Ethical Issues In Social Work Practice

Introduction
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW, 2008) defines social work as a helping profession in which individuals, groups and/or communities are assisted by social workers to enhance or restore their ability to function. NASW also notes that: social work practice consists of the professional application of social work values, principles, and standards in helping people obtain services; providing counseling and psychotherapy with individuals, families, and groups; helping communities or groups provide or improve social and health services; as well as participating in relevant legislative processes.
As a result, social workers are routinely challenged to make decisions that involve ethical issues or dilemmas (Dolgoff, Harrington & Loewenberg, 2012). Some decisions involve disclosing confidential information without a client’s consent (for example, when a client threatens to harm himself, herself, or someone else); limiting a client’s right to self-determination against his or her wishes (for example, when a social worker pursues involuntary psychiatric hospitalization of a troubled

client); or social contact with a former client (Reamer, 2002).
Successfully identifying and resolving ethical dilemmas are essential skills for guaranteeing the best interest of clients while reducing the risk of legal and/or ethical complaints. In an effort to resolve an ethical dilemma, social workers should follow an ethical decision making process. This process involves examining the Social Work Code of Ethics as well as applying Ethical Rules and Principles which service as a guide when the social worker must choose between two or more contradictory ethical directives. This paper will explore this ethical decision making process.

Ethical Decision Making Process
According to Dolgoff et al. (2012), the source of ethical problems lies in competing values (two or more choices) and competing loyalties (conflicting groups making claims). As a result, social workers should consider the following questions when engaging in ethical decision making: who is my client? What obligations do I owe my client(s)? Do I have professional obligations to people other than my client(s)? What are my obligations to my own family, my agency, and my profession? What are my own personal values? Are these values compatible with the values of my profession and with societal values? What are my ethical priorities when these value sets differ or even conflict? And finally, what is the ethical way to respond to conflicting professional responsibilities to different people? Social workers base their professional values on societal values (Dolgoff et al., 2012).

The Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW, 2008) which summarizes the core values of the profession and should be the first source a social worker consults when facing an ethical dilemma (Dolgoff et al, 2012). When consulting the Code to determine which, if any, of the rules are applicable, a social worker must remember that these rules take precedence over a social worker’s personal value system. If one or more of the Code rules apply, then a social worker should follow the Code according to Ethical Rules Screen (ERS) (Dolgoff et al, 2012). However, if the Code does not address the specific problem or several Code rules provide conflicting guidance, then a social worker should use the ethical Principles Screen (EPS) (Dolgoff et al, 2012).

The EPS, formulated by Kitchner, cites that all ethical principles are important; however, when more than one ethical principle is involved, then the ranking order of the principles in the EPS can be used to make a decision (Dolgoff et al, 2012). The ranked ethical principles found in the EPS are: 1-Protection of Life; 2-Social Justice; 3- Self Determination; 4-Least Harm; 5-Quality of Life; 6- Privacy and Confidentiality; and 7-Truthfulness and Full Disclosure. In a case of principles in conflict, the satisfaction of the of a higher–order principle takes precedence over the satisfaction of the lower-order principle.

There are also additional factors to consider when making an ethical decision. Ethical theories (Osmo & Landau, 2006) and trauma informed practice (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 2014) are also used to assist social workers in recognizing and understanding the principles on which their ethical decisions are based. Osmo & Landau (2006) define two kinds of ethical theories: 1) those that focus on the principles of actions such as deontological (i.e.: respect for the individual person and recognition of the user’s right to freely make their own decisions and choices); and 2) those with utilitarian orientations (i.e.: utility and justice). SAMHSA (2014) which take into consideration the correlations among traumatic stress, substance use disorders, and co-occurring mental health disorders that may overwhelm an individual’s capacity to cope, resulting in substance abuse, alcoholism, and smoking as ways to cope with trauma symptoms, behaviors which can complicate the helping profession. Whatever method a social worker chooses to resolve ethical problems; the decision should go a through a well thought out process that can be clearly noted for future reference.

The Ethical Dilemma
An exemplar was chosen for this purpose of this paper, from appendix A of the textbook, Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice (Dolgoff et al, 2012)—specifically, Exemplar 4, Potential Harm Versus Confidentiality.

In the chosen exemplar, a 15-year-old female client told her social worker that she was dealing drugs with her boyfriend, who was recently release from jail for selling drugs. The client’s parents have forbidden their daughter to have contact with the boyfriend and asked the social worker to contact them if their daughter tells her she is seeing him again. As I reviewed the Code and thought about what to do, I was reminded of one of the questions social workers should consider when making an ethical decision. Who is my client? I know my client is the 15-year-old female but since she is an under age adolescent are her parents also my

clients?