Deck 4: Guidelines for Ethical Decision Making

Question 1

When asked to rank the ethical principles into a hierarchy, social workers do not agree about the order.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The effectiveness criterion is concerned with

A)costs.
B)the degree to which a desired outcome is achieved.
C)achieving a stated goal.
D)All of the above
E)None of the above

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a question the worker should ask himself before taking action in a situation?

A)Will I impress my supervisor if I do this?
B)Would I choose this course of action in a similar situation?
C)Can I justify this course of action to others?
D)If I were the client, would I want this to be done to/for me?

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The efficiency criterion is concerned with

A)How a desired outcome is achieved
B)Obtaining a stated goal
C)Costs of achieving a stated outcome
D)All of the above
E)None of the above

Question 5

Discuss how the protection of client's rights and welfare is similar and different from the protection of society's interests.

Question 6

Describe a social work practice situation where both society's interests and your client's interests are at stake.Discuss the ethical dilemma and what you see as your obligations to both.Then explain why you made the choices you did.

Question 7

Define and contrast the efficiency criterion and the effectiveness criterion.

Question 8

Ethical decisions result from making efficiency and effectiveness the primary considerations in decision-making.

Question 9

Explain in detail the concepts of Effectiveness and Efficiency, along with their similarities and differences.

Question 10

When a natural disaster leaves many families homeless, giving a white family with three small children priority for housing over an African American family with one teenager demonstrates prejudice and is a violation of the principle of social justice.

Question 11

The "Least Harm Principle" depends on which of the following?

A)Options that will do the least harm
B)Options that will do the least permanent harm
C)Options that will most easily reverse the harm caused
D)All of the above
E)None of the above

Question 12

Take the following scenario and use the 11 steps of the General Decision-Making Model to work it out.
Craig is a licensed social worker who has been working in a level 5 emotionally disturbed (ED) program in Wichita Co., Kansas.He has held his position in the Graves School for over three years and enjoys his work.He works in the preschool with children three to seven years of age and must answer to two administrators.His primary supervisor is the senior social worker, Lori, and his second supervisor is Ted, the director of the preschool program.Craig becomes concerned about the lack of assistance and staffing in the three ED classrooms.He is seeing students neglected, staff continually injured, and most infuriating, staff who are incompetent and due to their incompetence receive more assistance in the classroom than classrooms with more behaviorally challenged students.Craig reports this to his social work supervisor and then to the schools head administrator.He never once spoke with the director of the preschool about his concerns.After three weeks of seeing no changes implemented in the classrooms, Craig asks for a transfer to a new division in the school.He is so upset he transfers all of his cases to 5 different social workers in the course of 2 weeks.

Question 13

According to the NASW Code of Ethics (2008), "Social workers should not allow an employing organization's policies, procedures, regulations, or administrative orders to interfere with their ethical practice of social work."

Question 14

List the seven ethical principles and discuss each one in detail.

Question 15

Autonomy does not give a person the right to harm themselves or anyone else.

Question 16

Social workers are expected to keep absolute confidentiality.

Question 17

When confronted by problems for which there are no positive solutions, the ethical choice should be the one that will result in the least harm, the least permanent harm or the most easily reversible harm.

Question 18

John Jones was court-ordered into anger management classes because of wife battering.After this week's meeting, Mr.Jones confided in the therapist that he
Had decided to kill his wife.Which ethical principle has priority in this case?

A)Quality of life
B)Confidentiality
C)Self-determination, autonomy, and freedom
D)Protection of human life

Question 19

By using a general decision-making model as a tool, social workers can plan rationally what is needed for intervention in human situations and minimize the irrational, impulsive and unplanned consequences of actions.

Question 20

Decisions will be better, more effective and more ethical if the process leading up to making them is unconscious.

Question 21

Have each student rank the seven ethical principles in the order they feel they belong.Tally the numbers and open it up for discussion.

Question 22

Think of a story reported in the news in which you think the principle of social justice was violated.Discuss what changes need to be made in order for similar injustices to be avoided in the future.

Question 23

List Iserson's three questions and discuss each.

Question 24

Despite well established ethical codes and principals, it's important to be cognizant of your own value system.Take some time to have an informal discussion with a classmate and share your ideas about values.

Question 25

Devise a client scenario and discuss your process in helping the client resolve a specific problem.Include how you reached a particular practice decision in this case, when ethical principles were in conflict.

Question 26

Ask the students to volunteer to discuss problems that have affected friends or acquaintances and use Figure 4.1 on page 74 to work through the problems step-by-step.
Class Exercises:

Question 27

Discuss the meaning and purpose of the "Least Harm" principle.
Discussion Topics:

Question 28

Pose a problem to the class, have them break up into two or three groups and work the problem through using Figure 4.2 found on page 75.