Reference no: EM133776559

Ethics and Professional Practice Assessment

Ethical Theory, Values, and Principles. Power and Professional Guidelines in Community Service Work

Question 1: Ethical Theories and Concepts (approx. 400-500 words)
An experienced community organisation providing services designed to assist older people, their families, and carers in a town has been granted additional funding. After a consultation and discussion process with the community and various stakeholders, four proposals have emerged:

Proposal 1: Professional Development Program for Aged Care Workers.
The authors of this proposal suggest using the funds to organise professional development courses, which will provide free educational programs delivered by experienced staff. These programs will offer workshops and lessons to local organisations and community groups in the town, such as residential care or home core services. These courses help to increase awareness about older people's rights, elder abuse, and available residential aged care and home care services, while also improving the ability of aged care workers to protect and advocate for these rights. This initiative will allow the organisation to extend professional support to older people beyond its own clients and help prevent certain problems in advance.

Proposal 2: Outreach Staff for Minority Older People.
The authors of this proposal suggest aligning with the organisation's core aims and values, which were declared upon its establishment - namely, prioritising and assisting ethnic and language minorities in the town. They propose using the funds to hire on outreach staff member to work with older migrants who do not speak English or speak it poorly. These individuals have specific needs, such as translator assistance and access to information about the town's services in their own languages. Although this group may not be very large, addressing their challenges will reaffirm the organisation's commitment to its core mission.

Proposal 3: Professional Development Program, Outreach Staff, and Care Finder Service.
The authors of this proposal suggest allocating only part of the funds to professional development courses and outreach staff member. This is because they also suggest using some of the money for a "care finder service," which would support vulnerable older people who do not have family or friends and are unable to arrange services without intensive assistance. This service would provide face-to-face support, referrals to nearby aged core and community services, and help with My Aged Care assessment applications, if eligible. The number of such individuals has increased, but there are currently no services specifically designed to assist them. Therefore, according to the authors of this report, these are urgent issues facing some community members and must be addressed as soon as possible.

Proposal 4: Targeting Staff, and Other Stakeholders.
The authors of this proposal suggest that the funds should be used for purposes other than directly benefiting clients. Instead, they view this additional financial support as on opportunity to allocate resources to those who contribute significantly to the organisation - such as the staff, volunteer team, supporters, and other partners who participate in various events and meetings hosted by the organisation. The funds could be used to create a convenient and functional kitchen and a communal space for staff, volunteers and stakeholders, os well as to purchase new equipment, such as a coffee machine offering free coffee and snacks. Additionally, the remaining funds should be used to organise o workshop for staff and volunteers to develop important professional qualities and skills, such as respect for service users and kindness.
Drawing on THE theoretical framework outlined in class and through your reading in Moodie (weeks 1-3), address the following:
Determine which Ethical theories and Models of Justice guide each of the four proposals.
• Select one Ethical Theory and one Model of Justice for each proposal. For one proposal, you must choose one theory and a hybrid model of justice that combines two models.
A theory and model can be applied to more than one proposal, and some theories or models may be irrelevant to the proposals.

Question 2 AB: Ethical Principles, Values and Power Differential in Community Service Work (approx. 200-300 words)

The client, Cat, is a 20-year-old woman who is a member of a religious community with close-knit connections. All her family members, close friends, and acquaintances ore from the church, where she spends a lot of her time. Six months ago, she met a young mon outside the church, and they started a romantic relationship, which she has kept secret from her family and community. According to the beliefs of her community, sexual relations are only acceptable after marriage, and after marriage, protected sex is not practiced, and all members adhere to these norms.

During the most recent meeting with her case worker, Cot mentioned that her boyfriend convinced her to engage in sexual relations, and she agreed to start this weekend. She said she has re-evaluated these norms, considers them outdated, believes they are too young to marry, but feels they love each other too much to postpone intimacy. However, they will not practice protected sex, respecting the values of her religious group. The case worker shores the same religious beliefs and adheres to the prohibition on sexual relations before marriage. He has established o trusting relationship with Cat, and she respects him as a professional and values his opinion.

Question 2A: Briefly answer the question below:

Given that unprotected sex poses health risks, and that pregnancy and sexual relations outside of marriage could make Cat an outcast in her community and negatively impact her family's status in that community - what should the case worker do? Identify ethical principles which may be relevant for explaining the ethical concerns (two main principles). Consult the ACWA code of ethics and the ACWA Work Practice Guidelines to consider this question. What principle or guideline number in these ACWA documents would you as a case worker refer to?

How can the case worker's personal values, beliefs, and interests potentially influence the helping process? Refer to one of the ACWA documents.

Note: You should identify the ethical principles and values and find relevant guidelines in these documents, cite the numbers correctly, and then explain your response in your own words (For example: Guideline 2.3, name of the document and year).

Question 28: Explain how a power differential is related to this scenario. Using the materials in Moodie, identify two (2) types of Dower that are relevant to this scenario and one (1) Woe of Dower that is less relevant or irrelevant. Clearly show the ethical tensions and implications for this case.