Code of Practice and Ethical Dilemmas

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Code of Practice and Ethical Dilemmas

• T.Y. LEE, Fieldwork Coordinator BSW

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The Code of Practice for Registered Social
Workers in Hong Kong

• Prepared by
• The Hong Kong Social Workers Registration Board

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The Code of Practice

• is an operational statement of the central values
  of the social work profession.
• Social work students should be thoroughly
  familiar with it.
• Represents standards of ethical behavior for
  social workers.

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Contents of the Code of Practice

• 1. Basic values and beliefs
• 2. Principles of practice

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Principles of Practice

• Personal Conduct
• Clients
• Colleagues
• Agency
• Profession
• Society

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Violation of the Code of Practice

• may lead to failure in fieldwork assessment
• if a placement student breaches the Code,
• when evidence for the malpractice is upheld,
• his/her fieldwork will be given a failure or zero
  mark

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What is an ethical dilemma? It is a Conflict
between ...

• ones personal and professional values
• two values/ethical principles
• two possible actions each with reasons strongly
  favorable and unfavorable
• two unsatisfactory alternatives
• ones values/principles and ones perceived role
• the need to act and the need to reflect

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Can ethical dilemma be avoided?

• You can avoid ethical dilemmas! But...
• You cannot completely avoid ethical dilemmas!

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You can avoid ethical dilemmas! An Example

• Your placement is in a school, you should give
  prior thought to how you would respond when a
  child reveals abuse or neglect.
• Find out how your field instructor wants you to
  handle these situations.
• What information does the school expect you will
  share with concerned teachers? The principal?

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You cannot completely avoid ethical dilemmas!

• It is best to prepare yourself for them
• by examining your own values from time to time
• and learning all you can about
• how past ethical problems in your placement
  settings were resolved.

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What are the behaviors that will almost always be
viewed as unethical?
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Sexual intimacy with clients
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Libeling or slandering a client
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Sharing confidences without compelling
professional reasons
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Assaulting, causing physical injuries, or placing
clients in danger
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Discriminatory practices
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Withdrawing services precipitously (abandoning a
client)
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Failure to warn and protect the victim of a
violent crime
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Failure to exercise reasonable precautions with a
potentially suicidal client
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Promising cures for problems
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How do I avoid rushing into ethical dilemmas?

• Develop a working knowledge of the Code of
  Practice
• (by necessity they cannot be specific to every
  possible ethics violation)
• By anticipating likely trouble spots before they
  occur.

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How do I resolve ethical dilemmas?

• The first step is recognizing the problem and
  identifying the source of the conflict.
• You also must keep all parties informed of your
  legal and ethical obligations.
• Engage clients or involved parties in dialogue,
  and brainstorm the best course of action.

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• Make sure you are constantly keeping in mind the
  mission of the profession and
• observing the clients right to
  self-determination.
• If you are still unclear about what to do,
  discuss the situation with your field instructor.
  
• Protect the identity of the client if necessary,
  and present the situation as a hypothetical
  case if you need external help.

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The priority ranking of ethical principles
(Lowenberg and Dolgoff ,1992) An approach for
ordering social work values that might help you
get off the horns of a dilemma.

• Protection of life
• Equality
• Autonomy and freedom
• Least harm
• Quality of life
• Privacy and confidentiality
• Truthfulness and full disclosure

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How do I know whether I am doing the right thing?

• It is not always possible to know,
• but there is a greater chance that
• we can feel good about the decision we have to
  make
• if we go through a deliberate process where
• we examine our values,
• seek additional information, and
• consult others.

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A Decision-Making Model 5 Steps (M.V. Joseph,
1983)

• 1. definition of the dilemma,

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A Decision-Making Model 5 Steps (M.V. Joseph,
1983).

• looking at all the relevant facts and developing
  valid arguments for various courses of action,

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A Decision-Making Model 5 Steps (M.V. Joseph,
1983)

• 3. consideration of practice wisdom, personal
  beliefs and values, and how these might influence
  the final decision,

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A Decision-Making Model 5 Steps (M.V. Joseph,
1983)

• 4. developing options, exploring compromises,
  evaluating alternatives in an attempt to find a
  course of action with the least negative effects,
  and

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A Decision-Making Model 5 Steps (M.V. Joseph,
1983)

• 5. choosing a position that you can defend.

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The End

• Read the Code of Practice and keep a copy while
  you
• practice