Ethical Dilemmas in Social Work Essay

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Kirst-Ashman & Hull (2008: 280) mention an example involving a social worker who is transferred to another department with a higher salary. He is however involved with a client who had just completed a long journey of establishing trust with him. If he leaves her at this time, she will a have great difficulty to reestablish trust, and she will also feel betrayed by him. It is important to consider her well-being as highly important; more so than the transfer or the increased salary. From an ethical point-of-view, the best decision would be to maintain the relationship with the client, and opt for a transfer once her service is terminated, or once she is sufficiently stable to build a functional relationship with a different social worker.

With the development of online technology, social work and ethics have also acquired an extra dimension. The Internet has made research both easier and somewhat depersonalized. When personal and demographic information is for example retrieved for the purpose of social work research, it is easy to forget the ethical situations that may arise, especially as these concern privacy and confidentiality issues. This is a concern addressed in a paper by McCleary (2007).

McCleary emphasizes that ethical concerns should be as important in the online research environment as I the offline one. She for example states that online research participants are as human as those in the physical vicinity.

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As such, they should be both respected and protected. When confidential information is necessary to further the purpose of the research, the researcher should make as much effort to obtain informed consent as in offline research. Full disclosure should also be provided in terms of the purpose, outcome, and potential harm that might be involve in the research.

Kirst-Ashman & Hull (2008:372) note that, while the Code of Ethics for social work provides valuable guidance, it does not provide a recipe or formula to obtain the perfect solution. To find the best of possible solutions, the social worker is required to think critically about ethical dilemmas in order to obtain the various perspectives from which it might be viewed. This will then enable them to make a sound decision regarding a solution.

In conclusion, ethical dilemmas in social work are inevitable. If the client's well-being cannot take precedence in terms of the Code, it is important to inform him or her of the situation and of the options that are being considered. All ethical dilemmas should be handled with the Code of Ethics in mind, and with the optimal integrity when considering all the viewpoints and stakeholders involved. In this way, social work is a profession that involves more than simply helping people; it involves creating a healthy social environment for optimal living conditions......

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