Code of Ethics for Canadian Social Workers. / 600

ACTS / CASW

The Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) developed a Code of Ethics for Canadian social workers. It consists of six values which are intended to guide professional practice in an ethical manner and is consistent with the International Declaration of Ethical Principles, created by the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW). I would like to hear from you. Try not to default to rage and complaint. If you can, when you read these values, express clearly how you believe case workers associated with your case, have been measuring up. If there has been disappointment, have you been able to identify where the breakdown occurs?

Value 1: Respect for the Inherent Dignity and Worth of Persons

o Social workers are committed to respecting the dignity and worth inherent in all people. In doing so, social workers uphold each person's right to self-determination as long as this right does not impose on the safety and rights of others or the safety of the individual. If required by law to act against a client's wishes, the Code states that the social worker must do so with the least amount of coercion possible.

Furthermore, social workers recognize and respect the diversity within the Canadian population and uphold the rights of individuals to practice their beliefs and traditions as long as they do not impose on the rights of others. Social workers uphold the rights laid out in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Value 2: Pursuit of Social Justice

o Social workers believe that all people--individually and collectively--are obligated to provide services, resources and opportunities that benefit humanity and protect individuals from harm. Furthermore, they advocate for social fairness and equal access to resources, services and benefits. Social workers are concerned with removing barriers and increasing choices among all people, but particularly among those who are vulnerable, marginalized or disadvantaged. This includes objecting to prejudice and discrimination under any circumstances and addressing and challenging the stereotypes of individuals or groups within society.

Value 3: Service to Humanity

o When acting in a professional capacity, social workers place the needs of others above their own self-interest. They aim to promote the personal development of individuals and groups as outlined in the Code. Furthermore, the power they are given is used responsibly and in ways that meet the needs of clients and promote social justice. As well, the knowledge and skills they possess are used to resolve conflict and address the wide range of consequences resulting from conflict.

Value 4: Integrity in Professional Practice

o Social workers respect and promote the values, purpose and ethical principles of their profession and their field of practice. They act honestly and responsibly and demonstrate reliability, impartiality and diligence, thereby maintaining a high level of professional practice. They are always mindful of their actions so that they do not negatively impact the reputation of the profession and they develop and maintain appropriate professional boundaries.

Value 5: Confidentiality in Professional Practice

o Social workers respect their clients’ right to privacy and the importance of the trust their clients have placed in them. This entails keeping client information confidential unless consent has been given by the client or a legal representative of the client to disclose certain information. That being said, the Code states that the confidentiality agreement can be broken if a client has disclosed incriminating information or if a court order requires the social worker to disclose specific information received from a client. Therefore, social workers always inform their clients about the limitations of the confidentiality agreement before any information is shared.

Value 6: Competence in Professional Practice

o Social workers respect their clients’ right to be offered the highest quality of service possible. Thus, social workers limit their professional practice to areas where they are most competent. If a social worker is unable to meet the needs of her client, she will refer him to another social worker or agency that can. Furthermore, social workers are continuously working on developing personal knowledge and skills relevant to their profession and contributing to the development of the profession as a whole. If this involves research then special care is to be taken to minimize risks, ensure informed consent and confidentiality and accurately report findings in an unbiased manner.

British Columbia has its own Code of Ethics, a blend of CASW and provincial BCASW priorities.

BCASW Code of Ethics

Ethical behaviour is at the core of every profession. The BCASW Code of Ethics was jointly adopted by BCASW and the BC College of Social Workers in January 2003 and consists of eleven principles:

1. A social worker shall maintain the best interest of the client as the primary professional obligation.
2. A social worker shall respect the intrinsic worth of the persons she or he serves in her or his professional relationships with them.
3. A social worker shall carry out her or his professional duties and obligations with integrity and objectivity.
4. A social worker shall have and maintain competence in the provision of a social work service to a client.
5. A social worker shall not exploit the relationship with a client for personal benefit, gain or gratification.
6. A social worker shall protect the confidentiality of all professionally acquired information. She or he shall disclose such information only when required or allowed by law to do so, or when clients have consented to disclosure.
7. A social worker who engages in another profession, occupation, affiliation or calling shall not allow these outside interests to affect the social work relationship with the client, professional judgment, independence and/or competence.
8. A social worker shall not provide social work services or otherwise behave in a manner that discredits the profession of social work or diminishes the public’s trust in the profession.
9. A social worker shall promote service, program and agency practices and policies that are consistent with this Code of Ethics and the Standards of Practice of the BC College of Social Workers.
10. A social worker shall promote excellence in her or his profession.
11. A social worker shall advocate change in the best interest of the client, and for the overall benefit of society.

BCASW Code of Ethics
CASW Code of Ethics - full document 2005
CASW Code and Guidelines for Ethical Practice

REASONING PROCESSES OF SOCIAL WORKERS Part 369 / For Love and For Justice / Zabeth and Paul Bayne

There must be better decision-making in our child care system. I wonder whether social workers who have the responsibility for deciding the child's best interests are willing to evaluate that approach to decision-making and possibly to develop their capacity for critical thinking.

Periodic public inquiries into child abuse tragedies in British Columbia have demonstrated a level of public concern about the services that are designed by our Legislature to protect children. These inquiries have identified faults in the practice by professionals but the findings of such inquiries although spaced years apart from one another reveal similarities which is indicative of recommendations having had little impact upon improving practice. Quite possibly the most effective systemic transformation will come from self-improvement by social workers themselves.

This is but one example of a problem area. Professionals typically base assessments of risk on a narrow range of evidence. What has become apparent is that such assessments are biased toward the information that is readily available. Workers consistently overlook or ignore important data that is known to other professionals. The range of evidence relied upon is also biased towards more memorable data, expressly the evidence that may be graphic, concrete and that which arouses emotion. Moreover, it will be evidence that is either the first or last information that was received. Much of the evidence is often inaccurate, primarily because it is derives from biased or dishonest reporting or from errors during communication.

Of great concern is the observation of a pattern that new evidence is accepted if it is supportive of the existing MCFD view of the family. It is a significant issue that professionals are reticent to revise their opinions even in the face of a growing body of evidence pitted against the existing view.

It is unfortunate and absolutely dangerous to families that the errors in professional reasoning in the course of child protection work are not rare and random but predictable because people intuitively try to simplify reasoning processes when making complex judgments. Granted, such errors can be reduced and avoided entirely when social workers are aware of them and endeavor consciously to confront them. There is a great need for a balanced relationship between intuition and formal analytic thinking in decision-making and practice. Effective child protection practice requires both.

CANADIAN FAMILY ORGANIZATIONS / Part 339 / For Love and For Justice / Zabeth and Paul Bayne

If you are sympathetic to the grievous loss by parents of not only their children but of their inherent rights to parent their biological children, then you should browse the Parental Rights website that I noted yesterday. 
If you have compassion for children who have been removed from their parents when a conscientious effort could have been conducted to resolve the issues that interrupted the best interests of the child and the family, then spend some time digesting the information offered on this website.

I am not discounting sincere and passionate efforts being made provincially to gather a momentum of concern in order to gain a hearing with legislators. For instance, Protecting Canadian Children. 

Protecting Canadian Children is Ontario based and Ontario focused and will soon be hosting a CONFERENCE on Family Protection on Friday, November 5th, 2010 at the Renaissance Banquet Centre at 2289 Barton Street East, Hamilton, Ontario from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The cost is $40.00 (registration and lunch). If you live in Ontario you should attend. See Alfradine Linda Plourde's Facebook pages and PCC pages.

Another BC Society with a web presence is PAPA People Assisting Parents Association.  The mission of PAPA is simply stated as “We strive to protect the best interests of children by preserving their families and restoring healthy parenting ability. We safeguard the rights and dignity of parents in child protection activities.” The website is busy and bold, but when you take the time, you will find vast amounts of gathered data and stories. PAPA was formed by a group of citizens concerned about the "child protection" activities conducted by the Ministry of Children and Family Development. To that end its beliefs valiantly include these points. 1) Parents have the God-given right and responsibility to care for and bring up their children in a manner which is culturally and socially acceptable to their own values within the boundary of Canadian laws. 2) Family is the best environment to nourish children. Preservation of family is important to maintain a healthy social structure vital to child upbringing, national security and continuation of civilization. 3) Custodial right of one's natural offsprings is a fundamental human right and should be enshrined constitutionally. 4) Government must treat parents and children with respect and dignity in carrying out its child protection mandate. 5) State intervention in family affairs should be avoided except in extreme circumstances. Should interventions become necessary, they must be least intrusive and serve the best interests of both children and their parents.

In B.C. there is also a Chinese based organization with a broader social interest than just child welfare and it is called Canadian Alliance for Social Justice and Family Values Association, also with a website which allows the browser upon arrival to ask for English or Chinese language access. http://www.canadianalliance.org/ The website serves as a quarterly web-zine.

It's an intimidating acronym and one which I will never remember CASJFVA but it represents these objectives: 1) The advocating, fostering and safe-guarding of social rights and justice. 2) The advocating, fostering and protection of traditional family values. 3) The safe-guarding of parental rights with respect to education and up-bringing of their children. 4) The advocating, fostering and safe-guarding of constitutional, common law and civic rights and responsibilities of individuals both as citizens and as parents. 5) The advocating, fostering and establishment of traditional schools, social and educational institutions for the preservation of traditional values. 6) The advocating, fostering and safe-guarding of citizen’s right and entitlement to clean, just and upright government. CASJFVA has a decidedly Christian values foundation.

Perhaps you can inform us of other helpful organizations or websites.

Advocating for the return of Paul's and Zabeth's three children, in MCFD care since October 2007.

THE CHILD / Part 338 / For Love and For Justice / Zabeth and Paul Bayne

On Thursday evening a Commenter from the USA left a request for me to publicize a worthwhile cinematic production called “THE CHILD.” It is being completed as we speak with scrupulous editing and with integration of music and narration. The sponsor of this project is an American based organization called ParentalRights.org about which I have written favorably in the past.

The comment contact wrote, “Ron, could you please let your readers know more info regarding the ParentalRights.org upcoming film on parental rights.” So here for the American blog readers is this message: “You can help us premiere “The Child” all across the U.S. on November 20, 2010 by hosting a public screening in your area! If you can arrange a public venue for the screening and commit to attending it yourself, we will supply the advertising and educational materials, as well as an advance DVD copy of “The Child,” free of charge. To request all the details, email WatchmanCinema@gmail.com". My PS to Canadian readers today, it may be worth your while to write this address and ask whether you can have a copy. See the promo http://thechilddocumentary.wordpress.com/

A well designed and easily accessible, highly informative website greets you when you double click http://www.parentalrights.org/ . I truly wish that there was something comparable in Canada. I wish there was an identifiable national organization comprised of Canadians such as the thousands who now read this GPS blog who would care enough to administer, sponsor, promote and champion the cause of asserting the rights of parents in Canada, the true best interests of children, and a citizen friendly Ministry of Children.

Advocating for the return of Paul's and Zabeth's three children, in MCFD care since October 2007.