Exam 11: Values Ethics and the Resolution of Ethical Dilemmas

The following is (are) true according to the NASW Code of Ethics :

The NASW Code of Ethics section on social workers' ethical responsibilities to the social work profession includes the following section(s):

A 21-year-old single mother, Nerene, confides to her public assistance worker, Horace, that she is planning to shoot her boyfriend. Horace must report this to the proper authorities because the potential harm to Nerene's boyfriend supersedes Horace's commitment to Nerene. Horace explains his serious concerns and informs Nerene that he is required by law to inform authorities of her threats.  Horace then informs the designated authorities. This is the ethical thing to do.

Confidentiality involves which of the following?

Duncan, a social worker, watches late night television just so he can tell the dirtiest jokes at work the next day. He thinks he is ever so clever. He enjoys the guffaws of some of his fellow co-workers, most of whom are men. He ignores the scornful scowls he sometimes gets from Virginia and Anne after telling some of his best ones. Duncan passes these latter responses off.  He thinks to himself, "What's wrong with those old women. Don't they have a sense of humor?" This is the ethical thing to do.

The idea that in a perfect world all citizens would have the same basic rights, protection, opportunities, obligations, and social benefits is the core value of the NASW Code of Ethics entitled:

Lulabelle is a job coach for a county social services department. Stella, age 19, is one of Lulabelle's clients. Stella emphasizes that she would like to get a clerical job like a secretary or administrative assistant. Stella says she's generally shy with people and would like a job where she could work in a more solitary manner. Stella states she has always been good at typing.  Lulabelle knows that Stella never graduated from high school. She can't believe that Stella's typing or writing skills are anywhere near adequate for such a position. Therefore, Lulabelle decides not to inform Stella about available clerical alternatives. Rather, she steers Stella to think about becoming a sales clerk. This is the ethical thing to do.

A dilemma is a situation where one must make a difficult choice among two or more alternatives.

Frankie and Johnnie are social work counselors at a group home for adolescent girls with emotional and behavioral problems. They and their significant others occasionally have dinner with a mutual friend Leroy, a county social services worker, along with his significant other. The three workers regularly compare "battle stories" about their most difficult cases. Is this a problem?

Confidentiality is the condition of being free from unauthorized observation or intrusion, and privacy is the ethical principle that workers should not share information provided by a client or about a client unless that worker has the client's explicit permission to do so.

According to the NASW Code of Ethics , when personal problems begin to interfere with competent professional performance, social workers should seek appropriate consultation and help.

_____ is an ethical principle in social work that acknowledges people's right to make their own decisions and decide their own course of action.

Interdisciplinary collaboration, one of the social workers' ethical responsibilities to colleagues, is the need for social workers, when working with teams involving other disciplines, to make contributions based on professional social work knowledge, skills, and values to the best of their ability in the clients' best interest.

The NASW Code of Ethics includes the following topic area(s) regarding ethical responsibilities to colleagues:

One of the core values of the Canadian Association of Social Workers' Code of Ethics is entitled Confidentiality in Professional Practice.

The NASW Code of Ethics includes all of the following concepts regarding ethical responsibilities to clients except :

Harry, a social worker at a day care center, is angry with the administration. He feels the administration is unfair to the center's workers and not treating clients the way they should be treated. He calls parents to complain to them about the agency's other workers and administrators. This is the ethical thing for him to do.

Karen and Madeline are both workers for a rural social services agency. They also have been personal friends for a long time. At work both are pressured by lack of resources, multigeneration family farm closures, and clients' oppressive poverty. Karen notices that Madeline often sucks on intensively minty breath lozenges. They almost smell like alcohol. Karen also notices that on several occasions, Madeline slurred her words when first coming to work. Finally, on three occasions, Karen stops in on Madeline and finds her quickly shoving something into her desk drawer. All three times Karen thinks she smells alcohol. Karen has often prided herself on an exceptional sense of smell (for better or for worse).  Karen also thinks it odd that Madeline's office door is frequently closed these days. Karen wonders if Madeline could possibly have an alcohol problem. She knows Madeline is a social drinker. On the one hand, Karen worries how a confrontation might affect their personal relationship which she really values.  On the other, Karen worries about how alcohol might be influencing Madeline's practice and harming her clients. Karen decides that, difficult as it will be, she must confront Madeline about her possible drinking. This is the ethical thing to do.

Sheila, age 24, is a counselor at a community-based halfway house for men on parole who are also substance abusers. Most of the clients are in their twenties and early thirties. Sheila finds herself physically attracted to Biff, a good-looking, charming twenty-six-year-old parolee who resides in the house. Agency policy clearly forbids any such relationships with current clients or anyone who has been a client within the past six months. Sheila fights her feelings, but finally gives in. When he asks her for a date, she assents and begins an intimate relationship with Biff "on the sly." This is the ethical thing to do.

Maximizing client self-determination to whatever extent possible is the social work practitioner's responsibility.