Read the examples very carefully and answer the following questions:
Consider your options in both of these situations.
The Code of Ethics of the NASW outlines the ethical principles - ideals to which all socialworkers should aspire - and the ethical standards that are relevant to the professionalactivities of all social workers. Yet, despite these clearly articulated guidelines, ethicaldilemmas frequently arise in practice. When it comes to implementing policy at the organizational, community, and even higher levels, social workers might face dilemmas inhonoring client self-determination, and honoring privacy and confidentiality. Let us consider two scenarios.
Scenario 1:
Imagine you are a medical social worker at a private hospital. The hospital hires anew chief executive officer (CEO) who, for religious reasons, opposes abortions andinstitutes a hospital policy against performing abortions, providing abortion counseling, or even referring patients out to family planning clinics. Regardless of your ownpersonal beliefs about abortion, as a social worker you are committed to honoring your patients' self-determination. A young woman who has been raped comes to seeyou seeking a referral to get an abortion.
Questions:
1.What would you do? And Why?
2.If you quietly make an exception for the patient, will you continue to do so-and risk getting dismissed-if you are confronted by other clients in similar circumstances? (PLEASE EXPLAIN YOUR ANSWER)
3.Would you resign?Yes or No? Please explain why.
4.Would you form a team to confront the CEO and try to get the policy overturned?(PLEASE EXPLAIN YOUR ANSWER)
Scenario 2:
Imagine you work at a homeless shelter. The well-intentioned director, who is not asocial worker, implements a new policy barring any staff from reporting clients to children' s services without first consulting with her. She does this because shebelieves these families need to be protected against society 's stereotype of them asbad parents. One evening at the shelter, you witness a husband degrading and physically assaulting his wife in front of their two young children.
The next day, you tell the director about the incident, and remind her that you are mandated (i.e., requiredby state law) to report abuse. She thanks you for bringing the attention to her concern, but the only action she takes is to have a conversation with the couple and ask them to keep their personal matters private. Over the next few days, you continue to witness abuse.
1. Knowing that the mandatory reporting laws are very clear and you could risk losing your license, do you report the family despite the agency policy?(PLEASE EXPLAIN YOUR ANSWER)
2. Do you try again to talk to the director and change her mind?(YES OR NO, AND WHY?)
3. Do you take the issue to the media and expose her, risking your own job? (YES OR NO AND WHY?)
4. How far would you go to sabotage a policy you felt was unjust?(PLEASE EXPLAIN YOUR ANSWER)