Ethical_Issues

| | |Ethical Issues: | |-Helping this family although there is an obvious history of drug abuse. | |-Reporting when the mother missed her urine drops due to transportation problems. | |-Reporting when the dad had questionable substances found in his urine and when he drank a beer. | |-Explaining to the parents why they are receiving services and what the plan of action is, so the parents are well aware of their | |responsibilities to be able to keep the children in their custody. | |-Giving the parents information for resources such as drug rehabilitation, so they are able to retain custody of the children. | | | |Biases and Prejudices involved in this case study: | | | |-You would have to set aside the fact that the parents are drug abusers and offer to provide them help. | |-You would need to have a detailed understanding of any cultural background, so that you are treating them in an unbiased manner not based on | |any cultural differences. | | | | | | | | | Running Head: Unit 4 Project Unit 4 Project Jennifer Baggett Kaplan University In the Baby Kim Case Study, there are many factors that should be looked at when working with this family, and many different reasons that a caseworker would need to be completely unbiased. The welfare of all three children is very important in this case and should be dealt with in a delicate manner, to make the best decision for their care. If I were the worker assigned to this case, it would not be my job to judge based on personal biases. My job would only be to look out for the welfare of the children and what would be in the best interest for the parents to provide a safe and secure home. If I am not comfortable with what is going on in the home, I should provide the parents with information on resources that are available, such as drug rehabilitation information. Unless there is obvious abuse in the home, I should only be there to make sure I provide these parents with help, so they can better raise their children. If the parents receive added support, they are more likely to be better caregivers to the children (Ashford, LeCroy, Lortie, 2009). In the case of any family, I believe that Social Services should work to keep the family together. The main goal of the caseworker should be to preserve the family unit. In the case of baby Kim, the father has had instances where he had some questionable substances in his urine and he admittingly drank a beer. The father of the baby is one of the support systems for the baby, and should therefore be worked with to help maintain the family unit in this situation (Ashford, LeCroy, Lortie, 2009). The one thing that I found odd about this case was the fact that two of the children were allowed to remain in the home. I feel that if one child is going to be removed for suspected neglect or abuse, all of the children should be removed until the home is deemed stable and fit for all of the children to return to. In the beginning of the case study, it was noted that Kim suffered intracranial bleeding, but there would be no way to prove that it was in connection with the mother’s use of methamphetamines. I feel that the caseworker may have assumed that this would be the reason for the child’s developmental issues and made a biased decision on removing just Kim from the home. In this case, I do believe there is room for a professional opinion. It would not be right to make assumptions based off of biases or prejudices against the family and their situation. A professional opinion would need to be based off of facts surrounding the case paired with the parents’ obvious desire to improve their own personal struggles. In summary, in this case it appears that both of the parents take care of the children and love them, but they are struggling with addictions that need to be resolved. As a social worker, we would need to look at the issues that surround these addictions and how we could help them become resolved. The support system is very important for the family and, so providing the support system that they need will be very important in preserving this particular family unit. References Ashford, J., LeCroy, C., Lortie, K. (2009). The Social Environment and Human Behavior. Ohio: Cengage Learning. Unit 4 Project Grading Criteria:   Items highlighted in gray are also analyzed for course outcomes.   |  |Possible Points | Points | |  | |Earned | |Course Content: 110 points |  |  | |  | | | |Clearly and correctly identifies an understanding of the case study. Answers|0-40 |  | |all four questions in essay format and provides rationale for responses to | | | |questions. Uses academic resources and research (the textbook or other | | | |research) to support rationale, applying theories and information from the | | | |course. | | | |  | | | |Includes chart in the paper. Appropriately lists and demonstrates an |0-35 |  | |understanding of the ethical issues, biases and prejudices sometimes found | | | |in this case and similar case studies. | | | |  | | | |Clearly and correctly relates the information listed on the chart to |0-35 |  | |appropriate responsibilities and actions needed by human services | | | |professionals.     | | | |  | | | |Writing: 20 points |  |  | |  | | | |Structure: Paper includes a title page, chart, introduction with thesis |0-10 |  | |statement, conclusion, and in-text citations and reference page using APA | | | |style. Paper is appropriate in length (body of the paper should be 2-4 | | | |pages, not including the chart, title page or reference page). | | | |. | | | |  | | | |Mechanics: Uses Standard American English including correct grammar, |0-10 |  | |spelling, and punctuation, complete sentences and paragraphs, cohesive | | | |organization, highly developed viewpoint, and is free of typographical | | | |errors. | | | |  | | | |Total |130 |  | |An explanation of the points earned, as well as where the assignment could |  |  | |be strengthened will be included with your grade. | | | |  | | |