Practising Social Work Ethics Around the World : Cases and Commentaries

Ethics is an increasingly important theme in social work practice. Worldwide, social workers experience common ethical challenges (how to be fair, whether to break a rule, how to act in politically tense situations) in very different contexts -- from disaster relief in China to child protection work in Palestine. This book takes as its starting point real life cases featuring ethical problems in the areas of: negotiating roles and boundaries, respecting rights, being fair, challenging and developing organisations and working with policy and politics. Each case opens with a brief introduction, is followed by two commentaries and ends with questions for reflection. The commentaries, written by authors from different countries, refer to relevant theories, concepts, practical matters, alternative courses of action and their implications. Features within the book include: An introductory chapter covering issues of global ethics Cases and commentaries drawn from across the world -- from Peru to Finland Cases based on real life situations and chapter introductions from leading authorities in social work and ethical theory Questions and practical exercises to aid teaching and professional development This book is a unique and accessible resource for stimulating ethical reflection, expanding ethical horizons and developing ethical and intercultural sensitivity. It is designed for use by undergraduate and postgraduate students and professionals in the fields of social work, social education/pedagogy, social care work, international social work, community development, community organisation, youth work and related fields Cover Practising Social Work Ethics Around the World Copyright Contents List of cases by country List of Tables List of contributors of cases Notes on editors and authors of chapter introductions Foreword Preface Acknowledgements 1 Global ethics for social work? A case-based approach 2 Negotiating roles and boundaries Introduction Case study 2.1 Case 2.1 Doing harm with a good heart: volunteer social work in a post-disaster situation in China Commentary 1: Angela On Kee Tsun Commentary 2: Grant Larson and Julie Drolet Questions for discussion Case study 2.2 Case 2.2 ‘When the tables turned’: a social work intern’s moral dilemma in a Botswana police station Commentary 1: Gloria Jacques and Rodreck Mupedziswa Commentary 2: Peta-Anne Baker Questions for discussion Case study 2.3 Case 2.3 When is it right to accept a gift? A Lithuanian social work student’s dilemma Commentary 1: Nino Zganec Commentary 2: Howard Sercombe Questions for discussion Case study 2.4 Case 2.4 ‘Why should I have to reveal anything about my personal life?’ A dilemma for a lesbian student in Britain Commentary 1: Nicki Ward Commentary 2: Joan C.Tronto Questions for discussion 3 Respecting rights Introduction Case study 3.1 Case 3.1 Issues of choice and coercion: working in a psychiatric hospital in the USA Commentary 1: Donna Harrington Commentary 2: Siu-man Ng Questions for discussion Case study 3.2 Case 3.2 The reluctant vegan: the case of an older man in a Swedish care home Commentary 1: Titti Fränkel and Erik Blennberger Commentary 2: Hilde Lindemann Questions for discussion Case study 3.3 Case 3.3 Social work in Vietnam: a Dutch student’s perspective Commentary 1: Nguyen Thi Thai Lan Commentary 2: Richard Hugman Questions for discussion Case study 3.4 Case 3.4 Ethical issues in international social work research: a case from India Commentary 1: P. K. Visvesvaran Commentary 2: Wendy Bowles and Margaret Alston Questions for discussion 4 Being fair Introduction Case study 4.1 Case 4.1 Dilemmas in working with an illegal migrant: a case from Japan Commentary 1: Akira Namae Commentary 2: Shimon E. Spiro Questions for discussion Case study 4.2 Case 4.2 A young man waiting for a transplant: dilemmas for a hospital-based social worker in Britain Commentary 1: Tamara Catchpole Horsburgh and Lawrence Nuttall Commentary 2: Amy M. Chow Questions for discussion Case study 4.3 Case 4.3 Dilemmas in working with a gypsy family: a story from a Portuguese social educator Commentary 1: Adalberto Dias de Carvalho, Ana Maria Serapicos, Florbela Samagaio, Gabriela Trevisan, Walter Almeida, Álvaro Faria and Igor Magalhães Commentary 2: Vivienne Bozalek Questions for discussion Case study 4.4 Case 4.4 A gay applicant who wants to adopt a child: a case from Turkey Commentary 1: Agnes Verbruggen Commentary 2: Ana M. ˇSobocan Questions for discussion 5 Challenging and developing organisations Introduction Case study 5.1 Case 5.1 Establishing the facts: issues for organisations working with young women in Iran Commentary 1: Habib Aghabakhshi and Abbas Ali Yazdani Commentary 2: Beverley Burke Questions for discussion Case study 5.2 Case 5.2 Deciding on the right to health care insurance: a case from Peru Commentary 1: María Jesús Úriz Pemán Commentary 2: Lynne M. Healy Questions for discussion Case study 5.3 Case 5.3 The vicious cycle: issues for a church-based social worker in Australia Commentary 1: Truus Fraaije, Han Aalbers and Peter van Zilfhout Commentary 2: Melissa Floyd Questions for discussion Case study 5.4 Case 5.4 Bending the law? A case about reporting child abuse in Denmark Commentary 1: Marianne Skytte Commentary 2: Chris Beckett Questions for discussion 6 Working with policy and politics Introduction Case study 6.1 Case 6.1 Challenging pernicious policies: working with refugees in Australia Commentary 1: Sema Buz and Emrah ̧ Akbas Commentary 2: Linda Harms Smith Questions for discussion Case study 6.2 Case 6.2 Maintaining organisational integrity in an area of conflict: a women’s NGO in Pakistan Commentary 1: Ian Sinclair Commentary 2: Gracy Fernandes Questions for discussion Case study 6.3 Case 6.3 The shrinking welfare state: caring for older people in Finland Commentary 1: Aira Vanhala Commentary 2: Hiroshi Kosaka Questions for discussion Case study 6.4 Case 6.4 Maintaining professional integrity in an area of conflict: working with a sexually abused girl in the Occupied Palestinian Territories Commentary 1: Mahmoud Baidoun and Jane Lindsay Commentary 2: David N. Jones Questions for discussion 7 Working with cases and commentaries Introduction Cases without commentaries Case Case 7.1 Taking money from a dubious source: a dilemma for a social worker in China Case 7.2 Maintaining professional secrecy: a French ethical situation Case 7.3 Institutional pressures and social work ethics: a case from Jamaica Case 7.4 Between education and punishment: dilemmas for a Malaysian youth worker Case 7.5 Maintaining the rules: a dilemma about a homeless person in Spain Case 7.6 Balancing a girl’s need with a mother’s decision: a dilemma for a youth worker in Finland Using cases and commentaries in teaching and learning Exercise I: Participants analyse a case and reflect on the commentaries Exercise II: Participants analyse a case and write their own commentary Exercise III: Participants research issues raised by a case and commentaries Exercise IV: Using cases as a basis for dialogue, discussion or debate Exercise V: Using cases as a basis for drama or role play Exercise VI: Participants write their own cases Exercise VII: Using cases in web-based learning Exercise VIII: Using a case as a basis for a written assignment Index Annotation Ethics is an increasingly important theme in social work practice. Worldwide, social workers experience common ethical challenges (how to be fair, whether to break a rule, how to act in politically tense situations) in very different contexts from disaster relief in China to child protection work in Palestine. This book takes as its starting point real life cases featuring ethical problems in the areas of: negotiating roles and boundaries, respecting rights, being fair, challenging and developing organisations and working with policy and politics. Each case opens with a brief introduction, is followed by two commentaries and ends with questions for reflection. The commentaries, written by authors from different countries, refer to relevant theories, concepts, practical matters, alternative courses of action and their implications. Features within the book include:An introductory chapter covering issues of global ethicsCases and commentaries drawn from across the world from Peru to FinlandCases based on real life situations and chapter introductions from leading authorities in social work and ethical theoryQuestions and practical exercises to aid teaching and professional development This book is a unique and accessible resource for stimulating ethical reflection, expanding ethical horizons and developing ethical and intercultural sensitivity. It is designed for use by undergraduate and postgraduate students and professionals in the fields of social work, social education/pedagogy, social care work, international social work, community development, community organisation, youth work and related fields "This book takes as its starting point real-life cases featuring ethical problems in the following areas: negotiating roles and boundaries ; respecting rights ; being fair ; challenging and developing organisations ; and working with policy and politics. Each case opens with a quick introduction, is followed by two commentaries and ends with questions for reflection. The commentaries, written by authors from different countries, refer to relevant theories, concepts, practical matters, alternative courses of action and their implications."--Back cover Global ethics for social work? A case-based approach / Sarah Banks Negotiating roles and boundaries : introduction / Frank Philippart Respecting rights : introduction / Linda Briskman and María Jesús Úriz Pemán Being fair : introduction / Frederic Reamer Challenging and developing organizations : introduction / Donna McAuliffe Working with policy and politics : introduction / Derek Clifford Working with cases and commentaries : introduction / Kirsten Nøhr. Ethical considerations are central to social work, yet there are often situations where values conflict. This text looks at real life case studies of ethical problems in the areas of: respecting rights, negotiating roles and boundaries, being fair, challenging and developing organisations and working with policy and politics.