Prepare a document and address the following points: What ethical concerns or di
ID: 131753 • Letter: P
Question
Prepare a document and address the following points: What ethical concerns or dilemmas are most frequently encountered in your practicum setting, according to your field instructor? How do the social workers in your agency deal with ethical questions and resolve ethical dilemmas (e.g., discussions at staff meeting, presentations to an ethics meeting, consultation with experts)? To what degree and in what way does the NASW Code of Ethics influence the decisions and behavior of the social workers employed by your agency (e.g., referred to during case conferences and staff meetings; available to social workers)? How does your agency handle reports of ethics violations on the part of its staff (e.g., written incident reports, temporary suspensions of staff, formal investigations, grievance policies, reports to state licensing bodies)? What ethical principles in the NASW Code of Ethics do you feel most strongly about? Why? Your submission should be a minimum of five paragraphs in length.
Explanation / Answer
Answer:
The organization in question is " Smiles" that runs night shelters for homeless. It manages over 70 shelters spread across the region and employs over 150 individuals, around 100 of them in the ranks of attendant - helpers. Such shelters are temporary abode of the homeless for a night. This is a crucial responsibility. particularly during harsh winter months or rainy season when such services are most sought after by the needy, who need a safe, secure heated place to sleep along with a bowl of soup to warm them up. The activity is funded by some public and private agencies in addition to the corporates and wealthy individuals who donate for this cause.
Most common complaints of the violation of ethical code are charging of a small amount for the services which are actually free, misbehaving with those seeking shelter, misappropriation of the money provided for procurement of consumables, poor maintenance of premises to name a few. Bigger offences like stealing, assault, sexual violence are very few in occurance.
We have a code of conduct in place for ethical practices.Time to time, the workers are trained, assessed and checked for their knowledge of the practices. The violations are discussed in meetings and the compliance is audited for. Corrective actions follow. Small offences are resolved by conducting counseling sessions for the offenders and keeping them under observation. Repeat offenders are warned and asked to leave if they don't mend their ways. Severe offences like burglary, physical assault and sexual violence are dealt according to the law with a zero tolerance policy.
NSAW codes are followed in judging the competence and suitability of an individual at the time of recruitment, designing training content for the workers, deciding on compliances and tolerance limits and formulating procedures for managing all stakeholders in accordance with the extant law. The codes are also useful for counseling sessions conducted regularly for employees. The codes mostly work as guiding principles for the organization.
We have committees for redressal of serious violations, particularly the violence against women and elderly, cases of physical assault resulting in injury, cases of embezzlement and financial irregularities and any other event that represents the organization in poor light. These committees investigate the matter and decide the further course of action which may include departmental action, suspension, termination, salary cut or handing over to the law enforcement agencies of the state, depending on the severity of the incident. For petty incidents of violations, the offender is counselled, reprimanded or warned.
In my opinion, most prominent of the codes is the ethical responsibility of workers towards the clients. This code determines the value offered to the client in terms of service quality, ethical behaviour and practice, help and compassion, professional approach and adherence to the laws and regulations. Being ethically responsible, sets an organization apart from the rest, thus building its brand value among the stakeholders and paving way for growth and sustainble existence.