In the case of disclosure to harm oneself or others, the social worker has an ethical responsibility to refer the individual for further evaluation and possible commitment to a psychiatric facility equipped to aid the individual and potentially avert any future harm. The social worker must then use his or her professional judgment to determine if such goals or proposed actions pose a serious and imminent threat to self or others. The NASW code identifies this need to disclose as the social worker's ethical responsibility to larger society. (National Association of Social Workers, 2008)
Additionally, as part of the NASW Code the social worker is ethically bound to aide in the individual's self-determination and to help them give voice to and even codify their goals. (National Association of Social Workers, 2008) Ultimately, it is the primary goal of the social worker to help clients identify potential problems in social functioning. Some examples include, meeting his or her basic needs in any given situation and his or her broader needs such as socialization, spiritual belonging, familial support and any other possible barrier to the individual having the highest quality of life possible.
An example might be a social worker intervening in a hospital setting to aide in the placement of an individual needing follow...
The social worker can then review eligibility for such care under insurance or other sources and aide the client by making contact with possible placement centers or at home care providers or can simply assess the ability of the client family to provide such care at home. There are also often social workers on the receiving end of such placements who together with the generalist may have advanced knowledge of care costs, insurance and other eligibility, social climate and culture in a receiving facility and even cultural competence if such is needed. There are many other scenarios where a social worker might aide a client or family in a generalist setting but the above serves as common example of social worker duties in a generalist setting, i.e. they help the client identify problems and then offer the client possible solutions to them.
Resources
Barker, R.L. (2003). Dictionary of Social Work. Baltimore, MD: NASW Press.
Merriam-Webster. (2010). "Social Work." Retrieved August 10, 2010, from Online Dictionary: http://east.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20work
National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of Ethics. Retrieved August 10, 2010, from NASW: http://www.naswdc.org/pubs/code/code.asp
