Personal and professional values and atttudes
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Apr 3, 2024
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Personal and professional values and atttudes,
Ethical behaviour
Personal and professional values and attitudes
As human beings, we all have our own values, beliefs and attitudes that we have developed throughout the course of our lives. Our family, friends, community and the experiences we have had all contribute to our sense of who we are and how we view the world. As community services workers, we are often working with people who are vulnerable and/or who may live a lifestyle that mainstream society views as being different or unacceptable. If, as community services workers, we are to provide a service that meets the needs of our target groups and helps them to feel empowered, we need to be aware of our own personal values, beliefs and atitudes and be prepared to adopt the professional values of our industry—and not impose our own ideas on our clients.
Personal values defned
What is a value?
A value may be defned as something that we hold dear—those things/qualities which we consider to be of worth.
Activity 1: What are some of my values?
Write down some of the values you hold in the following areas listed below.
1 Manners—are they old fashioned? Do they hold a high or low value in your life?
2 Pride—are there things you need to be proud of? Do you value pride or do you value humility?
3 Clothes—how important are clothes at work? At play?
4 Behaviour on the sports feld—what behaviours do you value? Sportsmanship? Winning? Team spirit? Individuality?
Values and Ethics in Community Work Page 1 of 22
Figure 1: We need to be aware of our own personal values, beliefs and atttudes
Activity 2: Sources of personal values
Think of a value that you have learnt from each of these sources.
Source Example of one of my values learnt from this source
family
workplace
significant life events
music
technology
major historical events
peers
educatonal insttutons
religion
media
culture
Activity 3: Dominant values table
The following is a list of common dominant values in Australian society. Tick the values that apply to you and then select the 10 most important values you tcked and rank them. (1 = most important; 10 = least important)
Value Applies to me
Rank order
Value Applies to me
Rank order
Being independent
Being health conscious
Being glamorous
Being fnancially secure
Being powerful Being there for family
Being my own boss
Being there for friends
Being a leader Being confdent
Being a follower Being a good parent
Being recognised as an expert
Being a good partner
Doing what is expected of me
Having a good income
Helping others Being optimistic
understand the impact of our personal value systems on our work, and the incorporation of professional values into our value system. It is an essental part of the learning journey.
Activity 4: Identifying the impact of your beliefs and values on work
Write down what some of your values and beliefs are on the issues listed below. What impact could these values and beliefs have on how you could work with clients? Which situations would present you with the greatest challenges (i. what are the beliefs and values for you that are being challenged by the clients’ behaviours)?
Remember to write down what you honestly think and feel (not what you think you should say) as the development of your true awareness is essental. Your responses on many of these issues may be confictng—that’s OK and quite normal.
Issue (could represent a client behaviour)
My values/beliefs
Sterilisation of people with an intellectual disability
People with an intellectual disability having babies
The Disability Support Pension
People with a mental illness living in the community
Carer’s Allowance
Respite care
Older people having their driver’s licence
Issue (could represent a client behaviour)
My values/beliefs
People with an intellectual disability having sex
Protectve parents of a person with a disability
Women who stay with violent partners
Parents who abuse / neglect their children
People with a disability being on management committees
Taking into account personal values and beliefs
One of the responsibilites of workers is that we do not impose our own values and beliefs on the people we work with. That is, that we don’t provide optons and services based on what we feel is right, but that we work with people in relation to what is right for them. We should always remember that it is their life and only they should make decisions about how they should live their life. The best way to ensure that we don’t impose our values and beliefs is it to be aware of what our values and beliefs are.
Professional values
What would you consider to be the values and attitudes that are critcal for someone who works in the community sector to have?
It is generally accepted in the industry that, to be effectve, workers must have the following values and attitudes as a basis to their work practce:
non-judgmental attitude (not judging someone based on their appearance or behaviour)
acceptance (acceptng someone for who they are and not trying to change them into what you think they should be)
client self-determination (helping clients to make their own decisions based on who they are and their values, beliefs and views on life)
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The Australian Community Workers Association
(ACWA) CODE OF ETHICS
1. INTRODUCTION
The welfare and community worker is a person who, through professional training and field education, has the requisite values, attitudes, knowledge and skills to work autonomously, or with a team, in a social welfare agency or program intended to promote, relieve or restore the social functioning of individuals, families, social groups or larger communities.
The welfare and community worker as a professional practitioner in the field of welfare and community work is concerned to promote the worth and well being of all individuals
regardless of racial origin, sex, age or social status or other individual differences. The professional behaviour and practice of the welfare and community worker are aimed at maximizing the human potential and worth of all persons.
Conduct opposed to the full recognition of human dignity and well being for all persons within the welfare worker's professional practice shall be considered improper and unacceptable to the welfare and community work profession
Welfare and community workers are concerned with issues of social justice and equity for clients including access to quality services and the opportunity for maximum client participation in service delivery.
2.
Principles
2 Every human being, regardless of racial origin, age, sex, beliefs, and socio- economic status, has a right to maximise his/her potential providing it does not infringe upon the rights of others. 2 Every society has an obligation to provide for and deal equitably with all its members and to make extra provision for those persons who by reasons of disability or misfortune are disadvantaged. 2 The welfare and community worker in professional practice has an obligation to utilise all available skills and knowledge to promote the well being of individuals, groups and communities. 2 The welfare and community worker has a professional obligation to give clients all knowledge, information and skills, which will assist clients, and client groups realise their maximum human potential.
2.
The welfare and community worker as a practitioner within complex social structures has an obligation to safeguard the human value of all persons encountered in practice.
3.
Responsibilities to Clients and Client Groups
The welfare and community worker is placed in a unique relationship to other persons because of employment and profession. Obligations arise from that relationship - to safeguard the dignity of the client, to maintain the integrity of the practitioner and to recognise the value and worth of all persons involved in the welfare work practice.
3 Confidentiality - The welfare and community worker shall regard all information concerning clients disclosed in the course of practice as confidential, except where: a. with the client's permission referrals are to be made and other professional consultation is sought; b. failure to disclose information would breach the terms of the welfare worker's employment (such exceptions must be notified to the client) 3 Accountability - In exercising certain powers and using information, the welfare and community worker has an accountability to both the employing agency and to clients. However, special accountability to clients in preserving their dignity and autonomy is acknowledged. 3 Respect - The welfare and community worker has an obligation to
treat clients with respect, to promote maximum self worth and dignity, and to safeguard
and promote the capacity for free choice by the client.
4.
Responsibilities to Colleagues
As a professional person the welfare and community worker can be expected to:
4 Respect the practitioner skills and conceptual abilities of colleagues; 4 Provide loyalty and support to colleagues where this does not contradict the principles of this code of ethics; 4 Share knowledge, skills and insights with colleagues; 4 Bring to the attention of
colleagues unprofessional or unethical conduct, and if unresolved, to refer the matter to
the appropriate professional bodies;
4 Refrain from any personal behaviour which may damage the profession.
5.
Responsibilities to Employers and Employing Organisations
The welfare and community worker is expected to have clarified prior to employment that agency policies and practices are likely to allow the applications of the principles contained in this code of ethics.
As an employee of an organisation the welfare and community worker is expected to:
5 Carry out the duties and responsibilities outlined as terms of employment; 5 Assist in promoting the stated aims of the employing organisation in terms of policy, procedure and practice; 5 Distinguish in public statements or behaviour whether acting as an authorised spokesperson of the employer or in a private capacity;
5 Use professionally approved channels to express criticism of employment practices which are detrimental to the profession;
5 Be accountable to the employing organisations for the full discharge of duties - except
where such contradicts this code of ethics.
Values and Ethics in Community Work Page 10 of 22
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 conficting 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 situaton 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 priorites and concerns, but there may be parents/carers in the person’s life who view the situation differently and have confictng concerns. To whom does the worker owe the primary obligation? The answer should always be to the client frst, 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 wantng 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 confict with the action you need to take. For example, you may have been working with a family for a number of months and notce 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 operatng under stress. You have the dilemma of wantng to cause the least harm to the family. On the one hand, you wonder if reporting the incident to the Department of Family Community Services (FaCS) is going to cause further stress to the family, and thus escalate the situaton. However, you know you must always consider your legal responsibility under the NSW Children and Young Persons (Care and Protecton) Act, to notfy the department when you suspect child abuse.
Ethical dilemmas are recognisable by needing to ask the ‘But, what if ...?’ queston and the feeling of confusion or tension around how to respond.
Activity 1: Recognising ethical dilemmas
Read the following case study and answer the question
Fran is a 24-year-old mother. Her son, Josh, attends a therapeutc preschool due to problems with socialisaton and a mild delay in speech and gross motor skills. Josh’s father is around but Fran is the parent the preschool has most contact with.
Fran has a history of postnatal depression, and from the time Josh was born displayed ambivalence about being a mother. She took her baby to the hospital when he was four days old and lef him there for one week.
Fran openly says that she is looking forward to Josh going to school next year. She says she doesn’t enjoy being a mother and that she does not want to have another child. Fran states she fnds it hard to tolerate Josh’s demanding behaviour.
The teachers at the preschool have a number of concerns about Josh. He has some quite advanced skills in some areas, but marked delays in others. They believe his skills are due to him being exposed to ABC TVs children’s programs and some educational videos (which Fran encourages) but that he lacks other basic needs and socialisaton skills. They also feel Josh is no trouble and see no evidence of his ‘demanding’ behaviour.
However the teachers do not support Josh going to school next year. They feel he will get ‘lost’ in the system even though he is old enough. Fran’s family are applying a lot of
pressure on her to send Josh to school. They see him as a normal litle boy.
The staf at the preschool feel that Fran just wants Josh to go to school so that she can get on with her life. They feel angry with Fran because they see her as selfsh and lacking maternal feeling and skills. They feel sorry for Josh and at a recent review meetng told Fran they felt he was not ready to go to school next year.
Fran and her husband insisted they would like to give school a try. The teachers found this exasperatng and threatened to ask them to remove Josh on the basis that Josh should probably go to a different, regular preschool now as this would prepare him for the ‘shock’ of school next year.
You are a family worker at this centre. You have been working with Fran and Josh from the time Josh started at the preschool. You now feel disturbed and uncomfortable about the way the meetng went.
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Question: What ethical issues can you identify in this case scenario? Hint: Go through the types of ethical dilemmas listed above to consider how they apply to this situation.
Apply the code of conduct or ethical guidelines
Once you have a clearer picture of the nature of the problem; consult the code of ethics to see if the issue is addressed. Sometimes, even the guidelines won’t help you, so ...
Determine the nature and dimensions of the dilemma and seek consultation
Ask yourself questions like ‘What actons will have the least chance of bringing harm to the client?’, ‘What decisions will safeguard the well-being of the client?’, ‘How can I best
promote self- determination?’. Where dilemmas involve outside agencies or other professionals you may be referred on by your agency director or coordinator. For example, you may have witnessed a situaton you believe to be child abuse or neglect, and you could be directed to discuss this with the Department of Family Community Services (FaCS) as the main witness. All workers have a duty of care to report behaviours that may be illegal and/or put other clients at risk. FaCS has oficers available
at its Help Line desks to discuss concerns, and may help workers to decide whether reportng would be the right thing to do at this point or not. Where a concern involves a director, supervisor, or coordinator’s behaviour, it’s important to speak to someone outside the agency, such as the management committee or the head ofice, or someone from an outside body—in extreme cases, the police. Appropriate people are usually at least one level up from the person causing concern and perhaps two levels up if you feel
that the person may be biased. It is, therefore, useful to know who people within the service are, and the relevant reporting system
Generate possible actions
Brainstorm with colleagues possible solutions—a few heads are better than one.
Consider the possible consequences of all options and determine a course of action
Work your way through the options looking at the potental consequences for all of the parties involved.
Evaluate the selected course of action
Review your selected course of action to be sure it doesn’t raise any new ethical dilemmas!
Implement the course of action
Even though other professionals may act differently, you have worked through a process and justfed your acton. It is useful to evaluate its efectveness after the event.
Activity 2: Applying the ethical decision-making model
Refer back to the Fran and Josh case study in a previous actvity. Apply the ethical decision-making model by answering the following questons.
Unethical conduct
Unethical conduct is when you can see that another person is not adhering to professional ethics and is behaving in a way that puts clients at risk.
Examples of unethical conduct could include situations when:
a fellow worker is overheard gossiping about a client at the local pub
a fellow worker is openly intolerant of other cultures and says negatve things about people belonging to different cultures
two workers argue with each other in front of clients.
A code of ethics helps us to identfy unethical situatons, and is therefore important to think about regularly. It should never be a dead piece of paper stuck at the back of the fling cabinet.
It is important to work to build an atmosphere of trust, respect and candour in the workplace by:
encouraging openness and tolerance between colleagues
acceptng their right to hold different points of view
using constructive methods of confict resolution
maintaining appropriate confdentality.
If we have a trustng atmosphere, hopefully we can confront potentally unethical behaviour and support each other to act professionally at all times.
Activity 3: Identifying unethical behaviour
Put a cross (
) next to any of the following acts you think are unethical.
1 In relaton to clients I will ...
(a) Respect the relationship between clients and families but also acknowledge the client’s right to choose and challenge her/himself in a safe environment.
(b) Talk with the family about how awful the client has been on outngs, in front of the client.
(c) Laugh together with other staf about the behaviour of the client.
(d) Celebrate the client’s relationship with his family members.
2 In relaton to families I will ...
(a) Assist each family to understand the services we offer, make them feel welcome, as is appropriate for the client, and reassure them of my concern for the well-being and development (or safety and health) of the client.
(b) Ask the family to visit without consultng the client.
(c) Invite families to share their ideas and time with the service.
(d) Conduct regular meetngs with families to share the client’s progress.
3 In relaton to my colleagues I will ...
(a) Work with my colleagues to maintain and improve the standard of service provided in my workplace.
(b) Atend staf meetngs regularly and contribute to discussion.
(c) Read books and journals for new ideas in programming to discuss with co-workers.
(d) Skip meetngs and knock new ideas as unrealistc and too diffcult.
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