ethical codes are guidelines to assist you in making the best possible decision for your client and yourself. They do not always give you the answers. Sometimes ethics can raise more questions than answers.
It is always useful to discuss ethical issues with colleagues to get ideas and reinforce that your plan of action meets your ethical responsibilities.
This topic should provide you with the ability to recognise how to work ethically in the community services industry, both respecting and protecting the rights of clients. You will learn to:
protect the rights of clients when delivering services, regardless of personal values, beliefs and attitudes;
utilise appropriate problem-solving techniques when facing competing value systems, and discuss potential ethical issues with appropriate personnel; and
recognise and report unethical conduct to appropriate personnel.
Section 3.5 Ethics in practice
Having written guidelines and policy is one thing, but in what way do they impact on the day-to-day life of a welfare and community worker?
Activity 3.2
Read the following case study and answer the questions.
You are on work placement in an activity centre for people with disabilities. You notice a worker withholding a radio from a client until they comply with a request the worker has given.
1. What are your initial thoughts?
2. Who are the stakeholders?
3. What guidelines can you obtain from the AIWCW Code of Ethics?
4. Does legislation exist that relates to this issue? What is the legislation?
5. Who can you discuss this matter with?
3.5.1 Recognising potential ethical issues and dilemmas in the workplace
Ethical dilemmas are recognisable by the fact that there are at least two sets of values involved and you are being asked to decide which is most important. Being faced with conflicting values usually gives us a sense of confusion and makes us feel unsure. You need to ask yourself: what is the most important point (ie. obligation, value, need, issue, etc) here?
As a worker your primary responsibility is to safeguard the client’s rights but sometimes the best way to do this is not always clear. Other workers, carers or family members may see the situation differently. The situation may not be clear cut.
Ethical dilemmas can be roughly categorised in the following ways:
Competing values: for example, you may be working with a young girl who is abusing drugs. You have to acknowledge your client’s right to self-determination (the case for not intervening) versus the value of protecting human life (the case for intervening).
Multiple client system: your client may have certain priorities and concerns, but there may be parents or carers in the person’s life who view the situation differently and have conflicting concerns. To whom does the worker owe the primary obligation? The answer should always be to the client first, but this is not always straightforward when the client may be heavily reliant on others to care for them. An example would be an ageing person wanting to stay in their own home while family members want them to move to a nursing home.
Value dilemma: this is where your own personal values may conflict with the action you need to take. For example, you may have been working with a family for a number of months and notice a bruise on a child. The mother breaks down and cries and tells you that if she is reported again she has been told her child will be put into foster care. You know the family is close, though operating under stress. You have the dilemma of wanting to cause the least harm to the family. On the one hand, you wonder if reporting the incident to DoCS is going to cause further stress to the family and thus escalate the situation. On the other hand, you know you must always consider your legal responsibility under the NSW Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act to notify the department when you suspect child abuse.
Ethical dilemmas are recognisable by needing to ask the ‘But what if …?’ question and the feeling of confusion or tension about how to respond.
