RESOLVING SYSTEMIC AND NON-SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS IN CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES, Part 10

By Ray Ferris (This piece is one of a series Ray has written here.)

ETHICS

Registered social workers have a code of ethics, which was drawn up by the BC Association of Social Workers. This code is fairly general and open to interpretation, but it does provide some sort of guidelines. When the social workers act was first passed and registration started, a good number of registered social workers were employed in child protection and related work. One children’s aid society urged all eligible employees to become registered. The registrar recently told me that they do not need to devise practice standards for protection workers because no members do that work any more. The director of the BCASW told me the same thing.

RESOLVING SYSTEMIC AND NON-SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS IN CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES, Part 2

How To Define the Problems

By Ray Ferris (This piece is one of a series Ray will write here. )

           Some simple tests can be made to define systemic and non-systemic problems. Consider this: - There have been a number of systemic changes over the years, but whichever system has been used, there have always been staff who could make the system work reasonably well and those who could not. This has been a reliable constant.

            We can infer from this that the most important factor has been the skills and commitment of the various staff. No system will work without a definable and teachable body of skills. These skills will take time to learn. They will be learned by a combination of theoretical instruction and supervised field practice with only manageable responsibilities. This training programme will take two or three years. It is most important that there is a high quality mentoring during that time.

             It should be noted that this training will not be provided by the various schools of social work. They do not teach the skills of child protection and they do not pretend to do so. This has been noted in both the Gove and Hughes reports.

            The systemic change to be made would be to fund and plan an in-service training programme, which will define and teach the necessary skills. An important component of this would be an ethical training programme and a clearly defined code of ethics. I will return to this topic in a later context.

 Ferris retired after a career that included significant years with the MCFD. He has written a book entitled 'The Art of Child Protection.' This is the first in a series of pieces Ray will write here. You can order Mr. Ferris' book entitled 'the Art of Child Protection' by contacting the author directly at rtferris@telus.net.

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