ETHICAL DILEMMA IN SOCIAL WORK
ETHICAL DILEMMA IN SOCIAL WORK
Teneshia Bridges
Professor (Your teacher’s name)
Abstract
Ethical dilemma is a complex situation. It leads to mental conflicts among moral imperatives. It is also referred as ethical paradox. In social life human beings have a very complex relationship. For instance, if a neighbor has a desire to kill you it will result in mental illness. Societies have criminal justice systems and mostly diffuse such criminals. Therefore, organizations do face ethical dilemmas and conflict within the premises.
The NASW Code of Ethics recognizes a number of values in service provision that social workers must uphold such as protection of confidentiality, self-determination, equal distribution of resources, and promotion of cultural diversity. Although the NASW Code of Ethics is explicit about the responsibility of social workers to promote social justice (NASW, 2000, Standards 6.01 and 6.03), it does not specify actions that social workers must take to achieve it (Bull, 1989).
Agency Services and Settings
I am an executive director of a nonprofit organization that provides after-school programming for adolescent girls. This agency began as part of the Catholic Church but is now an independent 501(c) 3 organization. I supervise a staff that provides academic enrichment, life skills training, career preparation, and recreational opportunities to more than 400 mostly low-income teens annually.
1.2 Summary of the conflict
There is conflict in my own social service organization. Being an executive director of the company my staff has recently become concerned about rising rates of teenage sexual activity among our participants—several girls have become pregnant, and many more talk openly about unsafe sexual practices. My staff has created an alliance to introduce sex education and prevention program in the company to educate and provide information to the students. Through a plan they identified the main goal and funds to be raised to support the program. They have also included potential members in this program such as local schools, church, health clinic and youth representatives. After discussing their strategy and ensuring that they can take on coalition-building tasks in addition to their regular duties I encourage them to proceed.
Ethical Dilemma
The dilemma presented here represents two values concerning sex education. Sex education being the teaching of promiscuity rather than of abstinence and Sex education is the teaching of safety in face of promiscuity. It is an ethical value to teach girls the pros and cons of sex and organizations should have abundance recourses to guide them. I as an executive director of the company have been given a very difficult choice among two actions; firstly to continue with the program plan to educate the girls in relation to sex education and challenging the board chair although it conflicts with his values and risk being fired or secondly to put an end to the program although it conflicts with my own professional values. One choice prevents selection from the other.
In accordance to the dilemma the values that are in conflict are discussed below:
• Empathy
It refers to the capacity to see another person’s point of view whether it’s little or a lot. There is conflict in the empathy in relation to the organization. Some people are willing to understand the needs of their clients but employees and stakeholders are creating a hurdle in it.
• Integrity
There is a conflict in relation to integrity. Participants are not doing right in the organization; they are involved in sexual activities without much knowledge of it. Employees have considered this matter after much time; the chairperson believes that his own values are more important rather than controlling a system through proper ethical principles. As a social worker there is an obligation to face this type of crisis in the human condition.
• Courage
The confidences to act in accordance with one’s beliefs take one's courage in both hands to nerve oneself to perform an action. As an executive I took this attempt for the benefit of company and made all remedial measures to control the present situation of the company but a conflict is created in my practice and I’m told to drop this program which is beneficial for the company (McGregor Kirsty, 2011).
Resolution of this Dilemma
As conflicts are identified on the basis of ethical values therefore it can be resolved effectively on the basis theories and practices of ethics.
• Rights Theory
Rights theory should be adopted to control conflict among employees and board members. People in the organization should know their rights and duties. All persons in an organization should be given their rights in accordance to their position. For example, I am the executive director of the company; I should have the right to implement any program for the development of students. If any employee did rumor to the board chair of any ill practice regarding me in this case firstly he should have evaluated the program implemented by me and my colleagues or he could have directly spoke to me about the program and it goals rather than just listening to other people. If in case director do finds any unethical behavior in program then remedial measures should be taken. But decision should not be made through improper judgment.
As it relates to the Board chair his values are that abstinence should be practiced and is the safest method of birth control there is. The Catholic Church states that sex exists for means of expressing love between two people and creation only and frowns upon premarital sex. The Board Chair in all of his wisdom goes with this because of his ethical teaching. However as a director I have to question his decision even if it puts my job on the line. Therefore I will call a meeting with the Board Chair to give him the details of the program which will provide more than just “handing out of condoms” which was rumored.
• Utilitarianism
It basically focuses on the consequences of a particular action. It provides many choices and helps to identify the difference between ethical and unethical choice. Through this action it will not only help the board director to make the right choice but this will also help participants to identify the difference between good and bad behavior. This theory provides benefit to make right decision. A program should be used to compare solutions which are predicted to be similar and point system should be used to identify the choice which will be beneficial for both employees as well as students and which is ethical in accordance with the principles and values.
This meeting will show the benefits of the program and the goal of empowering these young ladies and breaking silences around sex and sexuality. I would explain it is about giving young women the option of delaying childbirth until it is truly freely chosen; about stopping the spread of HIV and STD's; about affirming and connecting sexual pleasure and safety and responsibility. We know that free condoms and good sex education will not create the other things that young people need--productive employment, adequate housing, universal health care, and so on. But it can and will provide a crucial link in that chain. This is not simply a project in safe sex pedagogy, as vital as that is. We are sending a message of inclusion and affirmation to young people who are a part of our community: you deserve to have absolute control over your own sexual and reproductive choices; you deserve to have the information with which to take care of yourself and the people around you.
Conclusion
Ethical dilemma can create conflict within an organization. It can be at many levels within peers, students, employees and supervisors. The result of which can lead to demotivation, employee turnover and may harm profitability of the company, therefore it is important to identify the main cause of these conflicts taking into account the values of ethical behavior in an organization. Supervisors of company should take remedial to control ethical conflicts in the enterprise by focusing on the theories and research conducted by other companies than only present condition of organization can be improved.
References
McGregor, Kirsty. (2011). Ethical dilemma for social workers. Working paper on the
professional capabilities framework, Social Work Reform Board.
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