Final Ethics Writing Assignment - Maryross Olanday

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Ethics Writing Assignment October 21, 2013 SOC WF 310

Introduction

Everyday social workers are faced with addressing difficult ethical dilemmas. These social issues that the society faces not only affect the individual but also their environment, whether that includes family, friends, or even their community. The ETHIC Model of Decision Making allows social workers to carefully process making ethical decisions based on sequential steps. (Cournoyer) We are faced to examine the ethical dilemma of Paula, a social worker working in a foster care agency. She has been working with 9-year-old Rita, her biological mother, Stella, and her foster mother, Flo on having an open adoption between both mothers. Rita was taken out of Stella's care because of her heroin drug abuse and neglect of taking care of her child. After being clean for a year and half Stella has relapsed and now is in jeopardy of losing an open adoption with her daughter.

Issues and Ethical Standards

An issue that Paula must consider as she attempts to meet her ethical responsibility in this case is her professional obligation as a social worker. Paula's biggest concern is whether she should document Stella's recent drug abuse. This is a problem because Stella's drug relapse now jeopardizes her opportunity at having an open adoption with her daughter Rita. Should Paula disclose the information of Stella's drug use to the judge and have Stella lose the opportunity at having Rita in her life? Or should Paula instead not document the relapse and pay a close attention to Stella hoping that it does not happen again so she is able to have a relationship with

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her daughter? This is an issue because If Paula does not proceed with accurate documentation of the information Stella has given her she too may be at a loss. The potential of losing her job is high in the case that she breaks the Code of Ethics to protect Stella from completely losing her daughter.

The ethical values and standards form the NASW code of Ethics that might apply to this situation foremost refers to the Commitment to Clients. "Social workers' primary responsibility is to promote the well-being of clients". (NASW, 2008, 1.01) Paula, as the social worker in this case has the initial task to both Stella and Rita. Paula must look after the well- being of the both of them to reach the best possible outcome. Ethical standards state under the privacy and confidentiality that, "social workers should respect clients' right to privacy... unless it its essential in providing services or conducting social work evaluation or research." (NASW, 2008, 1.07a). Paula sacrifices Stella's loyalty and trust to make sure she provides the proper care for the well- being of Rita. Even though, Stella is cover by the NASW Code of Ethics as Paula's client, her recent drug use poses as potential harm to Rita. As a social worker, Paula has an ethical responsibility to her colleagues. If Paula is unsure of her judgment in a case, she should, "seek the advice and counsel of colleagues whenever such consultation is in the best interest of clients. (NASW, 2008, 2.05a). It is always better to have a second educated opinion in case there was a course of action that the primary social worker had not thought of. Paula is also responsible to, "take reasonable steps to ensure the documentation in records is accurate and reflects the services provided." (NASW, 2008, 3.04).

Possible Courses of Action

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A possible course of action Paula might take would be to maintain Stella's confidence and not document anything that was said regarding her drug use. The benefits of this action would be that Paula maintains confidentiality with Stella and the open adoption would proceed. Stella is able to have unsupervised visit with Rita as well as motivating herself to stay clean because her daughter is in her life. Rita and Stella may benefit from the open adoption with a new relationship made between them both. Though the risks and consequences of upholding Stella's confidentiality would be the possibility of another relapse thus putting Rita in danger. This could also harm Paula's career if her supervisor or any of her colleagues are aware of the inaccurate documentation of Stella's drug use.

Another possible course of action could be that Paula follows the NASW Code of Ethics and accurately documents the information that Stella has presented during their last meeting. The possible benefits of this action would be that Stella does not lose her position in the agency. Paula will also be able to help protect Rita in any possible danger or harm as a result of having unsupervised visits with Stella. Though the risks and consequences of her action would have to revoke Stella's chance at having an open adoption. This is a possible harm on Stella's part because she no longer has motivation to stay clean after losing open adoption. Stella may relapse again and have a harder time staying clean and getting her act back together for future attempts at being with her daughter.

Paula's last possible course of action would be to consult and seek advice from her colleagues. The possible benefits of this action would be that Paula is able to attain further advice on how to properly approach this situation. Paula's career and position at the agency will be not in risk because she has consulted with her supervisor. She now has a second opinion on the situation that can possibly help make her judgment on what she should do next. Though, the

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possible harm of this action would be the loss of trust between the social worker and client. If Paula's supervisor decides that the situation is in dire need of attention and requires Paula to report the drug use, Stella will lose open adoption and unsupervised visitation rights to Rita.

Suggestions on the Next Steps

If I were a social worker, I would suggest Paula to seek advice from her supervisor at her agency. It is obvious that this is a difficult situation to make a decision about as it heavily affects the interest of all parties. Though, given the circumstance my best judgment would be to disclose the information about Stella's recent relapse. As stated in the video, Paula firmly believes it was only a one-time occurrence and that Stella would never put Rita at any risk or danger while under the influence of drugs. () I still find it difficult to trust Stella even if she was made such good progress within the last year and a half. There could also be a possibility that Stella has relapsed before and has not told Paula. If it were easy for Stella to relapse because of the influence of her ex-boyfriend's presence, what would happen if Rick suddenly comes knocking on her door once again for a place to stay? This puts Rita in potential danger. As a social worker, Rita is Paula's primary responsibility and must keep her well-being as her main concern. However, I suggest that Paula seek advice because not does she keep from losing her position at the agency but it also maintains professional obligation as a social worker.

Personal Beliefs and Values

If I were the social worker in this case, my personal beliefs and values that I hold would take into account as I work with and Rita and Stella. I strongly believe in honesty and truthfulness. It is important to uphold these values as a social worker because being dishonesty is a part of miscommunication that can potentially harm the well- being of clients and myself.

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Being dishonest does not only impede on my own personal beliefs but in this case also violates the NASW Code of Ethics that social workers use to help enhance the society. As the social worker in this case, I would feel extremely guilty if something were to happen to Rita during an unsupervised visit. If I had not told anyone about the information Stella provided I would be at fault for potentially causing harm onto a Rita given the circumstances of what I knew.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we have seen how important the values, ethics, and legal obligations that Paula must take into consideration. If Paula does not pertain every aspect of her clients and the systems that they belong to, she will not make the best educated decision to promote the wellbeing of Stella and Rita.

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