Scenario:

A social worker is working with a client who is homeless and has a mental illness. The client is often verbally aggressive and has difficulty following through on treatment plans. The social worker is feeling frustrated and burnt out, but they know that the client deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.

How the social worker upholds the value of dignity and worth of the person:

The social worker takes a few deep breaths to calm down and remind themselves of the client’s worth. They then apologize to the client for their reaction and explain that they are feeling frustrated, but that they still care about them and want to help. The social worker then asks the client what they need in order to feel more respected and supported. The client says that they would like the social worker to be more patient and understanding, and to not give up on them. The social worker agrees to do their best to meet these needs.

The social worker continues to work with the client, even though it is challenging. They are patient and understanding, and they never give up on the client. Eventually, the client starts to make progress. They start to follow through on treatment plans and they become less verbally aggressive. The social worker is proud of the client’s progress and they are glad that they were able to uphold the value of dignity and worth of the person.

How the ethical standards may influence the social worker’s response:

The ethical standards that may influence the social worker’s response in this scenario include:

• 1.05, Cultural Competence and Social Diversity: This standard encourages social workers to engage in ongoing education to competently work with different cultures. In this case, the social worker would need to be aware of the cultural factors that may be contributing to the client’s behavior, such as the stigma associated with mental illness in some cultures.
• 4.02, Informed Consent: This standard requires social workers to obtain the informed consent of their clients before engaging in any services. In this case, the social worker would need to explain to the client the risks and benefits of treatment, and obtain their consent before proceeding.
• 4.06, Termination of Services: This standard requires social workers to terminate services when it is no longer beneficial to the client. In this case, the social worker would need to carefully consider whether the client is making progress and whether continued services are still necessary.

The social worker would need to weigh all of these factors in order to make the best decision for the client. They would also need to be aware of the potential ethical dilemmas that could arise in this situation, such as the conflict between the client’s right to self-determination and the social worker’s duty to protect the client from harm.