Introduction
Social workers are increasingly recognized as an inevitable part of interdisciplinary teams in addressing the needs of clients who seek for legal remedies and services. The relationship between social work and law has been developing since 1917, when Mary Richmond, an architect of modern social work, acknowledged the role of legal authorities while developing her conceptual model for casework (Forgelson, 1970). Later, Mary Richmond drafted an early social work code of ethics in the early 1920s (Reamer, 1987). However, from the development perspective, all 50 states in the US have passed statutes requiring professionals from certain disciplines, including social work and law, to report any abuse or crime happened in the past or is going to happen in the nearest future if there are good reasons to believe that is true. Dubose and Morris (2005) stated that very few states passed similar mandatory reporting statutes for attorneys. It is not surprising that only a few states accepted these statutes because of the presence of the attorney-client privilege statute, which is true for all states. Due to differences in the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct and NASW Code of Ethics, professionals from the respective disciplines may have conflicts while both provide social and legal support to the same client from a domestic violence organization. There are two main reasons that allow the tension to happen, social workers are mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect but lawyers, on the contrary, have an ethical responsibility to maintain client confidentiality (Taylor, 2006).
This paper explores how social workers interface with attorneys when both work in a shelter, or any other domestic violence organization. This p...
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...t (Garza, 2002).
Though confidentiality is a core value for both professionals, the range and degree of confidentiality owed to a client. The privilege of communication includes also advice, opinions, transmitted, developed, and gathered information that cannot be disclosed outside the attorney-client relationship. In case, if the lawyer asked his client to consult a social worker on purpose knowing that the latter may report to respective protection agencies, that lawyer may be charged due to violation of the MRPC and subject to sanctions and disbarment. Thus, neither lawyers often times encourage self-report, nor they report any forms of abuse even if the abuse has to do with children (Jonson-Reid, 2002).
NASW Code of Ethics requires social workers to keep in secret all information obtained during professional services except for compelling professional reasons.
The NASW (National Association of Social Workers) Code of Ethics is intended to serve as a guide to the everyday professional conduct of social workers. This Code includes four sections. The first Section, "Preamble," summarizes the mission and core values of the social work profession. The second section, "Purpose of the NASW Code of Ethics," provides an overview of the Code 's main functions and a brief guide for dealing with ethical issues or dilemmas in social work practice. The third section, "Ethical Principles," presents broad ethical principles, based on social work 's core values, that affect social work practice. The final section, "Ethical Standards," includes specific ethical standards
“Is the client being currently abused and is their safety or health at risk?” This is a micro issue that is related to the core competencies of Assessing the Individuals and Families. By utilizing critical thinking and assessing the client’s needs the social worker will be more equipped in selecting the most suitable intervention for this client.
Handon, R. M. (2014, December). Client Relationships and Ethical Boundaries for Social Workers in Child Welfare. The New Social Worker, (winter), 1-6.
As a student new to social work, The Code of Ethics written by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is in the forefront of my mind whenever practicing my freshly learned skills. According to the Code, these rules were written as the “values, principles, and standards to guide social workers’ conduct” (Code of Ethics - NASW, n.d.). Within my most-recent session, certain aspects of this code were relevant, including informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, a commitment to the client, the dignity and worth of a person, the importance of human relationships, integrity and competency of the worker, and social diversity.
The social workers in both videos gathered information regarding each of the client’s issues. Another common denominator in both videos is that both of the social workers repeated what the client had said in their own words to allow the client to feel heard and understood. In the first video, social worker Karen asked direct questions relating to Mike’s alcohol addiction while also addressing how the addiction impacts his relationships including his marriage. Karen also addressed inconsistencies with the client doing so appropriately and quickly. It appears that in the first video, Karen focuses on the reality of the issue at hand to assist the client with establishing and accepting
The ethical dilemma in my conflict is that I, as an individual providing information and listening to the stories of domestic violence survivors, do not allow my past life experience to affect the outcomes of clients. Being that my agency oversees the eighteen domestic violence agencies in the State of Connecticut, I work with a very diverse population and at times encounter situations where self-disclosure is a complex issue. Self-disclosure to clients raises numerous boundary issues which in turn can result in conflicts of interest in a relationship with a client. By over identifying with clients, I risk the boundary line becoming blurred and the possibility of treating my own needs and experiences rather than my clients. The Code of Ethics (2015) states that a social worker should not let their own personal problems interfere with their professional judgement and performance which can jeopardize the best interest of the people for whom they have a professional responsibility.
National Association of Social Workers [NASW]. (1998). The New NASW Code of Ethics Can Be Your Ally: Part I. Retrieved from: http://www.naswma.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=96
Furthermore, a social worker needs to examine the laws within the state they live in and
Currently the state of California requires all domestic violence offenders to take court order classes as a form of reprimand and in part to educate offenders. This approached has been successful in the prosecution thousands of offenders while enhancing women’s power relative to that of abusive men (Messing, Ward-Lasher, Bagwell-Gray,2015). Social workers must be proactive in advocating for those at risk and by familiarizing themselves with all the DV policies, services and laws (Messing, Ward-Lasher, Bagwell-Gra...
National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Washington DC: Author.
The code of ethics states “social workers should respect confidential information shared by colleagues in the course of their professional relationships and transactions. Social workers should ensure that such colleagues understand social workers’ obligation to respect confidentiality and any exceptions related to it (NASW,
This essay will identify key issues facing the client system and will demonstrate an intervention plan. Followed by defining the purpose of social work and the identification of the AASW Code of Ethics, in regards to the case study. Lastly, key bodies of knowledge will be identified and applied to the case study.
National Association of Social Workers. (2016). Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers Retrieved
Police social work is a growing practice within the criminal justice system. Although a police station is not the primary setting for a social worker, it makes a lot of sense for them to be employed within. Police and social workers both share concerns that are connected to crisis, violence, and personal and family issues. They often lie hand in hand and deal with the same situations. Many cases are now requiring both social work and police intervention and follow up. The calls that the police station receive are sometimes more directed to social work professionals and could be handled in a more efficient way if both professions came together. When social workers were originally employed by police stations, they were assigned to work with
“Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner. Social workers are to be aware of this profession missions, values ethical principal and ethical standards and practice in a manner consistent with them”. (NASW, 2008, p.6). Social workers are to be sure their practice is embedded in the NASW Code of Ethics.