Developing a Code of Ethics amongst Social Workers in Supported Employment: Exploring the Socio-ecological Model

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 1834-1853 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orly Shapira-Lishchinsky ◽  
Miri Ben-Amram
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Supported Employment ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Ethical Codes ◽  
The Social ◽  
One Year

Abstract This study reveals the ethical dilemmas encountered by social workers who mentor workers with intellectual and developmental disabilities that work in the free labour market through supported employment frameworks. The aim of the study is to examine the social workers' ethical dilemmas, while extracting rules of conduct and ethical codes that are unique to supported employment frameworks, through team simulation training. The study included forty-eight social workers who attended nine sessions in the course of one year. The findings, which were analysed using a qualitative methodology, revealed that the dilemmas, rules of ethical conduct and the derived ethical codes ranged from flexible solutions to setting firm boundaries. It emerged that the ethical dilemmas were associated with interactions that take place on all layers of the socio-ecological model. The contribution of the study is in developing an ecological approach to coping with the multidimensional dilemmas that arise in the context of supported employment. The findings will help develop a systemic approach amongst social workers towards coping with the ethical challenges involved in this type of employment.

scholarly journals Ethical Challenges in Social Work Practice in Sri Lanka

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-41
Author(s):  
Bhagya Hithaishi Jayawardana ◽  
K Nanayakkara
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Ethical Conduct ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Ethical Practice ◽  
The Social

Ethical practice is fundamental to any practiced based profession including social work. The social work profession is a diverse one with a mission to promote wellbeing and quality of life for vulnerable people. Despite serving the society it’s also central to promoting social work Ethics to maintain the professional standards and lessen the ethical issues and dilemma’s faced in day today practice. Ethics are really important to any profession, yet a necessity for those rooted in and human services. In the Sri Lankan context, it is disheartening to see how social workers have lost their professional identity with the absence of a professional code of ethics in place. A qualitative research approach was followed to explore and describe the key ethical challenges faced by the social workers in Sri Lanka. Survey method, in-depth interviews and key informants interviews were utilized and analyzed based on purposive sampling method. The data were categorized based on different themes. The finding proves that there is no proper guideline to be followed for the practitioners, particularly in situations of ethical dilemmas and conflicts. Most of the Human Service Organizations have their own set of rules with lesser focus on the code of ethical conduct. The unethical practice unintentionally promotes the malpractice leading to scenarios where organizational set of rules violates the client’s self determination and confidentiality. Although most of the upcoming social work graduates are made aware of the importance of maintaining an ethical conduct, when they join the work force as social workers they face many constraints due to absence of a formal code of ethics. This has resulted most of the social workers not having any obligations to continue an ethical practice  hence their practice is inevitably not much embedded in ethics. Thus the study provides an outlook on the ethical challenges faced by the social workers specially working in different sectors in Sri Lanka.

Challenges to Ethics and Values

2021 ◽  
pp. 153-163
Author(s):  
Mimi Mumm ◽  
Amanda Monaghan ◽  
Jennifer Oesterling
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Work Values ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
School Social Workers ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Human Relationships ◽  
Social Work Values

This chapter addresses common ethical dilemmas and “sticky” practice situations related to the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, which plays a crucial role in how school social workers perform their job duties. The Code of Ethics is grounded in six core social work values: dignity and worth of the person, social justice, service, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. Ethical challenges arise when values or principles clash and one value will need to take precedence over another. This chapter highlight five challenges that school social workers are likely to face: competence, confidentiality, boundaries, collegial relationships, and school reform efforts.

Ethical dilemmas among mid-level school leaders through role-play simulations: Developing a social-ecological approach

2021 ◽  
pp. 174114322110025
Author(s):  
Geva Iftach ◽  
Orly Shapira-Lishchinsky
Keyword(s):  
Professional Training ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Role Play ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Team Leaders ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
The Social

The purpose of the study is to examine the ethical dilemmas among mid-level school leaders in the social-ecological context through role-play simulations. We examined simulations involving role-played ethical scenarios and group debriefings among 30 mid-level school leaders from different Israeli high schools and districts during the MA course in the educational leadership program. A qualitative analysis generated an expanded social-ecological model for mid-level school leaders. The model consists of six main layers: individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, public policy, and technology. Each of the layers is divided into sub-categories. The study’s findings reveal the concurrent appearance of the different layers. These findings emphasize the complexity of the role of mid-level school leaders, as they cope simultaneously with a variety of ethical dilemmas characterized by multiple conflicting values. Moreover, the study findings indicated the interpersonal layer to be the most dominant layer, demonstrating mid-level leaders’ dual role as both classroom teachers and as team leaders. This study may contribute toward the development and modification of professional training programs for mid-level school leaders. It may also be helpful when designing strategies to deal with ethical challenges and to strengthen the school’s ethical leadership.

scholarly journals Pushing poverty off limits: quality improvement and the architecture of healthcare values

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Polly Mitchell ◽  
Alan Cribb ◽  
Vikki Entwistle ◽  
Guddi Singh
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Social Deprivation ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
The Social ◽  
Significant Burden ◽  
Health Related

Abstract Background Poverty and social deprivation have adverse effects on health outcomes and place a significant burden on healthcare systems. There are some actions that can be taken to tackle them from within healthcare institutions, but clinicians who seek to make frontline services more responsive to the social determinants of health and the social context of people’s lives can face a range of ethical challenges. We summarise and consider a case in which clinicians introduced a poverty screening initiative (PSI) into paediatric practice using the discourse and methodology of healthcare quality improvement (QI). Discussion Whilst suggesting that interventions like the PSI are a potentially valuable extension of clinical roles, which take advantage of the unique affordances of clinical settings, we argue that there is a tendency for such settings to continuously reproduce a narrower set of norms. We illustrate how the framing of an initiative as QI can help legitimate and secure funding for practical efforts to help address social ends from within clinical service, but also how it can constrain and disguise the value of this work. A combination of methodological emphases within QI and managerialism within healthcare institutions leads to the prioritisation, often implicitly, of a limited set of aims and governing values for healthcare. This can act as an obstacle to a genuine broadening of the clinical agenda, reinforcing norms of clinical practice that effectively push poverty ‘off limits.’ We set out the ethical dilemmas facing clinicians who seek to navigate this landscape in order to address poverty and the social determinants of health. Conclusions We suggest that reclaiming QI as a more deliberative tool that is sensitive to these ethical dilemmas can enable managers, clinicians and patients to pursue health-related values and ends, broadly conceived, as part of an expansive range of social and personal goods.

scholarly journals What Social Workers Should Know About Ethics: Understanding and Resolving Ethical Dilemmas

10.18060/124 ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine P. Congress
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Sexual Relationships ◽  
Dual Relationships ◽  
Personal Agency ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Social Work Practitioners

Recognizing ethical issues and dilemmas that arise in professional practice is crucial for social work practitioners, educators, and students. After a discussion about the limited, although growing, literature on social work ethics, the ten main tenets form the most current NASW Code of Ethics are presented. These topics include limits to confidentiality, confidentiality and technology, confidentiality in family and group work, managed care, cultural competence, dual relationships, sexual relationships, impairment and incompetence of colleagues, application to administrators and relevance to social work educators. In addition to understanding the Code of Ethics, social workers can use the ETHIC model of decision making for resolving ethical dilemmas. This easy to use five step process includes examining personal, agency, client, and professional values, thinking about ethical standards and relevant laws, hypothesizing about consequences, identifying the most vulnerable, and consulting with supervisors and colleagues. A case example involving confidentiality, HIV/AIDS and family therapy demonstrates how social workers can use the ETHIC model.

Around ethical dilemmas in the work of a family assistant

2021 ◽  
Vol 597 (2) ◽  
pp. 8-17
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Ciczkowska-Giedziun
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Social Assistance ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Assistance Programs ◽  
Helping Relationship ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Right ◽  
Voluntary Cooperation

The purpose of the article is to describe selected ethical dilemmas in the work of a family assistant, based on the typology of ethical dilemmas of Frederic Reamer. In accordance with the typology adopted in the article, in the area of cooperation with families, ethical dilemmas regarding direct work with families, implementation of social assistance programs and relationship between representatives of the profession arise. The information presented in the text is based on publications, studies and reports on family assistantship. The first group of ethical dilemmas is revealed when constructing supportive and helping relationship between assistants and families. It refers to such areas as: voluntary cooperation, limits of cooperation, the right to self-determination or limits of responsibility. The second group of ethical dilemmas is related to the planning and implementation of various solutions in the field of social policy and also support and assistance programs offered to the family. The last group of ethical dilemmas results from a different understanding of family assistantship in the structures of the social assistance system. They are also revealed in the construction of relationships with social workers. The text also includes solutions how to cope with these dilemmas.

scholarly journals A One-Year Prospective Follow-Up Study on the Health Profile of Hikikomori Living in Hong Kong

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 546 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Yuen ◽  
Victor Wong ◽  
Wilson Tam ◽  
Ka So ◽  
Wai Chien
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Health Profile ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Follow Up Study ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Intervention ◽  
Health Domains ◽  
One Year

Background: A prospective cohort study was conducted to follow-up on 104 participants on their changes of social, psychological and physical health as exposed to the hikikomori lifestyle. Methods: Participants were interviewed at baseline, 6 months and 12 months by administering a set of questionnaires and anthropometric measurements. Results: All three health domains of hikikomori were significantly improved over the follow-up period as evidenced by: (1) increased social network scores from 2.79 ± 1.80 to 3.09 ± 1.87, (2) decreased perceived stress scores from 21.18 ± 5.87 to 20.11 ± 5.79, and (3) reduced blood pressure levels from 118/75 to 115/71 and waist-to-hip ratios. Almost half of the participants have recovered from hikikomori by returning to the workforce in society; however, the health improvements were dominant in those that remained as hikikomori and were associated with the gradual swapping of exercise practices from light to moderate level strength. Conclusions: With intended exposure to social worker engagement, physical assessments of the cohort study triggered the social workers to encourage participants to do more exercises, which in turn enhanced their awareness of health modification towards a better health. Engagement of social workers could be considered as part of the intended exposure for all participants, which suggested social work intervention was effective in helping hikikomori recovery.

Promoting Young People’s Participation: Exploring Social Work’s Contribution to the Literature

Social Work ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Pritzker ◽  
Katie Richards-Schuster
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Civic Engagement ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Youth Civic Engagement ◽  
The Past ◽  
Current State ◽  
Meaningful Involvement ◽  
The Social

Abstract In the National Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics, social workers are called on to promote meaningful involvement in decision making among vulnerable populations. The ethical imperatives and social justice implications associated with unequal participation suggest that the field of social work is uniquely situated to lead research and practice in the area of youth civic engagement. This article examines the current state of the social work literature regarding how young people participate civically. Authors identified 113 articles on this topic published over the past decade in journals with a large presence in social work or by social work authors. They present the findings of their exploratory research, with a focus on describing where this research is being published, the range of research foci, and the terms used to describe this work. Increased attention to promoting youth civic engagement is needed in the profession’s core journals. Based on the analysis of this literature, they recommend moving toward a cohesive body of social work scholarship that includes increased collaboration among scholars, more unified terms and language, increased range of research foci and methodologies, and more rigorous and comparative testing of strategies by which youths participate civically.

Social Workers who Move into Private Practice: Ideological Considerations as a Factor in the Transition

2002 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 465-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate van Heugten
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Private Practice ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Decision To Leave ◽  
New Information ◽  
Motivating Factor

Various aspects of a recent and unprecedented upsurge in private-practice social work in New Zealand were examined in research conducted from 1993 to 1999. A qualitative methodology was employed to try to reveal new information about a field of practice that has been extensively canvassed using quantitative methods. The findings reported here concern the importance of ethical dilemmas. These dilemmas were a surprisingly common motivating factor in respondents' decision to leave salaried agency social work. Most of the 33 respondents had recently left government or quasi-government agencies and less commonly had left private, nonprofit agencies. As expected, ethical dilemmas also arose in the transition to private practice, and respondents related their mostly pragmatic management of these.

scholarly journals Institutional Change and Transgender Employment

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 515-531
Author(s):  
Alex Redcay ◽  
Wade Luquet
Keyword(s):  
Gender Identity ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Workplace Discrimination ◽  
Legal Cases ◽  
Identity Recognition ◽  
The Social ◽  
Locker Room ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Policies And Practices

The purpose of this paper is to recommend non-discriminatory policies and practices regarding transgender individuals in the workplace. This paper will summarize workplace discrimination legal cases involving transgender individuals. Specifically, employers can be held financially responsible if they fire or discriminate against transgender individuals on the basis of gender identity and gender expression and can be required to use affirmed pronouns, revise policies, and provide training to employees regarding non-discrimination. Employers cannot discriminate against transgender individuals for transitioning, cannot prevent transgender individuals from using a particular bathroom or locker room, and cannot require employees to medically transition prior to gender identity recognition. Employers can be required to allow medical services related to transgender care. Finally, transgender individuals are a protected class under Title VII. This paper discusses the historical and current legal cases that prevent employment discrimination and proposes policies and practices. Recommendations for social workers include creating a sufficient non-discrimination policy, consulting with experts, becoming recognized on an equality index, educating others by not shaming them, and following the social work code of ethics.

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