Each student will select one question to answer. You must include the page number in the book which assisted you with your answer. Each student will comment on two of their peers responses. No two students may answer the same question.
1. Define ethics, its roots, and its origins of Ethical Choices in the Helping Professions
2. Define the three types of ethics in social work (general ethics, professional ethics, and professional social work ethics); explain how they pertain to social work practice by comparing and contrasting them.
3. Discuss what your values are concerning the flowing scenario:
4. Ms. Durning is a 26-year-old Caucasian mother of three children, ages 10, 6, and 4. She is a professional prostitute and works for herself. The children all have different fathers, none of whom are involved in their lives. Ms. Durning and her three children live in a bug infested motel that charges $100 per week. She has to work every night, therefore, she relies on the oldest, a boy, to watch the other two children, both girls. The son has started to get in trouble at school with fighting, and is not completing his homework. Ms. Durning was reported to child protective services by an incoming guest who noticed that three children were left without supervision. To complicate the situation even more, the incoming guest who reported Ms. Durning to CPS was a client of hers three days prior to the report.
5. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between competing values
and competing loyalties.
6. Is ambiguity acceptable in social work situations? Why or why not? Discuss your
thoughts on a social worker going against his own ethical beliefs in order to abide
by the agency’s policies.
7. Explain why there has been a renewed interest in social work ethics in today’s
society.
8. According to the authors, all social workers are committed to client protection of life, enhancement of life, and client self-determination. Do you believe this is true? Why or why not?
9. Discuss how you would respond if your supervisor asked you to misdiagnose a client in order for them to receive much needed services.
10. Professional social work ethics are intended to help social work practitioners recognize morally correct practice and learn how to decide and act ethically in any professional situation. Role play an ethical dilemma that a client might have (with a classmate) and attempt to respond in an ethically professional manner.
11. Discuss genocides that have taken place in the last 70 years (Hitler’s Germany, Cambodia, Darfur, Rwanda) and any ethical responsibility that you feel you as a social worker have to such situations.
12. Share with classmates ethical dilemmas that you have experienced in your life and how you handled them. Brainstorm as a class what types of options could have been used to solve the ethical dilemma.
1. Define ethics, its roots, and its origins of Ethical Choices in the Helping Professions.
ReplyDeleteThe term ethics deals with the question of what actions are morally right. In general ethics clarify the obligations that are owed by one person to another person. Professional ethics clarify the ethical aspects of professional practice. Professional social work ethics are intended to help social work practioners recognize morally correct practice and learn how to decide and act ethically in any professional situation. The work comes from the Greek root ethos, which originally meant custom, usage, or habit. (pg 7)
Tiawny Barnes
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ReplyDelete5. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between competing values and competing loyalties.
ReplyDeleteDolgoff, Loewenberg, & Harrington (2009) write the two causes of ethical problems are (1) competing values and (2) competing loyalties. Competing values are ethical dilemmas where the social worker has to make a decision between two or more competing values such as a diabetic client’s self determination to drinking a canned soda or the diabetic client’s health status. In comparison, competing loyalties are ethical dilemmas where the social worker has to make a decision between the conflicting demands of her client as well as society and decide which should receive priority. Competing loyalties involves making judgments in a single situation to provided services for (1) a person abused,or (2) the person who reported the abuse, or (3) upholding the standards and policies of the agency. In contrast—unlike competing values—competing loyalties often involve more than two entities where as competing values usually involves either/or situations. (p.4;10)
Thank you ladies for your posts. I will record your grade shortly.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMake sure you include a correct apa citation and the page number.
ReplyDelete7. Explain why there has been a renewed interest in social work ethics in today’s
ReplyDeletesociety.
In knowing how this society operates, it is easy to understand that the only thing constant in the world is change. In understanding this concept, we then can get a better understanding on why there has been a renewed interest in social work ethics. According to the book “Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice, it explains how there are many factors that have led to intensified traditional ethical dilemmas which have given rise to a new generation of ethical issues in social work practice. Some of these factors include a breakdown of consensus concerning societal means and goals, the increasing scarcity of resources that are available for social welfare, and the use of technology. In knowing the issues which come along with these factors, it gives reason as to why there is a renewed interest in social work ethics.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. Belmont: Cengage Learning.
2. Define the three types of ethics in social work (general ethics, professional ethics, and professional social work ethics); explain how they pertain to social work practice by comparing and contrasting them.
ReplyDeleteGeneral ethics clarify the obligations that are owed by one person to another person. Professional ethics are a codification of the special obligations that arise out of a person's voluntary choice to become a professional. Professional social work ethics are intended to help social work practitioners recognize morally correct practice and learn how to decide and act ethically. All of the previously stated terms have to work in unison in the social work field. These ethics determine an individual's ability to effectively help the client. General ethics are the basis and guideline for all other types of ethics. Professional social work ethics set the code for what is morally correct for all social workers. This skill of determining what is morally ethic should be well developed by the time you enter the social work career field. The types of ethics are built upon like building blocks. In essence, in order to have professional social work ethics an individual must have general ethics.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 7. Belmont: Cengage Learning
8. According to the authors, all social workers are committed to client protection of life, enhancement of life, and client self-determination. Do you believe this is true? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteThis is true because these are important things in the social work field. The well being of a client comes first in all aspects of social work. The main goals of social work is to enhance a clients well being in life and help them improve the quality of life based on their goals. These are all factors that go with the social workers ethical principles which is also why this is can be seen as being true.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. Belmont: Cengage Learning
6.Is ambiguity acceptable in social work situations? Why or why not? Discuss your
ReplyDeletethoughts on a social worker going against his own ethical beliefs in order to abide
by the agency’s policies.
I think that social workers in these situations must first protect their families. I think after protecting their family it is up to the social worker if they would or wouldn't want to abide by the agency's policies. I also think that in the situation provided in the ethical decisions book really exemplifies why I would respond in a manner of protecting my family first.
My citation for my response above is Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 12. Belmont: Cengage Learning
ReplyDeleteI think all of you gave some pretty good answers. I was really interested in LaRRy's answer.
ReplyDelete9. Discuss how you would respond if your supervisor asked you to misdiagnose a client in order for them to receive much needed services.
ReplyDelete9. This is a very complicated issue because as human beings we have an innate urge to do what was told for us to do by our superiors. And as students as well as workers we all want to make a good impression on our supervisors or teachers by doing exactly what we are told to do but as Social Workers our values and ethics should take first priority over rules and regulations as long as it is not illegal. The supervisor in this case should know better than to lie about a client's diagonosis because not only is this issue unethical but it is illegal and if I was to get caught I could be charged with a felony and prosecuted and I could lose my social worl liscence. I would have told my supervisor that I could not do this and if she was to press me furthur about the issue then I would have simply inform her about direct liability which states a supervisor can be charged when harm is caused by that supervisor's omission or commission such as when the supervisor does not follow supervision guideline promulgated by their state boards and/or professional association. I could also inform him/her about vicarious liability which states, a supervisor is responsible for the actions of a supervisee that were conducted during the course of employment, training, or field instruction, including potential ethical laspe.
Sorry I left out the page number, pg. 178
ReplyDelete9. Discuss how you would respond if your supervisor asked you to misdiagnose a client in order for them to receive much needed services.
ReplyDelete- I will tell supervisor that I cannot do that because that is unethical; moreover, it is not good to cheat the system. If a client is misdiagnosed, you could face many problems along the way. Lawsuits are a prime example of that.
Ethical content and decision making are being taught in all phases of social work education, including continuing education following graduation from educational programs. The key question now is how to decide not what can be done, but what should be done. More and more social workers have come to recognize that they, too, face questions that go beyond the “techniques” of social work. The increasing attention on social work ethics may be partially the result of the rising concern of practitioners about the use of litigation by clients to resolve claims of ethical malfeasance and malpractice. Complaints and lawsuits against social workers insured by the NASW Insurance Trust increased over the last three decades but have recently leveled off. The number of suits appears now to be related to the increase or decrease in the number of social workers insured and the institution of tort (wrongful acts, damage or injury done willfully, negligently, or in circumstances of strict liability for which a civil suit can be brought) liability limitations by various states.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 6-8 Belmont: Cengage Learning.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). pg 7 Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. Belmont: Cengage Learning.
ReplyDelete1. Define ethics, its roots, and its origins of Ethical Choices in the Helping Professions.
The term ethics deals with the question of what actions are morally right. In general ethics clarify the obligations that are owed by one person to another person. Professional ethics clarify the ethical aspects of professional practice. Professional social work ethics are intended to help social work practioners recognize morally correct practice and learn how to decide and act ethically in any professional situation. The work comes from the Greek root ethos, which originally meant custom, usage, or habit. (pg 7)
12. Share with classmates ethical dilemmas that you have experienced in your life and how you handled them. Brainstorm as a class what types of options could have been used to solve the ethical dilemma.
ReplyDeleteOne ethical dilemma I have encountered occurred in college. One of my teachers met with me and a fellow teammate one day after class. I was unaware what the meeting was about but I was sure it had something to do with the game coming up. To my surprise the teacher accused us of cheating. At that point I realized that my teammate copied my work when I asked him to turn in the assignment. I came to an ethical dilemma because I did not want to interrupt rapport between us on the football field by telling but I also did not want my teacher to think that I was a dishonest teacher. I listened to the consequences of his actions and I was hesitant to make my decision as to whether or not I would tell. In the end my teacher let us off the hook so I did not have to choose. This dilemma is probably a major occurrence in the college setting.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 15. Belmont: Cengage Learning.
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ReplyDeleteChapter 1
ReplyDelete9. Discuss how you would respond if your supervisor asked you to misdiagnose a
client in order for them to receive much needed services.
I believe if my supervisor asked me to misdiagnose a client, my first thought would be to talk to the head, because I would not want to lose my job and my license over something like this. Because if someone finds out I lied not only would I lose my job but everyone involved would lose their job and also it would all come back to the agency I’m working at and give them a bad image, even if they didn’t know about the situation. So I would tell my supervisor that I’m not going to do that, and I would let them know that I will be talking to the director about what I was asked to do, because more than likely it’s not the first time. Also I would just be covering myself , just in case something did happen and my supervisor tried to say I knew about it, I wouldn’t lose my job.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 6-8 Belmont: Cengage Learning.
The term ethics refers to the question of what actions are morally right. Ethics clarify the obligations that are owed by one person to another person. Professional ethics clarify the ethical aspects of professional practice. Professional social work ethics are intended to help social work practitioners recognize morally correct practice and learn how to decide and act ethically in any professional situation. The work comes from the Greek root ethos, which originally meant custom, usage, or habit.
ReplyDeleteDolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 7. Belmont: Cengage Learning.
4. Ms. Durning is a 26-year-old Caucasian mother of three children, ages 10, 6, and 4. She is a professional prostitute and works for herself. The children all have different fathers, none of whom are involved in their lives. Ms. Durning and her three children live in a bug infested motel that charges $100 per week. She has to work every night, therefore, she relies on the oldest, a boy, to watch the other two children, both girls. The son has started to get in trouble at school with fighting, and is not completing his homework. Ms. Durning was reported to child protective services by an incoming guest who noticed that three children were left without supervision. To complicate the situation even more, the incoming guest who reported Ms. Durning to CPS was a client of hers three days prior to the report.
ReplyDeleteI empathize with the mother because she is trying to make in ends meet. In different cultures some would say ten years old is an ok age to keep younger siblings. This is very common in the black household. The reason is most African American household are usually lead by a mother working two or three jobs trying to make ends meet. Some cannot afford to pay someone to watch their children, so they look to the oldest to assist them. I personally do not feel that the woman should have left her children alone, but when push comes to shove you make decision that is best for sake you and your children.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 8-10. Belmont: Cengage Learning.