Legal and Ethical Obligations in Community Services for People with Alcohol and Other Drug Issues

Question 1 When working with people with alcohol and other drug issues
within community services, there are several legal and ethical
obligations that an organisation and a community worker must
consider and apply in the workplace.
On the table below, identify how each Item on Column A can be
used and applied by an organisation (Column B) and by a
community worker (Column C) in the workplace.
Answer
A
Item
B
Organisation
C
Community Worker
Children in the
workplace
The organization must not
recruit the children below age
group of 18 years.
The community care worker
are responsible for the
condition, if any of the children
in their community is using any
drug or substance. If found,
then, specific actions must be
taken.
Code of Conduct A code of conduct can explain
the mission of an organization,
its values and principles
towards any illegal steps. If
someone found to violate the
rules, specific actions will be
taken.
The code of conduct can
provide a framework to the
community healthcare workers
to discuss the ethical problems
arises within community.
Code of Practice It is a document which
complements the occupational
well-being and the safety rules
and regulations to give a
practical guidance on how to
comply with the legal
obligations.
It is generally a list of
statement which can illustrate
the standards of the
professional conduct and
practice needs of the
community care worker as they
go about their regular work.
Discrimination The organization must not
apply or implement any
discrimination policy so that
people can be equal and
perform their work actions
accordingly.
The community care worker
must not discriminate the
people or children. For
community worker, all the
people and children must be at
same scale.

Dignity of risk It is a concept of affording the
rights of a person in order to
take a specific risk and that the
impeding of this right can
suffocate the self-esteem,
personal growth as well as an
overall quality of life.
The duty of risk generally need
to be balanced with having the
rights of an individual to make
appropriate decisions about
their life which can expose
them towards the potential
harm.
Duty of care It is the managers
responsibility to ensure that all
the reasonably predictable
measures that have been taken
in order to control the risks
against all the harms or injuries
that are arising within
organization.
While exercising the duty of
care, it is about acting in a
responsible pathway to the
others to keep them safe from a
particular danger.
Human rights In this, having human rights
can help an organization to
manage the risks by simply
safeguarding reputation or the
organization.
It can essentially support the
people as well as convey them
that they generally deserve
dignity from the society.
Informed
consent
The informed consent can be
effectively applied within
organization by simply
involving the patients or people
in their care plan as well as
discussing the health condition
with them.
The informed consent can
make the community care
worker to involve the people
and discuss the health
condition of themselves.
Mandatory
reporting
By using the mandatory
reporting, it can allow the early
detection of the cases or
particular harm to the children
that may otherwise leave the
notice of relevant authorities or
can aiding the agencies.
Through applying the
mandatory reporting, it can
give the strong confidentiality
protection for the reporters by
restricting the circumstances in
which the identity of the
reporter can be disclosed.
Practice
standards
The organization which can
provide oversight can often
improve the standards of
practice to define the type of
quality which must be
provided.
It can specifically outline the
practice expectations of all the
social care workers.

Privacy,
confidentiality
and disclosure,
including
limitations
Through having
confidentiality, the
organization should not release
any of the personal information
of the people for any of the
purpose.
Giving people with access to
their information generally held
by the services, disclosing the
personal information towards
the third party only with the
written consent of people.
Policy
frameworks
It is a document which
generally set out the goals that
may be used in making
decisions to guide the set of
policies.
It can outline the domains,
principles, the roles and
responsibilities of quality
governance.
Records
Management
Maintaining record Help the
organization to protect
institutional memory and
maintain the transactions and
decisions and well.
The record keepings can give
the basis for informed decision
making for actions as well as
decisions.
Work health and
safety
Having work health and safety
can help to minimize the
overcoming risks within
organization.
It can help to protect the people
from risk or hazards. It can also
reduces the injury costs.
Marking Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
Question 2 Under the WH&S Act 2011 and ethical principle of duty of care,
identify the rights and responsibilities of the employer, the worker and
the client when dealing with AOD issues in the workplace.
Answer
Right Responsibility
Employer Safe work environment. Providing essential well-being and
safety instructions, trainings and
supervision.
Worker Right to refuse harmful work
and can know that you are
protected from reprisal.
Ensure that all the working
equipments are under control and
supervision and without risk to
health and safety.

Client They involve right to speak
about work conditions.
Take reasonable care for the
health and safety for themselves.
Marking Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
Question 3 Provide an example of a specific legislation in an Australian state or
territory regarding alcohol and other drugs. Briefly describe the
purpose of the legislation and how this may affect organisation or
individual practice.
Answer Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981.
the legislation is generally defined under the Act as being scheduled 11
towards the act, the poison standard or the poison code. The act can
include prescribed medications, drugs of dependence and many more.
Marking Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
Question 4 Provide an example of an organisational policy, procedure or document
that will help guide community workers on their work role boundaries
when dealing with people with AOD issues?
What can a community worker do when in doubt of the applicable
work boundaries in an AOD situation?

Answer The Code of Practice
the community worker must maintain an effective working relationship
with people that generally relay on safe as well as professional
boundaries being maintained.
Marking Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
Question 5 List typical information that an organisation would collect during
registration or intake of a person with AOD issues.
Answer An intake and a assessment conduct a explained assessment of the
treatment needs and then improves an initial treatment care plan for a
person with AOD.
Marking Satisfactory Unsatisfactory

Question 6 Explain how funding allocation can affect a person’s assessment
process.
Answer The funding can significantly supports the person to be curious as well
as to receive the best possible care treatment interventions which the
care workers can employ in order to reduce the risk as well as increase
the quality of life of the patients.
Marking Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
Question 7 Briefly explain what is involved in a typical referral process.
Answer It generally involve the six stages within the referral process and are as
mentioned below:
 Initial concern associating with patient progress.
 Collection of information.
 Sharing of information and team discussion.
 Discussion of possible strategies.
 Execution and observation of strategies.
 Decision making and assessment.
Marking Satisfactory Unsatisfactory