Ethical Issue Analysis Paper

Mysticka Robinson

College of Social Work; University of South Carolina

SOWK 483: 001: Practicum Seminar

Professor Michael Ottone

November 2, 2023
Ethical Issues

The ethical issue being presented is that the client, Jessica, well-being may be

compromised. She is currently living with her parents who were recently arrested for possession

of meth and failure to stop for the police. They also placed Jessica’s older brother in harm’s way

by crashing the car with him in the backseat. When reviewing the NASW Standards for the

Practice of Social Work with Adolescents, I found that social workers should assess adolescent

services, have knowledge of family dynamics, understand adolescents’ needs, participate in

multidisciplinary case consultation, maintain confidentiality, and advocate for the increased

needs for youths. Professional social workers are supposed to be conducting their practices a

certain way to help their clients. Having to follow the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice

when becoming a social worker is important because issues don’t have simple answers. This

dilemma did not have a simple answer. Due to the client being a fifth grader, Madelyn must be

able to make the decisions for her. She also must assess the situation and then bring in her

resources to find out if Jessica is in a safe place or not. Jessica watching her parents be placed in

handcuffs can become traumatic down the line, so they offer services to help with this as well.

Social workers are held at a standard to ensure that they are always following the Code of Ethics.

Professional social worker ethics/values are impacting this issue due to the client being young

and strongly impacted by her surroundings. Jessica could be exposed to drugs, neglect, or even

abuse. It’s the social worker’s job to find out what is going on in Jessica’s home and possible

interventions. The school district social worker is obligated to ensure Jessica is safe in and out of

school. And if she is not, then it would be time to step in and begin the decision-making process.

With the police already having a case against the parents, doing your job as a social worker

should not be harder. You are now to implement your ethical values when making any decisions
pertaining to Jessica. My ethics/values are impacting this issue due to me having a job to do.

Leaving out any personal biases or judgements is very crucial when handling dilemmas. Staying

with the facts and making sure you are doing your job as a social worker is essential. The

values/ethics are what help with making decisions in these kinds of situations. There are times

where you will have to question your judgement from the values/ethics. But when this arises,

you would seek outside resources to assist. Without the ethics/values, professional decision

making would be a dilemma within itself. We would react off emotions and not from rationale.

This is why the NASW Code of Ethics and Standards are important.

General Decision-Making Model

Identify

The problem listed in the ethical situation is that a set of parents were arrested recently.

The short-term problem is that Jessica was placed back with her delinquent parents. The long-

term problem is that Jessica is being placed back into an unsafe environment. The parents still

have the risk of being arrested in the future and if they do, then Jessica could potentially be

placed in foster care. Or she could even die due to the negligence of her parents. The key players

in the dilemma would be Jessica (the child), Ms. Bonnie, the school counselor, and Madelyn, the

school district social worker. The agency Madelyn is serving would be Plain Elementary in

Greenville County. Madelyn is serving students who have experienced trauma, abuse, and

neglect. But some clients also deal with poverty as well. Professionals involved would be the

principle, the superintendent, and possible the police. Support systems for Madelyn could be the

principle, the superintendent, Ms. Bonnie, and Jessica’s teachers. Lastly, the other people

involved in the problem would be Ms. Bonnie, Jessica’s mother and stepfather, Jessica’s brother,

and the police.

Involvement

When thinking of who should be involved in the decision making, it should be Madelyn

and Ms. Bonnie. Due to them being close to Jessica and having her well-being at heart, they

would make sure that she is taken care of and in a safe environment as well. But when it comes

to making the decisions, it would be Ms. Bonnie. She is the able to make the decisions due to

Jessica being assigned to her caseload. But when it comes to having the authority and scope of

power to make the decision, it would be Madelyn. Being the school district’s social worker, she

legally has authority over Jessica. She also has the resources that can help Jessica benefit and

making sure she is in a safe environment.

Relevant Values

Relevant values held by Madelyn and Ms. Bonnie would be based on the NASW Code of

Ethics. They ensure that they are following them and basing their decision making around the

Code of Ethics as well. But they also are based on the values of the school as well. The client’s

(Jessica) relevant values are not really discussed or displayed. From a child’s perspective, it is

very limited. She knows that Madelyn and Ms. Bonnie make her feel comfortable, but she shares

more personal information with Ms. Bonnie. The school’s relevant values would be to educate

students, zero tolerance with bullying, xero tolerance for children being left behind, and ensuring

that each child is given the protection while in their care. Those being served relevant values

would be getting service and protection from trauma, abuse, and neglect. The relevant values for

the principle, the superintendent, Ms. Bonnie, and Jessica’s teachers would be the same as

Madelyn, to protect and serve the children of the school and ensure that their well-being is not at

risk. Now Jessica’s parents’ relevant values are honestly not the best. The values would be

putting themselves over their children along with drug use being okay as well.
Goals and Objectives

The client’s, Jessica, goal would be to continue to have a safe space to speak and share

with Ms. Bonnie. Due to her being a child, she does not have much of a complex perspective of

her overall situation. The worker’s, Madelyn, goals would be to gather more information, gather

resources, and to make sure that Jessica is in a safe environment. Madelyn now needs to begin

the next steps when it comes to finding a solution to Jessica’s situation. Madelyn needs to gather

more information before making any decisions. Using her resources, she would need to evaluate

the situation and then come up with possible solutions for safety for Jessica. And once she finds

the necessary solution, she could then determine what would be the best outcome for Jessica.

Because it is not witty to make any decisions without fully assessing the situation and then

finding out the best way to resolve the issue and finding safe for Jessica without causing any

potential issues with Jessica feeling comfortable to share things that are happening. From others

on the outside looking in, they would want me to remove Jessica from the home. This conclusion

would be based off the parents placing her brother in harm’s way, possession of drugs, and

failing to stop for the police, and being arrested. They may feel like Jessica is not in a safe

environment if all of that is happening at home. But the issue with this is that it may not reduce

the issue at all. This might make the situation worse on behalf of Jessica. She might not feel like

she is in any danger at all and removing her may do more harm than good.

Alternative Interventions

For those on the outside looking in, they feel as if Jessica is in a harmful environment and

needs to be removed from the home quickly. One alternative intervention could be setting up a

meeting with Jessica’s parents about next steps for ensuring she’s being cared for properly. One

pro to this intervention would be gathering more information to the situation. The parents could
be willing to share what has been going on and wanting to partner with ensure Jessica is safe.

This could give Madelyn clarification on what may have happened with the events leading up to

the arrest, the arrest, and the court dates. This could also give Ms. Bonnie some reassurance

about Jessica’s safety as well. A con to this intervention could be that Jessica’s parents could

become agitated and potentially harm her or remove her from the school. The parents may see if

as Jessica goes to school and tells all their family business and this could cause more issues

within the home. Especially with the parents being reckless with her brother, what is stopping

them from doing that same with Jessica. Due to the overall goal being Jessica, this intervention

could go either way. Another intervention would be getting social services involved. The pros of

getting them involved would be having an ongoing investigation could happen and the children

could be placed into protective custody. This could be beneficial to the children to a certain

extent. Yes, they could be taken from the home and placed in a “safer” environment and the

parents could get the proper help that they need as well. The cons are that Jessica could begin

acting out due to being moved. The parents could take the children and leave as well before

Social Services can remove the children. Also, Social Services may take too long to assist with

the situation. This could leave room for bigger issues to arise. And the last possible intervention

could be allowing the police and state to continue to handle this situation. Due to the parents

already having a case built against them, the state might have already began looking into the

children. This could be a very good pro. Because they have the resources to get Social Services

involved and to have the parents seek help as well. But this is also a con because the state

allowed the children to remain in the custody of their parents, even after everything that

happened. They allowed the parents back home and are expecting them to come to their court
date in the future. This does not get the children the assistance that they need and the parents the

counseling that they need as well.

Appropriate Strategies

The intervention I decided to go with would be getting Social Services involved with the

situation at hand. This intervention was better than the other two based on the facts of having

more resources and a better possible outcome. This intervention can get the help for the client

and their family as well. This intervention addressed the problem through Social Services

investigating the home and seeing if there is any signs of negligence or abuse within the home.

They could then decide next steps based on what they found. There could also be breaking a

possible cycle from happening as well. When children tend to come from criminally influenced

backgrounds, they sometimes happen to take on that same mindset as they get older. Children

become a product of their environment, and this is a possibility of Jessica stays with her parents.

Due to the client not having any stated goals, this intervention would help with the needs of her

being within a safe environment and ensuring her parents are not putting her in harms way. This

intervention would advance the social workers needs and goals by assisting Madelyn in ensuring

that she is caring for her student, Jessica. Due to Madelyn being the school district’s social

worker, her job is to ensure that the students are not placed in bad situations. The overall goal

that Madelyn has is to make sure that Jessica is not in any harm while being at home with her

family. This will give ensure that she is following her ethical agreement that she made when she

became the school district social worker. What takes precedence would be Madelyn’s

professional responsibility over the desires of the client. As a social worker, Madelyn’s primary

responsibility is to promote the well-being of her students. Yes, the clients’ interests are primary

but in the situation it is not. There is a strong chance that Jessica could be within an unsafe home
without even knowing. It is the job of Madelyn to utilize her resources to ensure that Jessica’s

well-being is not being compromised. Based on the NASW Ethical Standards, Madelyn should

be following them when making decisions. Due to Jessica lacking the decision-making capacity

due to her age, Madelyn must take reasonable steps to safeguard the interests and rights of

Jessica. Madelyn is also allowed to give a referral for services based around what is happening

with Jessica’s family. The parents have already shown negligence when having Jessica’s brother

in the car chase and crash. So, there is grounds to referring Jessica for services.

Results Evaluations

When progressing towards a solution, we must keep track of the progress. Keeping notes,

thinking of possible outcomes, possible consequences, and identify possible interruptions during

the progression period are things that Madelyn must keep in mind. The way she would know if

the intervention were working would be paying attention to her client, and the other involved in

the situation. If the investigation is conducted and it is noticed that the home is unsafe, then

Jessica and her brother could be removed from the home. Then Social Services could request that

the parent attend meetings, rehab, or even classes to better themselves to get their children back.

The way that Madelyn would know that the intervention is productive is if the parents are

complainant and that Jessica is not having a negative reaction to the changes that are happening.

Madelyn will need to pay attention to if Jessica is having any behavioral, mental, or physical

changes. This could be a sign of distress due to the changes and it might cause regression. She

would so monitor how Jessica is doing in school after the change as well. Especially since

Jessica would have lunch with her and go and speak with Ms. Bonnie every day after lunch as

well. She could measure how the change has affected Jessica’s school performance, and how

many times a week she has lunch with Madelyn and how many times she goes and speak with
Ms. Bonnie as well. Some successes would be having Jessica be in a safer environment and

flourish, her parents getting the proper help that they need for their drug use, social services

could possibly save Jessica and her brother’s life and changed the family’s structure for the better

possibly. But an unanticipated consequence could be the parents not wanting to change their

lives for their kids, they might be willing to sign their rights over, Jessica might not take well to

the changes, or the state might not require the children to be removed from the home. The way

that Madelyn will know that she has reached success with this case would be seeing the change

in Jessica’s well-being. Jessica’s life will no longer be around negligent parents and drug use.

She will be placed in a safe and clean environment. With continuing to do home visits and

monitoring and meeting with Jessica, Madelyn will be able to know how things are going. The

end goal is to help Jessica and make sure her well-being is now at risk. Madelyn will need to stay

connected with Jessica.

Concluding Results

When first presented with this ethical dilemma, I had to read the dilemma four times to

fully grasp what was happening. Once I had a better understanding of all the factors of the issue

at hand, I was able to start thinking of next steps. Having to think in the mind frame of a social

worker and not the mind frame of a mother or even a civilian on the outside looking in was

challenging at first. As a mother, my heart automatically went out to Jessica and her brother

being placed in such a scary situation at home. Knowing that these kids were placed in harm’s

way didn’t settle right with me. Also looking as, a civilian from the outside in made me

automatically want to have the parents arrested without a bond. But I knew I had to look at this

dilemma from a social work point of view and think in steps and not out of emotions. Once I

stopped and highlighted the key points in the dilemma, it assisted me when it came to the
decision-making model and identifying what ethical issues were being presented. When breaking

down the ethical issue, it was clear as day what the issue was. But pointing out ethically why it

was an issue was where the social construct came in. Using the NASW Code of Ethics to figure

out what ethical standards were not being followed assistance with the decision-making model as

well. The hardest part of this process was completing the decision-making model. Having to

account for so many outside aspect that can possibly be involved and affected is something I was

not used to thinking about. So, when having to identify more than Jessica, Madelyn, Ms. Bonnie,

and Jessica’s family had me a bit perplexed. Having to think about the outside factors is a major

part of being a bachelor level social worker. Gathering all the facts, key players, identifying the

ethical issue, and possible interventions is a long process. It is hard to make a split decision when

you are without certain information. So having to think rationally and strategically is something

that happens as well. Most people’s solution would have been to remove Jessica from the home

due to her parents’ recent criminal issues. There is usually no thought on how this will affect the

client, social worker, and the other people involved. As a social worker, your obligation is to

your client but to also think cohesively before making any decisions as well. You must be

competent enough to make choices, especially in this situation for a child. Having to come up

with possible interventions is also tedious as well. Being a social worker, you would like to find

a solution that will benefit your client but also those involved as well. Finding the perfect

solution is something that will never happen because there’s a chance of unexpected changes.

With this assignment, I learned that being a social worker takes a lot of problem solving in steps

and not just quick decisions as well. Besides having the resources, you must make sure you

gather as much information as you can before coming to a particular intervention. This can either

make or break your case. It’s not just about knwoing the Code of Ethics but following and
implementing them as well. And there will be times where you want to just have a simple

solution to some problems, but that is nearly impossible. With one decision, it can either be a

success or failure. Having to do this assignment as well shows me a better understanding of how

social workers are so backed up when it comes to addressing cases. Having to thinking and make

fully thought-out decision is something very important. It is not as simple as some people may

think. Addressing cases must be very thorough because if it’s not, then children tend to fall

through the cracks. Our jabs are to protect and ensure our clients well-being comes first bring a

lot of pressure as well. You might decide what you think is best, but it might have the complete

opposite reaction than what you intended. You must be prepared for anything and to be ready to

regroup and continue to follow-up to ensure that the intervention becomes successful. Being a

social worker is more than being attentive and empathetic. It is being dedicated, passionate,

patient, attentive, empathetic, understanding, and thorough with decision making. Being able to

see social workers in a whole different light after this assignment was very eye opening. Now I

see why they have so many long days and sleepless nights at times.