Ethical dilemma in social work: reporting welfare fraud

¶ … social work and a situation that a social worker goes through. The writer examines the issue and draws conclusions about the proper action and response that the social workers should take. There were three sources used to complete this paper.

The ethics of social work must remain clear cut and precise because of the nature of the business that social work involves. Whether it is dealing with a family with children or an elderly person in need of support the very nature of that trust between the social worker and the client dictates a strict code of ethical behavior (Janesen, 1998). When situations arise in which a social worker finds a law or moral code has been broken by a client the social worker is duty bound to report that infraction regardless of how that report may impact the client.

THE PROBLEM

In this particular situation the social worker has been made aware that one of her clients has been collecting welfare benefit under several different names. The problem is that this particular client is a battered woman with children that has finally left her batter for good. She has a broken jaw and is in the shelter for battered women and has been there with her children for six weeks. The dilemma for the social worker is she knows if she reports this client for welfare fraud and the mother goes to jail the father, who is the batter could feasibly end up with custody of their children. In addition if she reports the client and she does not go to jail but is ordered to give back the money she has set aside for the purpose of taking her children and moving away from the battering husband she may feel she has no choice but to take her children and go back to the family home where she will again be battered.

CODE OF ETHICS

Before one can begin to decide how this woman should proceed one must first have a basic understanding about how ethics in social work are applied.

The National Association of Social Workers has a mandated and written code of ethics that each and every social worker is expected to follow during the course of their professional endeavors (Reamer, 2000).

The code of ethics opens with a statement about the mission of social workers nationwide (Code of Ethics http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp of the National Association of Social Workers).

The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. A historic and defining feature of social work is the profession's focus on individual well-being in a social context and the well-being of society. Fundamental to social work is attention to the environmental forces that create, contribute to, and address problems in living (Code of Ethics http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp of the National Association of Social Workers)."

The code further states that the social workers will be sensitive to cultural and ethnic diversity and appreciate those differences for the positive impact they play in society as a whole.

There certain core values that the profession has embraced since its inception and those core values are still maintained and upheld by social workers in the field today.

The values include:

service social justice dignity and worth of the person importance of human relationships integrity

Competence (Code of Ethics http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp of the National Association of Social Workers)."

The purpose of the code of ethics for the profession is to articulate the basic values that the workers are expected to follow so there can be no confusion at a later date.

Social workers are called upon to put the interest of others above self-interest. In addition they are called upon to challenge social injustice. They primarily work with oppressed and underserved populations and they are expected represent those individuals and are their voice so that they can begin to change their life path for the better (Code of Ethics http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp of the National Association of Social Workers).

Social workers strive to ensure access to needed information, services, and resources; equality of opportunity; and meaningful participation in decision making for all people (Code of Ethics http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp of the National Association of Social Workers)."

One of the most important ethical considerations in the field of social work is the constant respect that social workers show to the people they server. The dignity of a client is highly valued and held in high esteem in the field of social work and social workers strive to help individuals maintain their sense of dignity and value so that they can regain their sense of self-worth.

Social worker ethics also include the embracing of the value of human relationships. According to the ethical expectations of social workers, the relationships among people are very important to the people who want to change. Those relationships can play significant roles in helping change take place.

Social workers are expected to act responsibly and honorably at all times and promote pure and honest ethical practices within the organization that they work with and affiliate with.

CONCLUSION

Social workers have a high degree of ethics that they are expected to follow. Their clients trust them and must be able to count on the confidentiality of that relationship. If as in this case the client confesses to breaking the law the social worker must encourage the client to tell the authorities what she did and take the steps to correct it. At the same time she is doing this however, it is important that she also work on a plan with the client to still find a way to leave the batterer for good.