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Pages:
4 pages/β‰ˆ1100 words
Sources:
2 Sources
Style:
APA
Subject:
Social Sciences
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
Document:
MS Word
Date:
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$ 17.28
Topic:

Application of NASW's Principles of Social Work Practice

Essay Instructions:

Use the NASW Code of Ethics to help make your decisions. Identify any ethical violations and discuss. Discuss the steps you would take in this situation and why.
In your monthly treatment team meeting, a social worker (Sally) who is also employed by the community mental health center discusses a case of one of her clients, Alice M., who committed suicide two days before. According to Sally, Alice struggled for many years with depression and cocaine addiction. Immediately following the suicide, Alice’s parents—who had participated in her treatment at various times in the context of family counseling—contacted the social worker to discuss this tragic turn of events. The social worker met with her parents, with whom she had considerable rapport, and they talked about Alice’s lifelong triumphs and challenges. Alice’s parents spoke at length about how much they appreciated the social worker’s earnest efforts to help their daughter. The parents also talked about how difficult it would be for them to bury their daughter the following day. Toward the end of the conversation, Alice’s parents told the social worker that they wanted to ask a special favor. They explained that the social worker was an important person in their family’s life and that it would mean a lot to them if the social worker would deliver a eulogy at their daughter’s funeral. She is seeking feedback from the treatment team of which you are a member. What do you do?

Essay Sample Content Preview:

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics
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The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics
Professionalism and ethics are integral to social work. The primary role of social workers is to promote the well-being of individuals, groups, families, communities and organizations with more focus on the oppressed, vulnerable and those living in privation (Kaushik & Walsh, 2019). Professional social workers have been guided by the basic values and the ethical standards and principles of social work. The unique perspective, mission and purpose of social work are rooted in fundamental values including integrity, service, competence, the importance of human relationships, dignity and worth of the person, and social justice (National Association of Social Workers, 2020). Through a set of standards, principles and values,the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) code of ethics offers guidance to professionals when confronted by situations that demand ethical decision-making. This paper examines the case of Sally, a social worker, to identify potentialethical violations, and utilize the NASW code of ethics to make meaningful decisions and define the course of professional conduct and actions to be taken.
Ethical Issues in Sally’s Case
Client Privacy and Confidentiality
Sally is a community social worker whose client struggled for many years with cocaine addiction and depression. The client, Alice, committed suicide two days earlier and Sally is faced with an ethical dilemma as a professional social worker. The first course of action that Sally should take is to protect the right to privacy and confidentiality. According to the NASW code of ethics, social workers are expected to protect their clients’ privacy including the confidentiality of information they obtained from them in the process of delivering professional services to the clients (National Association of Social Workers, 2020). Privacy and confidentiality must be maintained unless there is a compelling reason to disclose the clients’ information. Disclosure of client information may only occur when informed consent has been obtained from the client or individuals that are legally authorized to consent on behalf of the clients. Social workers can also share client information to prevent serious and foreseeable imminent harm to the person seeking profession. In Sally’s case, the client is already and there is no need to share their information because there is no imminent or foreseeable harm to prevent. Society should not have information about Alice unless there is a legal request from the authorities investigating the suicide.
Teamwork and interdisciplinary collaboration are essential in offering exceptional social work services and improving client outcomes. Social workers are allowed to collaborate with colleagues and share client information with other professionals including caregivers, counsellorsand therapists, and healthcare providers to promote the clients (Kangasniemi et al., 2022). However, they are expected to respect client privacy and confidentiality of the information shared by their colleagues during a professional transaction or r...
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