Social Welfare in the Context of Marital Issues

¶ … Ethics and Best Practices

Social assistance as a tool to combat marital issues

Michelle's former husband would probably be inclined to resort to unorthodox methods of accessing her files. As a consequence, I would get actively involved in providing him with the opportunity to see things from a general perspective. By emphasizing the fact that he risks facing legal problems if he continues to harass his wife, I would attempt to enable him to move on with his life and accept that Michelle does not want to see him anymore. My role is to respect Michelle's position in this situation and this would require that I employ a hostile attitude with regard to showing her husband information concerning the woman.

Michelle is likely to cooperate with me in the process of informing her husband with regard to the condition their relationship is in. The fact that she has a history in dealing with the institution I work for makes it easier for me to interact with her and to influence her to be as truthful as possible in order for me to provide an effective solution to the issue.

A strength-based practice would certainly play an important role in this situation. Michelle's decision to prevent her husband from becoming familiar with her current condition is likely owed to her wanting to have nothing to do with him. As a consequence, the institution as a whole would have to focus on assisting the woman in her struggle to improve her life while trying to rupture connections with her past. We would practically have to acknowledge Michelle's power to experience progress and address her abilities to reach her full potential. Her former husband is probably one of the reasons why she had trouble in the past and it would thus be essential for us to provide her with the help she needs in the present.

Question 2.

Michelle is a woman who had separated from her husband and who is currently trying to restructure her life. The welfare institution I work in is in charge of her case and provides her with a series of privileges meant to make it easier for her to reintegrate the social order. The client's main problem is the fact that she had a tumultuous past and that this thus makes it difficult for her to recover. Her former husband's presence in her life further complicates matters, as even though she is trying to avoid any form of interaction with him, he is persistent and unhesitant about lying with regard to their marital status in order to get the welfare institution to provide him with information on his wife.

As a social worker, I came across an ethical dilemma as I was presented with this man standing before me and asking to see information on his former wife. I could understand he was desperate and that he most probably wanted to see her in an attempt to get back together with the woman. However, Michelle's decision to put an end to their marriage must have come as a result of irreconcilable problems that the couple experience during the marriage. As a consequence, it would have been wrong of me to provide her information and I thus had to address the matter from an objective point-of-view. The fact that Michelle's former husband lied about their relationship further influenced me to adopt a hostile attitude concerning his request. This made me thing that he was willing to go as far as it took for him to see Michelle, even if this meant that he needed to put across illegal behaviors.

When considering the legal aspect of the matter, I am required to refrain from providing Michelle's former husband with any kind of information on her present condition. The fact that he is lying with regard to their marital status further aggravates the situation, as he probably uses this idea as a means to get me to cooperate. Given the circumstances, I would normally have to notify the authorities in order for them to become better acquainted with the case and to be ready to provide Michelle with protection if and when she needs it.

Question 3.

a. To a certain degree, Michelle is a victim of gender discrimination, with her husband being responsible for stressing her and for influencing her to resort to putting an end to any form of contact with him. The fact that she took on this attitude made it possible for me to comprehend the gravity of the situation and to be especially concerned about why he would be interested in seeing her.

Professional counseling is among the primary ideas that I can think of when it comes to intervention. Such a concept would likely assist Michelle in overcoming her condition with lesser stress and would even play an important role in her husband's struggle to get over her. Coping is an important element at this stage and it would be wrong to ignore the significance it can have in helping both of them recover from the critical situation they are in.