruses and that they reach the targeted personnel within the set time frame. This will greatly reduce the risks associated with the use of the internet and technology as well. I will also have ensured that the response time taken to response to the clients’ queries is reduced from two days to at least one day. This will make the clients have trust in me and therefore continue doing business with me. Due to globalization and technological innovations, I would also consider using the internet and other technological innovations in future in order to reach a wider audience. This is because the conventional methods of counselling do not reach a wider audience as opposed to the internet which is capable of presenting social workers with an opportunity to reach a wider audience all over the world. However, I would conducting the counselling sessions differently by ensuring that the privacy policy is strongly upheld and there is confidentiality between me and my clients. In is order to ameliorate or prevent this dilemma from occurring in future, security measures should be adopted whenever undertaking any online counselling so as to ensure the privacy of individuals is not taken for granted. The social work practice should be undertaken in an environment which all parties, that is, the social worker and the client are comfortable with so as to enhance trust. Summary The aim of this research paper is to provide the student with a chance of being able to apply the ethical principles of social work practice to different settings, situation, and community issues and in client interaction. The paper has therefore focused on the challenges presented with Information technology to social workers undertaking counselling sessions on HIV/AIDS using online platforms. It has therefore presented a case study in social work and also discussed the ethical dilemma that social workers face in the course of discharging their duties. The paper has discussed the various value conflicts and other issues from Reamer (2010) and also discussed the entire process of solving ethical problems or dilemmas that can be faced by the social workers. Finally, the paper presents a critical thinking of the learning outcomes and recommendations that need to be undertaken in the social work practice. References Reamer, F. G. (2010). Ethical standards in social work (2nd ed). Washington, DC”. National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics. (2014). Retrieved on 28th September 2014 from http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp Riebschleger. (2014). Handout- An Ethical Problem Solving Model for Social Work Practice. New York: Michigan University Read More