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Social Worker case study A3
Ethics in the Social Sciences (Western Sydney University)
Studocu is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university
Social Worker case study A3
Ethics in the Social Sciences (Western Sydney University)
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Case Study Social Worker
The chosen case study for this analysis is the one relevant to promotng social change,
development and the empowerment and liberaton of people (AASW, 2022). I am a newly
practsing social worker; I have just started my frst job at an out of home care facility in a
small region town in NSW. The only facility supportng vulnerable youth within an 8-hour
drive radius. By working here, I can remain in my hometown, near my family. As part of my
employment contract, I have signed a confdentality agreement. Within my frst weeks of
work, I begin to have concerns about the running of the facility. Financial mismanagement
leaving clients living below standard accommodaton, in additon a 16-year-old disclosed to
me they are in a romantc relatonship with a senior social worker at the facility. Afer raising
my concerns to the manager who admits he has heard the “rumours” of this relatonship
and that “sometmes the books just don’t quite balance” but is not going to investgate these
concerns further. The growth and empowerment of myself and the members of my
neighbourhood are jeopardised by these problems, which also cast doubt on the trustng
relatonship and do litle to advance social change. Intuitonism and rule utlitarianism will be
utlized as the theories in the case study's executon.
Primarily, according to Ridge (2006), The idea that everyone is motvated to abide by a
system of rules that are established to secure the greatest good for the greatest number of
people is known as rule utlitarianism. Rule utlitarianism groups human intentons, deeds,
and circumstances to defend the creaton of these laws and their intended applicaton to all
members of our society. This theory is also adamant that it is reckless and dangerous to
leave moral decisions up to people without ofering any guidance or creatng any kind of
stability (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2015).To compare, Kasper (2012), deciding on what they feel
is the right thing to do is what is meant by intuitonism. Act non-consequentalism, a concept
of this type, holds that there is no foundaton for general moral standards but instead
analyses actons, situatons, and people to allow individuals to openly express their free will.
Therefore, intuitonism is signifcant in the case study scenario since breaking the rules that
supervisors have put in place feels morally acceptable. Although social workers have a code
of ethics set in place to provide a set of values, principles and standards to guide decision-
making behaviour, when an ethical issue arises, they do not provide a set of rules prescribing
how social workers should act in every situaton (Gómez-García, 2022). Even while navigatng ethical dilemmas might well be challenging, it becomes especially
challenging when one's own supervisor behaves unjustly. A supervisor's responsibilites in
social work setngs include serving as an educator, mentor, and assessor. This case study
depicts broadly the ethical dilemmas that arise from situatons whereby professional codes
and standards of care including having sexual relatons with a client and engaging in fnancial
conficts of interest (Cimino, 2013). The ability and dedicaton to behave ethically are crucial
for the people who receive the service. Promotng social justce requires upholding human
rights and fundamental decency. According to the Britsh Associaton of Social Workers,
social workers should present themselves as competent and deliver services in conformity
with their qualifcaton, licenses, and other relevant professional experience (BASW, 2002).
This case study raises the ethical queston of whether rule utlitarianism supports ignoring
the moral concerns brought up, complying by the terms of the contract, and live in a facility
close to your home and family.
Emma Field 20384294
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Case Study The BASW code of ethics specifcally emphasises the value of practse based on prior
learning and experience. It does not just depend on what someone believes to be morally
right or wrong. Additonally, according to the Australian Community Workers Associaton
(ACWA, n.d.), community workers must always create and uphold professional boundaries
with clients and refrain from forming personal tes that could jeopardise their interactons
with them. Rule utlitarianism is applicable in conjuncton with the abovementoned
pertnent theories. Rule utlitarians contend that humans frequently struggle to make the
best decisions, hence the signifcance of adhering to rules is emphasised. In relaton to the
case study, the rule is artculated via the managers dissimilar view to ignore the ethical
dilemmas that are ongoing within their facility. This theory's components include the
following: the thesis about what consttutes morally wrong behaviour, the thesis about the
process agents should follow when making moral judgments, and the thesis about the
circumstances in which moral penaltes like blame, guilt, and praise are appropriate (Hooker,
2015). In this instance, the act viewed as morally wrong is the relatonship between the
social worker and the client. The consequences of rule utlitarianism can be seen through
the strong connectons that are being built with the community and developing strong lines
of trust with clients. This theory does not have much impact on the manager; however, this
majorly impacts other clients and myself as it will weaken the trust, I have built with clients
which in the beginning made me aware of the relatonship that had been going on.
Individuals will no longer open nor seek out the help of social workers. Although this theory
ofers people a way to be guided in their decisions, it may not be the optmal strategy since
in this case study, according to the rules will not result in the greatest good for the greatest
number of people. because it contrasts the case study's fundamental morals.
Intuitonism is primarily composed of three elements. These include the ideas that there are
genuine, independent moral truths that cannot be divided into components or defned by
anything other than other moral truths and that people can fnd these truths through
intuitonism (Kasper, 2012). This theory does not explicitly state that moral judgments are
made by individuals using their intuiton, but it does allow us to use our instncts to fnd
fundamental moral truths that are well demonstrated in our daily lives. As an example, in
this case study correctly distributng the money will allow clients to live in accordance with
the standard of living. This will show clients that you genuinely care about social justce and
strong morals. This will enhance intuitonism in uncovering moral truths while yet
acknowledging that people perceive morality diferently. This will beneft the facilitator-
client connecton. Although it does not directly evaluate the efects of the actvites, it serves
to demonstrate the reality of our moral beliefs and to inspire individuals to follow their own
instncts. By acceptng that people interpret morality diferently, this will support
intuitonism in its search for moral truths. Members may be able to become closer to me
and develop more respect and trust because of intuitonism.
Although rule utlitarianism and its advantages can be clearly seen in that they provide
people with guidance in making decisions and, in this case, enable clients to move from
below the standard of living to the adequate standard of living, classifed as a health and
safety regulaton, intuitonism strongly resonates with my line of work, which is to build a
trustworthy relatonship with both adults and adolescents with complex needs. The difculty
raised by the case study may be resolved by my manager and I consultng with experts. This
Emma Field 20384294
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Case Study can be used as a discussion platorm to address any health and safety regulatons, any
concerns management may have, and possible solutons. The moral standards outlined by
the AASW, ACWA, and BASW must be reiterated. In the event that a satsfactory agreement
cannot be reached, higher-ranking social work professionals will be contacted. Additonally,
these consultatons could use other approaches that do not violate protocol but stll produce
the same results.
References:
Australian Associaton of Social Workers (2017). Social work - AASW - Australian Associaton of Social Workers. [online] Aasw.asn.au. Available at: htps://www.aasw.asn.au/informaton-
for-the-community/what-is-social-work
. [Accessed 18
th
October 2022]
Australian Community Workers Associaton. (n.d.). Workers - Australian Community Workers Associaton - ACWA leads the development, identty, registraton and recogniton of the community work profession in Australia. [online] Available at: htps://www.acwa.org.au/workers/ [Accessed 19th October. 2022].
BASW (2002). Code of Ethics. [online] Britsh Associaton of Social Workers. Available at: htps://www.basw.co.uk/about-basw/code-ethics
. [Accessed 19
th
October 2022]
Cimino, A.N., Rorke, J. and Adams, H.L., 2013. Supervisors behaving badly: Witnessing ethical
dilemmas and what to do about it. Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, 10(2), pp.48-57.
[Accessed 19
th
October 2022] Gómez-García, Rogelio et al. (2022) “How Social Workers Face Ethical Dilemmas? Strategies of Resoluton and Associated Variables: European journal of social work ahead-of-print. [Accessed 19
th
October 2022] Hooker, B. (2015). Rule Consequentalism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). [online] Stanford.edu. Available at: htps://plato.stanford.edu/entries/consequentalism-rule/
. [Accessed 19
th
October 2022]
Kasper, David. Intuitonism. London ;: Bloomsbury Academic, 2012. Print. [Accessed 18
th
October 2022]
Ridge, M. (2006). INTRODUCING VARIABLE-RATE RULE-UTILITARIANISM. The Philosophical Quarterly, 56(223), pp.242–253. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9213.2006.00440.x. [Accessed 18
th
October 2022]
Thiroux, Jacques P., and Keith W. Krasemann. Ethics : Theory and Practce. Eleventh editon, custom book editon. Sydney, N.S.W: Pearson Australia, 2015. Print. [Accessed 18
th
October 2022] Emma Field 20384294
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