Ethical Decision Making in Social Work

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Difficult ethical cases
3. The method of tracking harms: working through a case

Chapter 2 - Reasons for acting

1. Self-interest and other reasons
2. Doing what is ethical
3. Questions

Chapter 3 - Clients

1. Introduction
2. Intervention and self-determination
3. Conflicts with self-determination
4. Relations with clients
5. Who is the client?
6. Questions

Learning Objectives

Upon completing the course, you will be able to:

Chapter 1: Ethics in Social Work: Tracking Harms

1. Distinguish between ethical and legal dilemmas.
2. Devise a method for determining ethically what we ought to do if we have an ethical dilemma.

Chapter 2: Reasons for Acting

3. Provide examples of prudent and imprudent acts.
4. Explain why appealing to a code of ethics does not resolve an ethical dilemma.
5. Give an example of a valid argument.
6. Explain why it is a mistake to rely solely on ethical principles to resolve ethical problems.

Chapter 3: Clients

7. Outline three steps in the method of tracking harms.
8. Identify conditions that must be satisfied if someone is to be autonomous.
9. Apply the Code of Ethics to a client’s right to self-determination.
10. Identify professional and personal relationships which may pose conflicts of interest.
11. Explain a professional’s obligation to serve a client competently.
12. Distinguish among the issues of self-determination, confidentiality, and harm to others in any situation.
13. Describe the inherent dangers of dual relationships.
14. Deal with issues of diversity among clients.