∙ Respect the rights of people who use social work services and their carers including their right to take reasonable risks, while seeking to ensure that their behaviour does not harm themselves or others. Code of Ethics (The College of Social Work 2012).
∙ Establish and maintain the trust and confidence of people who use social work services and their carers’, promoting their independence while protecting them as far as possible from unwanted danger. Code of Ethics (The College of Social Work 2012).
Respecting that each person is an individual and that some people have different opinions, values and beliefs is paramount in the profession of Social Work.
If we were to take the same approach with everyone, we would not achieve the desired outcomes for all. Each person is different and will require a different approach. Respecting decisions people make is important, even if we feel that the individual is making an unwise decision, we should treat them with dignity, if the individual has mental capacity, we should respect them and their choices.
Scenario three could be open to Discrimination and Disadvantage. According to the Cambridge dictionary ‘Discrimination is treating a person or a particular group of people differently especially in a worse way in which to treat other people because of their colour, gender, sexuality etc’. And ‘Disadvantage is a condition or situation that causes problems especially ones that deny people equal access to housing education, employment, social integration etc. Which means they may be less likely to achieve their personal best or to be less successful.
In scenario three, Anne falls into the category of teenage pregnancy which has a stigma attached to it, some may believe that teenage girls fall pregnant on purpose in order to access free council housing and free benefits. In my opinion, this is not always the case. Teenage mothers can endure disadvantages and discrimination. For example. Evidence suggests that Almost 40% of women who become mothers in their teenage years leave school with little or no qualifications. If Anne was to gain employment, she would only be able to earn the minimum living wage which is paid at a much lower hourly rate than that paid to those over the age of 21. The minimum wage would not provide Anne with sufficient money to pay for her rent, feed and clothe herself and her child as well as heat her home adequately in winter months. State benefits would supplement Ann’s income depending on eligibility. However, this entitlement, is less that what would be paid to someone over the age of 21. Thus Ann is disadvantaged and discriminated against by her age and her condition. She will therefore be substantially worse off financially than those in the same position, over 21 years of age.
Evidence also suggests Teenage pregnancy is a cause of health inequalities and child poverty. Postnatal depression is a high risk for teenage mothers; they are 30% more likely to experience postnatal depression than women who become mothers at an older age. Many teenage mothers are faced with homelessness due to family or relationship breakdowns, resulting in them being placed in temporary accommodation with poor conditions for lengthy periods prior to being allocated social housing.
Anne is academically bright and hopes to become a Doctor. Scenario three identifies how Anne’s parents want her to have the baby and put it up for adoption, linking this scenario directly to Thompsons PCS model in relation to culture. Thompsons PCS Model is defined as P for personal, a person’s own interpretation of people and situations, C for a Cultural form of power, for example, how family or religious beliefs guide people and S, is power at a structural level, for example; at work your manager has power and control of what you do, the law guides us as to what is right and what is wrong.
The law bestows parental responsibility, which can be translated into a power over their own children. Many children would feel obliged to go along with their parents’ wishes out of respect, rather than to argue or fight to be able to make their own decisions. This would conflict with one of my personal values, I would be inclined to promote Anne’s human rights and encourage her to make her own decisions rather than allowing her parents to persuade her to do something that she may not wish to do. My concern being that, even though Anne has the right to make her own decision, her parents could use the power that they have over her in order to get their own way. However; in these circumstances, I would apply the ethical principles and values set out by HCPC in order to guide my professional practice. The HCPC is a regulatory body set under the authority of Parliament to protect the public, it validates Social Work education and sets out the standards of ethical principles for social workers; it provides guidance and standards to all registered professionals who work within health care. HCPC Standards of proficiency clearly state at point 13. Understand the key concepts of the knowledge base relevant to their profession and 13.1 Recognise the roles of other professions, practitioners and organisations.
In Anne’s case, I would not wish to interfere with discussions she has or decisions she has made with the supervision and advice of her parents, as this may cause conflict and relationship breakdown between both parties. This would be the opposite of what I would be looking to achieve, and may result in Ann’s distrust of me and her potential disengagement. I would however; hope to ascertain Anne’s perception of best outcomes and once Anne had made her decision I would respect it and support Anne.
On reflection, I have learned how ethical principles relate to personal values and where they can come from and how they can be shaped, as well as how values can influence practice. I understand the reasons for The College of Social implementing the code of ethics and how they promote and help to shape professional values. I feel I have clearly stated throughout this assignment that an individual’s value base influences all of their actions and behaviours. Balancing personal and professional values is essential in Social Work to ensure good practice and positive outcomes. It is important to understand that although some of my personal values may conflict with my professional values, my professional values must take precedence in practice at all times. In relation to discrimination and disadvantage and how they relate to power and oppression I believe that working within an anti-oppressive, anti-discriminatory framework, where professionals are trained and equipped with the knowledge and understanding of social inequalities and power struggles, whilst adhering to the Social Work Code of Ethics and having an understanding of personal values, where they came from and how they have been shaped, will increase positive outcomes for service users and in turn will ensure an effective delivery of services to those who need them.
References:
(2015) Available at: https://www.gov.uk/income-support/what-you’ll-get (Accessed: 17 October 2015).
Banks, S. (2012) Ethics and Values in Social Work (BASW Practical Social Work). 4th edn. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Beckett, C. (2006) Essential theory for social work practice. London: Sage Publications.
Cambridge Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus (2015) Available at: http://dictionary.cambridge.org (Accessed: 23 October 2015).
Health and Care Professions Council (2012) Available at: http://www.hcpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10003B08standardsofproficiency-SocialworkersinEngland.pdf (Accessed: 25 October 2015).
Horner, N. (2012) What is social work? Context and perspectives. 4th edn. Los Angeles: Learning Matters.
Parrott, L. (2006) Values and ethics in social work practice (transforming social work practice). 1st edn. Exeter: Learning Matters.
Primarolo, D. and Merron, G. (2010) Teenage Pregnancy Strategy: Beyond 2010. Nottingham: Department of Health.
The College of Social Work. (2012) Code of Ethics. London: College of Social Work.
Thompson, N. (2014) Understanding Social Work: Preparing for Practice. United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan.
Wiggins, M., Oakley, A., Sawtell, M., Austerberry, H., Clemens, F. and Elbourne, D. (2005) Teenage parenthood and social exclusion: a multi-method study. London: Social science research unit, institute of Education.