Conflict of Interest in Social Work Policy - Case Study Example

Conflict of Interest in Social Work Policy Conflict of Interest in Social Work Policy Introduction The social work professionis governed by a code of ethics that highlights the expected standards and principles of conduct, which social workers must conform to. The code of ethics highlights different aspects of ethical and professional behavior expected from social workers. However, it is not a rigid document presenting the rules, but rather it offers guidelines that social workers should use when making critical decisions and determining the goals of their practice. Notably, this profession places significant emphasis on the need for social workers to exhibit values and ethics of a higher degree than other professions. As social workers strive to maintain the expected professional and personal ethics, they face challenges when handling ethical dilemmas. Usually, there are times when there is an evident conflict between policy and practice and social workers are compelled to make critical decisions when handling such conflicts. The code of ethics is critical in establishing certain ethical standards that define the social work profession. This paper will consider conflicts of interest as one of the ethical standards governing the conduct of social workers. It will present instances of unethical social work behavior and present scenarios whereby there is evident conflict between policy and practice. In such situations, social workers are expected to depict a professional demeanor, and this will be discussed in the paper. According to the code of ethics that social workers rely on for guidelines of their professional behavior, it is evident that they should stay clear from conflicts of interest that compromise their professional discretion motivating them to exhibit partial judgments. Social workers are required to recognize any occurrence of a conflict of interest that may arise between them and their clients and take the necessary steps to address the conflict of interest. Notably, it is the role of the social worker to protect the interests of the client. In serious cases when a conflict of interest arises between a social worker and a client, the situation compels the social worker to terminate the professional relationship (Congress, 2001). After the termination of the professional relationship, the social worker may refer the client to a colleague. These ethical standards also forbid social workers from using professional relationships with clients to promote their interests, whether personal, political, and business or religion. In addition, it is unethical for social workers develop dual or multiple relationships with either current or former clients, if the dual relationship presents the possibility of bringing forth harm to the client (Dolgoff, Loewenberg, & Harrington, 2009). The code of ethics highlights that some situations that bring forth dual relationships are unavoidable. When this is the case, the social worker must prove responsible enough to define clear boundaries of the professional relationship and any other relationship that may exist. Social workers may be prone to developing dual relationships involving the professional relationship and other types of relationships, such as social, business, and romantic ones (Reamer, 2012). The ethical standards defining the expectations from social workers regarding the conflicts of interest have also highlighted that social workers handling clients who have a form of relationship should focus on clarifying the specific client for the services involved. For example, when a social worker is handling clients who are couples, there is a need for prior clarification for the party involved in the professional relationship. Although social workers are expected to abide by the above ethical standards, unethical behavior, which contravenes the standard, occurs. There are reports of social workers who have exhibited unprofessional behavior and have sought to exploit the professional relationship developed between them and their clients in an effort to further personal interests. In worse cases, some social workers have established dual relationships with clients compromising the professional relationship. A dual relationship with a client serves as a barrier for partial judgments, a factor that compromises the competency of the social worker. Contravening the conflict of interest of ethical standards can present adverse effects to the social work profession (Reamer, 2013). This is because it taints the reputation of the social workers. This explains why social workers are expected to expose their colleagues who exhibit unethical behavior that does not conform to the ethical standards. Worth noting is the fact that social work is a value based profession and the importance of ethical standards cannot be underestimated (Reamer, 2013). Case Study of Unethical Behavior in Social Work One of the documented cases of licensed social workers who have exhibited unethical behavior that contravenes the ethical standard described above is Howard Vidaver. According to the available court documents, the licensed clinical social worker contravened the code of ethics governing his practice. For more than 15 years, he has developed dual relationships with his clients. Vidaver takes advantage of the close professional relationships with his clients and introduces sexual relationships. This is a serious case, which is a betrayal of the trust expected between social workers and their clients. Vidaver has been a practicing social worker in the county of Virginia since 1980. After revelations concerning his conduct became evident, he was placed on probation by the board. According to the statements in public disciplinary records, Vidaver confessed that he had been sexually involved with a client from 1999 to 2002. This is just one of the many cases that Vidaver has been associated with. While on probation, he was not allowed to attend to female clients and the board made sure that he received counseling on the importance of defining clear boundaries in his practice. However, it emerges that the probation did not change his character (Stuart, 2011). According to reports from his wife who is filling for divorce, Vidaver has been sexually involved with numerous female patients for more than 15 years of his practice. The fact that Vidaver has exhibited brilliance in his practice, he has had many clients going to him. Reports from former clients reveal that his therapy has worked to transform their lives. However, despite his expertise in social work, he develops dual relationships that evidently exploit the client sexually (Stuart, 2011). Some clients who were not sexually involved with him have highlighted that there were times when he breached the boundaries of the professional relationship. Personal Opinion Concerning Vidaver’s Case Evidently, Vidaver’s unethical behavior is unacceptable according to the ethics governing social workers. His case is both illegal and criminal. This means that, rigorous investigations should be carried out to establish the facts surrounding the claims. Without doubt, Vidaver does not deserve an opportunity to continue working as a social worker if the accusations are true. He has violated ethical standards that should guide his practice when conflicts of interest emerge. On numerous occasions, he has established dual relationships with his clients by introducing sexual relationships. Evidently, he has failed to protect the interest of his clients and chosen to take advantage of them. In a therapy setting, a client entrusts numerous secrets with the social worker, a factor that may contribute to an emotional attachment. As a social worker, Vidaver should have been cautious to avoid any occurrence of breaching the professional relationship by introducing a different subject. After indulging in such unethical behavior for many years, he has not made efforts on reforming irrespective of the fact that he was once under probation. Vidaver’s unethical behavior is completely unacceptable. This is because research has revealed that clients who are harmed by experiences surrounding dual relationships are usually unable to recover. 90% of such clients present an evident harm when involved in a dual relationship with a social worker. Some cases prove to be serious with some clients opting for suicide. Vidaver has continuously contravened the code of ethics by developing sexual feelings towards his clients. There is evidence that Vidaver could have avoided any sexual conduct with his clients because he was well aware of the expected ethical standards. He did not make any efforts on defining clear boundaries between him and his clients. On the contrary, he exploited the emotional situation and manipulated them in an effort to promote his sexual interests (Stuart, 2011). Maintaining a Professional Demeanor Evidently, social work is a profession that requires high ethical standards. This explains why a social worker should abide by the ethical principles, even when they are contrary to personal values. Notably, ethical principles that govern practice protect the interest of the clients and the reputation of the profession. Therefore, personal values should not supersede ethical principles. Truly, personal values may not serve to protect the interest of the client. This is mainly because they focus on promoting the individual goals (Congress, 2001). Therefore, when principles governing social work disagree with personal values, it is rational to maintain a professional demeanor. The maintenance of a professional demeanor will prompt an individual to reconsider the practical behaviors. A professional social worker should abide by the code of ethics. Conclusion Evidently, the need for abiding by the ethical standards in the social work profession cannot be overemphasized. This is because social work is governed by different values and ethics. Social workers need to be aware of the standards and guidelines and use them in their practice, especially when they are required to make critical decisions. In the case of the social worker described above, unethical behavior has been exhibited. This is because the social worker has developed different types of dual relationships with clients while such occurrences could be avoided. References Barsky, A. E. (2010). Ethics and values in social work: An integrated approach for a comprehensive curriculum. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Congress, E. (2001). Dual relationships in social work education: report on a national survey. Journal of Social Work Education, 37 (2), 255. Dolgoff, R., Loewenberg, F. M., & Harrington, D. (2009). Ethical decisions for social work practice. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole. Reamer, F. G. (2012). Boundary Issues and Dual Relationships in the Human Services. New York: Columbia University Press. Reamer, F. G. (2013). Boundary Issues in Social Work: Managing Dual Relationships. The MIT Press. doi:10.7551/mitpress/9780262019682.003.0023 Reamer, F. G. (2013). Social work values and ethics. New York: Columbia University Press. Roberts, A. R., & Watkins, J. M. (2009). Social workers desk reference. Oxford [England: Oxford University Press. Segal, E. A., Gerdes, K. E., & Steiner, S. (2010). An introduction to the profession of social work: Becoming a change agent.Belmont, Calif: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning. Stuart, C. (2011). Broken trust: Sex allegations against therapist prompt investigation. Retrieved on 15th October 2014 from http://www.readthehook.com/89735/broken-trust-sex-allegations-against-therapist-prompt-investigation. Read More