Slide 1AgendaDefinition of EthicsEthical Decision MakingEthical decision making is Guided by the Nasw Code of ethicsEthical Decision MakingSocial Work ValuesEssential Steps for Ethical decision makingA Rank-ordering of conflicting Ethical principlesAdditional questionsCrucial Elements for solving ethical dilemmasMaking ethical decisionsEthics ExerciseEthics ExerciseEthics ExercisePresentations!ETHICAL DECISION MAKINGSocial Work 441: Practice 1Fall 2014AGENDACombined class next week – guest panel presenting on connecting theory to practiceAssessment paper extension to midnight on 11/5 – if you turned in your paper today you will receive 5 extra points!I am on vacation 11/1-11/15 – guest instructor 11/12 who will facilitate our first night of presentations.Next quiz is the week I return on 11/19. Study guide will be uploaded by this SaturdayDEFINITION OF ETHICSethicsthe study of what is morally right and wrong, or a set of beliefs about what is morally right and wrong.(Miriam-Webster Dictionary)ETHICAL DECISION MAKINGOverall Question: Am I doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason?Thing to consider when ethical issues arise:What is the right thing?What/who dictates what is right?Am I doing the right thing?Do the ends justify the means?ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IS GUIDED BY THE NASW CODE OF ETHICS The Code identifies core values on which social work’s mission is based.The9Codesummarizes broad ethical principles that reflect the profession’s core values and establishes a set of specific ethical standards that should be used to guide social work practice.9The9Codeis designed to help social workers identify relevant considerations when professional obligations conflict or ethical uncertainties arise.9 (NASW , 2008)ETHICAL DECISION MAKINGEthical decision making is a process. Social workers should take into consideration all the values, principles, and standards in the9Codethat are relevant to any situation in which ethical judgment is warranted. Social workers also should be aware of the impact of their clients’ and their own personal values and cultural and religious beliefs and practices on ethical decision making.Instances may arise when social workers’ ethical obligations conflict with agency policies or relevant laws or regulations. (NASW, 2008)SOCIAL WORK VALUESServiceSocial justiceDignity and worth of the personImportance of human relationshipsIntegrityCompetenceQuestion: How are social work values related to social work ethics?ESSENTIAL STEPS FOR ETHICAL DECISION MAKING1. DETERMINE whether there is an ethical issue or/and dilemma.9Is there a conflict of values, or rights, or professional responsibilities? 2. IDENTIFY the key values and principles involved.9 3. RANK the values or ethical principles which - in your professional judgment - are most relevant to the issue or dilemma.9Use the rank ordering of conflicting ethical principles as a guide. 4. DEVELOP an action plan that is consistent with the ethical priorities that have been determined as central to the dilemma.95. IMPLEMENT your plan, utilizing the most appropriate practice skills and competencies.6. REFLECT on the outcome of this ethical decision making process.9Reamer (1995)A RANK-ORDERING OF CONFLICTING ETHICAL PRINCIPLES1. Protection of Life2. Equality and Inequality3. Autonomy and Freedom4. Least Harm5. Quality of Life6. Privacy and Confidentiality7. Truthfulness and Full DisclosureAll things being equal, ethical principles closer to the top should receive priority over those closer to the bottomADDITIONAL QUESTIONSWhat are the specific ethical issues in this situation? Do I need any other information to bring further clarity to the situation? What criteria can I use to resolve the ethical dilemma? Is the NASW Code of Ethics sufficient or does a value conflict persist despite the code?Who should resolve the ethical problem? Should it be me, the client, the client’s family member, a coworker, or a supervisor?Who should benefit from the resolution of the of the ethical situation when there is a conflict of interest? To whom are you most accountable? What are the ethical consequences for the various options? Which decision causes the least harm?CRUCIAL ELEMENTS FOR SOLVING ETHICAL DILEMMAS Self AwarenessOpenness to new persons and eventsPractice experienceMAKING ETHICAL DECISIONSWhen a social worker experiences a ethical dilemma that can not be resolved by reviewing the Code of Ethics, they should defer to their personal ethical values hierarchy (Walsh, 2009). Your personal ethical value hierarchy should be developed with careful regard to what you value most in the client-practitioner relationship.ETHICS EXERCISEYou are interning at a mentoring agency. You are new and shadowing a male mentor who has worked with the agency for several years on a visit with an 11 year old boy. This mentor does not have a social work degree. During this visit you observe this mentor engage in several behaviors that concern you. The mentor uses profanity when talking to the child, apparently trying to be “cool”. The child tells the mentor he has secretly set up a Facebook account for himself, which is against his mother’s rules, and the mentor advises the child in ways to use his email and “not get caught”. While at the park, the child has to go to the bathroom so the Mentor takes the child into the wood to urinate behind a tree. The child doesn’t seem to be bothered by these behaviors, but you are bothered…Are there ethical issues here? What are they?What would you do? What might be the consequences of addressing these issues?ETHICS EXERCISEYou are working as a case manager with a 16 year old girl. During one of your individual visits with the teen she informs you that she recently tried smoking marijuana for the first time with friends. She states that she didn’t really like it because it made her paranoid and doesn’t plan to do it again. She asks you if you have ever smoked pot and did it make you paranoid? You have a trusting relationship with this teen and you know she is telling you this in confidence. Do you answer her question? Do you tell her parents about her substance use?Are there ethical issues here? What are they?What would you do? What might be the consequences of addressing these issues?ETHICS EXERCISEThink about an ethical issue you