SOAD8022 Professional and Practice Ethics Report 2 Sample

SOAD8022 Professional and Practice Ethics Report 2

Learning Outcomes Assessed

• Reflexively evaluate capacity to work with individuals who experience vulnerability and marginalization

• Critically appraise key dimensions of ethical behaviour and responsibility Once again, you will be asked to draw upon your skills of critical reflection and writing to explore your selected case study from the lens of professional practice ethics.

Task Overview:

Critically analyse the case study (provided in Topic Information Booklet and Guide to Assessment).

1.Using the AASW Code of Ethics (and other supporting literature), identify and name ethical principles and values that are present within the case study. Are there any clashes between ethical principles you have noticed?

2. Reflect upon your own values, beliefs and upbringing - how does the situation in your case study impact upon you? Why? What could you do to alleviate this impact?

Solution

1. Introduction

The case of Mr. Hardy is about enduring constant violence and threats by his neighbours hence placing him in a highly vulnerable position. Mr. Hardy has mild intellectual disability (ID) is currently living in the Housing SA apartment and has a regular job. People close to him are rude and his neighbours are dangerous; youths later force him to give them money through physical force and letting him know he cannot afford to pay rent. The threats persisted after police action and he became too afraid to go out or go to work. As his social worker, Kai, a social worker, helped Mr. Hardy by implementing the strategies of building routines and routines for budgeting and also offering words of comfort as well as organizing temporary lodging through a church friend. He also managed to call and schedule a multi-agency meeting with Housing SA, SAPOL and NDIS job support.

In this assignment, this case analysis for MBA assignment help will critically reflect upon Kai’s ethical decision-making in detail, review the ethical guidelines that govern his practice, and evaluate his ability to assist a vulnerable person from the lens of professional practice ethics. This paper will examine how Kai’s actions are ethical and compliant with the social work values and pitfalls of practising in an environment that involves supporting vulnerable consumers.

2. Critical Role of a Social Worker Towards Clients

Social workers need to manage their and others’ emotions to provide optimal assistance to the client as well as to maintain professional conduct with an emphasis on personal care and empathy towards clients who are usually stigmatized and powerless (Robertson, 2024). As identified from the case of Mr Hardy, issues of violence, coercion, and continual threats go beyond this framework of the profession. Kai, Mr. Hardy’s social worker, has to in light of Mr. Hardy’s experiences be extremely empathetic but cannot let empathy interfere with his rationality. This engagement and distance appear critical for Kai’s role as it does affect the quality of support offered and the ability to practice for longer periods in the profession.

According to Social Work Degrees (2024), empathy is crucial in the field of social work since empathy will enable a social worker to share the feelings of the client and support the client emotionally. From the case it is identified Although Mr. Hardy could be rude and thoughtless to Kai, Kai needed to understand how scared, frustrated, and helpless Mr. Hardy was. Nevertheless, Kai has to understand that this case may affect him emotionally. When working with traumatized individuals, social workers can experience emotional exhaustion which is often referred to as an emotional toll resulting from the emotional pressures that may hinder their performance (Carles et al., 2023). To counter such a risk, Kai must find ways of protecting himself emotionally, seeking supervision, and exercising emotional distance while representing Mr. Hardy in a way that benefits the client.

3. Personal and Professional Reflexive Evaluation

Personal reflexivity is the foundational element of ethical endeavours within the field of social work since it helps professionals reflect and address their biases when working with clients (Ide, & Beddoe, 2024). A critical part of reflective practice for social workers is the process by which one can detect personal values influencing decisions. This process involves questioning personal responses to clients’ decisions, exploring the origin of such responses, and evaluating the effects of such responses on choice-making.

Kai’s personal reflection should incorporate consideration of possible prejudices that could influence his practice. One of the biases includes assumptions that are made regarding Mr. Hardy’s capacity to make decisions as he had mild ID. Mild intellectual disability is a mental retardation where individuals face sort of deficits in intellectual functions in abstract/theoretical thinking (Stefánsdóttir et al., 2018). Many people with IDs are socially excluded, and as a result, other people may consider them as having impaired decision-making abilities (Stefánsdóttir et al., 2018). Studies established that individuals with ID are considered to have low self-determination, resulting in paternalistic behaviour that erases their self-governance (Björnsdóttir et al., 2017). Kai needs to avoid becoming a victim of this approach. Rather, he should respect Mr. Hardy’s ability to make choices for his own life, however difficult those choices might be. This is per the ethical principle of respect for autonomy which is one of the pillars of social work practice (Wil Flanagan, 2024). Treating Mr. Hardy as an autonomous adult is asserting that he can make his decisions instead of imposing them on him and endorsing active participation in decision-making.

In this case, Kai needs to tackle Mr Hardy to assist him in making decisions regarding the pros and cons of the different possibilities concerning the options to remain at his home or search for other means of housing. This means that Kai needs to ensure that the two parties are comfortable with each other hence the need for Mr. Hardy to feel free to express his preference. This is seen in how Kai moves to engage these conversations with an understanding of the person’s rights and independence as much as balancing the need to safeguard Mr Hardy. It underscores the imperative for social workers to remain mindful and purposefully introspective about how ideas of bias or assumption may affect their work (Taiwo, 2021).

Alongside honouring the self-determination of Mr Hardy, Kai’s professional reflection has to consider the anti-oppression ethic of protecting people in need. Protecting the vulnerable is the fundamental principle that guides social workers when handling any case (National Association of Social Workers, 2021). Through his actions of involving the police and organizing a meeting with different agencies in response to the threats against Mr. Hardy, Kai depicts his safeguarding attitude. However, it is also crucial to understand that Kai has to think about how his own emotions to Mr. Hardy’s suffering can influence him. For instance, as much as Kai wants to provide security and constantly be there for Mr. Hardy, he has to be careful about being overprotective and overbearing because Mr. Hardy is an adult with a disability.

4. Capacity to Work with Vulnerable and Marginalized Individuals

Kai’s capability to work effectively with Mr. Hardy strikes a balance between empathy and professionalism, thereby addressing Mr Hardy’s vulnerabilities while simultaneously respecting his autonomy. People with ID such as, Mr. Hardy experience social isolation, stereotyping, and even increased vulnerability to abuse, all of which potentially make the person more dependent (Scior et al., 2020). Social workers need to walk a thin line in the provision of support, on the one hand, and the fostering of independence, on the other. Kai’s approach focuses on listening to Mr. Hardy’s problems, making him part of the processes and supporting his self-organised work, yet keeping it ethical and safe for practice.

Empowering clients is an important factor in social work processes which enables clients to regain some control over their lives. It is central to social work practice especially when clients are traumatised and at risk of further victimisation (Törrönen, 2013). To Kai, empowerment entails furnishing Mr. Hardy with tools and supporting his right to be involved in decision-making processes within their life domain. This is helpful especially in the long run for the most vulnerable people as they are equipped with the right decisions even in hard times.

Kai must also ensure that he does not impose his bias to Mr. Hardy’s issue. To promote decision-making among its clients, it involves paying attention to the kind of options that they would wish to explore and encouraging them in the same process. Thus, by involving Mr. Hardy in decisions such as selecting housing options or dealing with rent, Kai encourages him to be as independent as possible, foster autonomy and to be treated with respect. This is something that increases trust and dignity, very essential when handling vulnerable persons (National Association of Social Workers, 2021).

However, Kai needs to be mindful of Mr. Hardy’s right for self-determination alongside acknowledging the fact that Mr. Hardy is significantly vulnerable. Because of possible intellectual disability, trauma history, and constant threats from neighbors, the client may barely evaluate the safety level or the potential outcomes of his actions. In such instances, Kai has no option than to perform his duties in a way that protects Mr. Hardy, but also taking into consideration the input he has. It is a code of ethics that social workers should respect the individual and professional autonomy of their clients when those are impaired by other factors (National Association of Social Workers, 2021). Kai’s involvement in the aspect of client’s life, for example, the living condition, such as better security mechanisms, shows his commitment to the client without infringing on his rights and autonomy.

Moreover, Kai struggles to grasp systemic issues that contribute to Mr. Hardy’s predicament in society. Challenges such as homelessness, low income, and loneliness further marginalise those with ID (Emerson, 2021). What this means is that while doing a social work, one has to work on the basic needs of a client as well as the structural reform. In this case, Kai did an excellent job of identifying both intrapersonal and contextual factors. Having a coordinated meeting with the representatives from Housing SA, SAPOL and NDIS job support, Kai ensures that initial necessities including housing stability and safety are addressed, as well as, the key structural contexts that affect Mr. Hardy’s exclusion.

5. Ethical Considerations and Responsibility of Social Worker

In Kai’s intervention, he shows clear evidence of following basic principles in ethical practice in social work; these principles include autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice when it comes to supporting vulnerable clients such as Mr. Hardy.

Autonomy

Being an important value in most societies, autonomy enhances the understanding that people should have a right to choose their destiny (Peterson et al., 2021). Even though Mr. Hardy seemed frail, Kai valued his right to contribute to decisions that affected him, such as safety and housing. Kai encouraged Mr. Hardy to become an active part of the decision-making process and made sure that he had choices with regard to his living environment. This approach complies with the AASW guidelines, which stress the critical role of respecting clients’ decision-making capacity, including those with intellectual disabilities (Australian Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics 2020). Finally, Kai’s attempt to empower Mr. Hardy by giving him choices and making sure he comprehends the implications of every one of them presents a fair approach to the concept of autonomy while acknowledging the man’s best interest.

Beneficence

The principle of beneficence means that practising professionals shall act in a manner that benefits their clients (Cheraghi et al., 2023). Kai explained this by holding a multi-agency meeting where departments such as housing, police, and employment services will attend. This synchronized action plan was intended to meet Mr. Hardy’s safety requirements in the short term and his fundamental needs in the future. In addition, Kai also made efforts on changing the environment that Mr. Hardy lived in currently, including ensuring that there were better locks and windows to shield him from his aggressive neighbours. He also arranged for direct debit methods of paying rent to avoid indebtedness leading to eviction, signifying a caring attitude towards Mr. Hardy’s welfare, security and ability to be self-reliant. However, multiple tools and agencies involved, including law enforcement, may cause some concerns about trust and confidentiality. Kai’s actions ensured that there was trust; for instance, he engaged Mr. Hardy on various matters concerning outside interferences.

Non-maleficence

In Kai’s case, the principle of non-maleficence which mandates that one should not cause harm formed part of the major decisions made by him (John & Wu, 2022). By persuading Mr. Hardy to continue living in his environment but subsequently enhancing security levels, the displacement and subsequent social isolation of this patient were mitigated. Eagerly, forcing a personality like Mr. Hardy to move could have taken a toll on his mental health, thereby accentuating the impact of such measures on the vulnerable population. However, Kai’s approach needs to be constant and can be adjusted depending on circumstances at the time of applying the strategy. If the situation continues to pose a threat in terms of underlining people’s safety, then there is a possibility that other intervention might be required in order to make the process always adaptive to developing risks. The principle of non-maleficience therefore entails reflection at every stage in order to avoid the situation turning worse.

Justice

The principle of justice is about being fair and equal in practice in social work (O’Brien, 2011). Kai was able to call a meeting of multi-agency, making sure that Mr. Hardy received fair treatment like other people with such issues. His advocacy for the safety of Mr Hardy was not only specific but was also able to work towards the general injustices done to individuals who are vulnerable in society. It was seen how, by contacting agencies such as Housing SA and SAPOL, Kai tried to protect Mr Hardy from unfair treatment and neglect and fight for his right to live in a home free from violence.

6. Recommendations for Ethical Practice

There are several recommendations can be drawn from the case study for ethical practice in social work with marginalized individuals:

1. Continuous Empowerment: Kai should explain to Mr. Hardy that he has a right to make decisions concerning his safety and that his autonomy should be respected when developing the intervention. Community empowerment strategies used in this approach include giving information, explaining options, and seeking feedback from Mr. Hardy.

2. Holistic Risk Assessment: With the fear and vulnerability of Mr. Hardy, Kai should make constant risk assessments that are neither too risky in terms of safety but also Continue Living in that community. This should involve regular check-ups with the local services to ensure that the living conditions of Mr. Hardy and the others are safe particularly once the young persons involved are released from bail.

3. Engagement with Mr. Hardy’s Support Network: Kai should build a better collaboration with Mr. Hardy’s other resources such as his family, friends, and other church members for a better support system. Kai can apply the ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 2005) to navigate how the external systems (Social, Family/Community) interface to influence the experience of the man.

4. Cultural Competence and Sensitivity: Kai has to be culturally sensitive in order to avoid any misperceptions regarding Mr. Hardy’s close-knit community, religious orientation, and other social and personal norms. This will enhance better working relationships, and trust, and enhance the efficient practice of social work.

7. Conclusion

In conclusion, Kai’s intervention with Mr. Hardy is a totally socially acceptable and ethically justifiable way of dealing with such a vulnerable subject. The reflection shows the need to focus on the client’s concerns as well as remain professional while acknowledging Mr. Hardy’s self-sufficiency. All the actions that Kai is taking are in line with the fundamental ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice that will see to it that Mr. Hardy receives the necessary care that will not violate his rights. This involvement of several agencies comes as a means of strengthening the safety net for Mr. Hardy, meaning that interdisciplinary support is a critical component of social work practice. The strategies that have been suggested can help in making recommendations for improving Kai’s practice in the areas of extended empowerment, comprehensive risk analysis, and cultural sensitivity.

References

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Carles, G., Stewart, C. A., & Hodgson, D. (2023). Australian Mental Health Social Workers’ Experiences of Burnout. Australian Social Work, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/0312407x.2023.2278768

Cheraghi, R., Valizadeh, L., Zamanzadeh, V., Hassankhani, H., & Jafarzadeh, A. (2023). Clarification of ethical principle of the beneficence in nursing care: an integrative review. BMC nursing, 22(1), 89.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12912-023-01246-4

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Scior, K., Hamid, A., Hastings, R., Werner, S., Belton, C., Laniyan, A., Patel, M., & Kett, M. (2020). Intellectual disability stigma and initiatives to challenge it and promote inclusion around the globe. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 17(2).https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338424060_Intellectual_disability_stigma_and_initiatives_to_

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Wil Flanagan. (2024). Ethics for Beginners: 5 Essential Principles to Master in 2024. Infonetica.net. https://www.infonetica.net/articles/ethics-for-beginners