Upcoming online seminars for professionals:

December 2009

Date: Thursday, December 3, 2009; 12:00-1:00 p.m. (Central)

Topic: Adopting a Child with HIV: Information for Adoption ProfessionalsDetails: This webinar will cover HIV/AIDS basics, how the disease works in children, common myths, terminology and treatment. We will also discuss some of the most difficult aspects of parenting a child with HIV and how Adoption Professionals can prepare families who may be interested. An overview of country programs where children with HIV are currently available and eligibility requirements will also be covered. Speaker: Kristina Berg, HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator, CHSFS

 

Date: Thursday, December 10, 2009; 12:00-1:00 p.m. (Central)

Topic: Financing an Adoption: What Child Welfare Professionals Should Know

Speaker: Sue Orban, CHSFS Outreach Coordinator, and Melissa Mendez, MSW, LISW

Ethics in Social Work Practice

CHSFS WebinarNovember 17, 2009

Linda E. Jones, Ph.D., M.S.S.W., L.I.S.WAssociate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies

University of Minnesota School of Social Workljones@umn.edu / 612-624-3691

BASIC CONCEPT

VALUES – Emotionally charged conceptions of that which is preferred or desirable or good; shared by a population or a group within it [e.g. swkers, as a professional community]. Values help us think about and structure behavior.

Values commonly represented in professional codes of ethics:

• Autonomy

• Beneficence

• Nonmaleficence

• Justice

• Fidelity

• Veracity

The Six Specified Core Values in the NASW Code of Ethics

How do the 6 specified core SW values map on to the values commonly represented in professional codes of ethics?

Service BeneficienceSocial Justice Justice; BeneficienceDignity and Worth

of the Person AutonomyImportance of Human

Relationships ??? Unique to SWIntegrity Fidelity; VeracityCompetence Nonmaleficience

BASIC CONCEPT

ETHICS - Derived from values;

what is right or correct [versus

wrong]. Concrete/written guidelines

for day-to-day action. Professional

ethics transfer professional values

into practice activities [obligations;

duties]

What is an ethical dilemma in social work

practice?• A situation where a decision

must be made between two or more competing standards [based on social work values and ethical principles].

• An ethical dilemma arises when two or more duties, obligations, or principles conflict [paraphrasing Reamer]

MICHELLE’S DILEMMA

SCENARIO #1 SENT TO YOU EARLIER

10 Step Ethical Decision Making

Model

Adapted from Hamel (1990), Reamer (1999), and Mary Carlsen

1) Gather relevant facts and information

• What else do you need to know?

• Do you have the facts and have them right?

2) Identify the relevant values, ethical issues, legal issues, and dilemmas•Are there non-ethical problems that complicate the situation?

•What is the primary dilemma? •For whom is this a dilemma?

3) Identify individuals, groups, and organizations likely to be affected by the ethical decision

4) Generate alternatives and likely consequences

• What are all possible courses of action?

• What are the consequences of each? [good/bad; short/long term]

5) Assess alternatives and consequences in light of relevant values and ethical principles, legal issues and regulations, and social work practice theory, principles, or research…..continued

•Which values, ethical principles or standards, or legal issues or regulations guide your reflection? Is one more important than the others?

•What social work practice theory, principles, or research-based knowledge are relevant?

Questions to accompany Step #5:

6) Assess your motives

● What life experiences or personal values (including religious, cultural, ethnic, or political ideology) might be influencing your ethical judgment? [Think about yourself and your client.]

● Whose interests are being served?

7) Consult with colleagues and appropriate

experts [agency staff; supervisors; administrators; attorneys; ethics committees or scholars]

8) Choose an alternative and justify your choice

• What ethical framework/argument can you give to justify your choice?

• If you describe your decision to a highly respected colleague, how would you feel?

• If your decision appeared in the newspaper, how would you feel?

9) Document [in writing] the

choice and the decision-

making process

•What steps did you use in making your decision?

10) Monitor and evaluate the choice and the decision-

making process over time

• What, if anything, would you have done differently, and why?

Some thoughts and comments:

• There is almost never an absolute right or wrong answer when faced with an ethical dilemma…. that is why it IS a dilemma. But, it is critical to carefully, thoughtfully, and systematically consider various options.

• Virtually everyone strives to be an ethical practitioner. If you disagree with someone’s decision when faced with an ethical dilemma, it does not mean that person is an unethical person and you are an ethical person.

Some more thoughts and comments:

• Remember…even though you have made a decision when faced with an ethical dilemma, the ethical dilemma persists.

• Many, if not most, ethical dilemmas can be avoided (or will not occur a second time) when you implement preventive measures – some of which are learned through or reinforced by mistakes and lapses.

• Every practice decision has ethical dimensions. However, every practice decision does not result in an ethical dilemma (thankfully). It is important to be able to distinguish practice issues (and potential disagreements about them) from ethical dilemmas and issues.

• Just because an action is legal, it does not mean it is ethical…… AND

• Just because an action is ethical, it does not mean it is legal

And, some more thoughts and comments:

Discussion of Cases

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

1.WHAT ARE THE ETHICAL OBLIGATIONS OR STANDARDS IN CONFLICT IN THIS CASE?

2. WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION THAT COULD BE TAKEN?

Cases

• 1)Michelle’s Dilemma (domestic/birthfather)• 2)Julie and Steve (waiting sibling group)• 3) reference letter revoked• 4) adoptive father affair• 5)Ethiopia-medical condition in child and BM• 6) Kim and Erik (openness in int’l adoption)• 7)Cris and Sarah (same sex couple)• 8) Sonia and Peter (past affair with agency

employee)

Scenario 1

• A young woman is working with your agency to make an adoption plan for her unborn child. She tells you that her child’s father is abusive (she has a current order of protection against him) and will try to stop the adoption if he finds out about her plans. She believes he wants to use the pregnancy to maintain contact with her and wants to force her to parent the child. She adamantly does not want contact with the birth father and is very clear that she does not want to parent a child at this point in her life.

• The birth father calls the agency and asks if this woman is working with you. Of course, because of confidentiality requirements, you cannot verify that the woman is your client. The birth father tells you clearly that he objects to an adoption. Minnesota law does not require you to counsel the birth father about his legal rights. You sense that this man does not know about the Adoptive Father’s Registry. If he signed this registry, it would entitle him to receive notice of the adoption as well as the opportunity to establish his paternal rights.

Scenario 2• Julie and Steve have an approved home study from a local agency. 

They are currently parenting 5 children whose ages range from 5 to 17 (all bio children, some from their first marriages and 2 from their relationship). They were first interested in adopting from an international regular program, but, after seeing the adoptive parent requirements, learned that they are only qualified to adopt through the WIC program (special needs children).  After looking at available children, they became interested in a sibling group (the children are 3 and 6 years old) from Ethiopia.

•  The 3 and 6 year old children have experienced heavy neglect. If the children stay in their home country, they will likely “age out” in institutional care and be separated from each other most of that time.

• The agency has many concerns about the prospective adoptive family, including the parents’ ages (they are older), some chemical dependency history, some mental health history, some challenges with the children they are already parenting, and a relatively low income. In addition, their home is located fairly far away from many resources and this would be a trans-racial adoption. The agency has no other family options for these children and will lose the “window” to place them soon, so it is this family or no family. What are all the possible alternatives the worker has?

Scenario 3

• One of an approved family’s references asked to have their letter of recommendation revoked. When the social worker talked with the reference, he shared that he had been in a business relationship with the prospective adoptive father. When the prospective adoptive father went on vacation, the reference discovered that prospective adoptive father had been using company funds for his personal use. When confronted, the prospective adoptive father withdrew from the business relationship. Although the reference husband has asked for an investigation, it has been slow in coming. The reference family had their computer stolen and could not remember the name of the agency, so spent 2 months tracking down CHSFS. They then asked to have the letter revoked. When discussing the situation with the social worker, the reference made a final decision not to allow the social worker to share the reason for the withdrawal of the reference letter.

Scenario 4

•  A family who applied for a second adoption began that process and then two months into the process put themselves on hold due to financial concerns. About 6 months later, the agency received a call from a woman who shared that the adoptive father had a relationship with her during the process of waiting for the first child the family adopted, and this woman had given birth to a child 6 months after the arrival of the adoptive family’s child. She stated that she had asked for a paternity test and the adoptive father complied and is the birth father. He does pay some child support, but has no contact with the child. The woman stated that she was sharing the information so that the agency as aware of the type of people with whom they are working. What was the best way to have handled this situation? What if the family reenters the adoption process?

Scenario 5

• A family adopts a child from Ethiopia with no known medical needs. Soon after the placement, the family learns that the child has a very rare genetic disorder that causes mental retardation, developmental delays and deafness. This condition is highly genetic and is passed from the mother. The agency is able to provide the physicians with photos of the birthmother and it is confirmed that the birthmother also has this condition. If the birth mother has other children in the future, there is a close to 100% chance that future children will also have this condition. The birth mother lives in a very remote area of Ethiopia, with no access to birth control and where, culturally women have many children. The agency most likely has the ability to contact her and to tell her about this genetic condition. What is the best way to handle this situation?

Scenario 6• Kim and Erik chose international adoption mainly because of their

uneasiness with open adoption and their conceptions about birth families (something that they have hidden very successfully from their home study worker).  They have been prepared that in the country they are traveling to, it is not uncommon for the birth family to be living and to want to meet with the adoptive parents.  Kim and Erik tell their worker that they would be fine with that, but truly do not want this and instead focus on believing that it will not happen in their placement. 

•  Once they are in country, they are notified that there is a birth family member who would like to meet with them.  They feel very uncomfortable, but agree to it.  During the facilitated meeting, it is apparent that the birth family would like on-going contact, through the placing agency, with the family.  It becomes known that their child has birth siblings that will continue to be parented by the birth family.  The family feels they have no option but to agree with this arrangement, so they commit to it.  

•  Post-placement, the family does not follow through with their commitment for agency-facilitated contact, and now the worker is in the process of writing the report to court for their adoption finalization.  What are all

the possible alternatives the worker has? 

Scenario 7• You are working with a wonderful family who really “gets” adoption

issues.  They both have personal experience with adoption and they really embrace all of the adoption education that they go through during the home study process. They have been a volunteer “respite” family for a local crisis nursery for the past four years, have no criminal, mental health, or physical health issues.  They have a wonderful extended family and friendship support network, great health insurance, and are very financially comfortable.  The issue is that they are a same sex couple and do not qualify for any of the international adoption programs according to the country’s rules/guidelines.  They ask if you could just “adjust” their home study to represent them as a single woman with a roommate.  You are not sure what to do.  What are the possible alternative courses of action? 

Scenario 8•  You are having a meeting at your office with Sonia and Peter who have decided

to adopt through your agency after five years of marriage. You have been working with them for several months, but this is the first time they have come to your office during normal working hours. As they are leaving, Sonia pulls you aside when Peter goes to the restroom and appears to be somewhat upset. She tells you that she saw your new supervisor, Tom, as they came into the agency, but he did not see her. She goes on to tell you that she was a client of Tom’s seven years ago when he worked in the mental health program of a family service agency in a nearby city. While she was a client, she and Tom had an affair for six months. She was thirty years old and unmarried at the time, but Tom was (and is) married. She tells you she was not harmed by the affair and that she broke it off. She did not and does not want to report the affair to anyone, and asks you to maintain her confidence. She has never told Peter about this chapter of her life which she regrets and is now ashamed of. She says that she is only telling you this as she is fearful that Tom may some way ‘sabotage’ their effort to adopt a child, as he was very upset with her when she broke off the affair. What are your alternative courses of action?

Thank you for joining us!

Upcoming online seminars for professionals:

December 2009

Date: Thursday, December 3, 2009; 12:00-1:00 p.m. (Central)

Topic: Adopting a Child with HIV: Information for Adoption ProfessionalsDetails: This webinar will cover HIV/AIDS basics, how the disease works in children, common myths, terminology and treatment. We will also discuss some of the most difficult aspects of parenting a child with HIV and how Adoption Professionals can prepare families who may be interested. An overview of country programs where children with HIV are currently available and eligibility requirements will also be covered. Speaker: Kristina Berg, HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator, CHSFS

 

Date: Thursday, December 10, 2009; 12:00-1:00 p.m. (Central)

Topic: Financing an Adoption: What Child Welfare Professionals Should Know

Speaker: Sue Orban, CHSFS Outreach Coordinator, and Melissa Mendez, MSW, LISW

For Social Workers…

**Please confirm your attendance to:

mmendez@chsfs.org within 24 hours to receive your follow up packet via e-mail.

Questions? Comments? Contact: Melissa Mendez mmendez@chsfs.org

Hope you will join us again soon!