This article discusses the process of professional decision making in social work, exploring various models and theories that can be applied. It examines the ethical implications and practical reasoning involved in making decisions, as well as how to navigate complex environments and prioritize the needs of vulnerable individuals.
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PROFESSIONAL DECISION MAKING IN SOCIAL WORK1 PROFESSIONAL DECISION MAKING IN SOCIAL WORK Name Institution City Date
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PROFESSIONAL DECISION MAKING IN SOCIAL WORK2 Introduction In psychology, decision making refers to the selection of the course of action by collecting information and analyzing all the possible available solutions. Decision making is a problem solving tool because it provides the answer to the prevailing issues. One needs knowledge and skills in making a quick decision. This determines whether the decision made is poor or not, in fulfilling the intended need. Every decision making results in an outcome that can put is put into action. It's common in our day to day life that we found ourselves in a situation where you have to choose an option among many possibilities. The major part of decision making involves analyzing the advantages and the negativities of the possible outcomes and select the best alternative, that’s appealing to the decision maker. Psychologists Hammond, Keeney and Raiffa (2015), on an article, Practical guide to making better decisions, states that; "Decisions define our future. They often come in a series of connected decisions and encourage us to think about what will come next. Decision-making skills across all disciplines and are transferrable to any job, career, or vocation. A focus on these fundamental skills should be considered essential to any meaningful education." The decision-making process is greatly affected by the environment of the decision maker. For example, a complex environment influences cognitive function. A complex environment refers to a situation where various types of possible outcome keep changing over time. A study was done by, O'Doherty, Cockburn and Pauli (2017), states that "... More complex environments correlate with a higher cognitive function ". Meaning that decision making is influenced by location. Psychologists have developed various theories on decision-making decisions. Examples of such decision-making models include; Practical reasoning model, critical thinking model, and ethical reasoning. In this scenario, Mary is faced with a challenge
PROFESSIONAL DECISION MAKING IN SOCIAL WORK3 of deciding on whether to accommodate the refugees on her room or not to accommodate. Based on the above models or theories, the course of action that Mary will take is discussed below. Critical thinking model "Critical thinking is that model of thinking about any subject, content or problem in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully taking charge of the structures inherent in thinking and imposing intellectual standards upon them," (Forawi, 2016). In applying the critical thinking model, one has to consider different steps before concluding. These steps include organizing the available information, consideration of different available opinions, review of the evidence to support the reasoning, identification of assumptions involved, evaluation of the arguments and finally communicating of the conclusions made (Moon, 2013). In this case study, Mary has to consider various options before considering hosting clients and the needy people in her house. She has to consider the kind of people she is hosting, alternative ways of assisting them, the evidence to consider the assumptions she has made, the dangers and benefits of hosting the people in her house. In as much as Mary's workmates are having different opinions on the matter, she needs to make a lot of considerations before accepting or rejecting the idea of having the needy people stay at her place. She needs to consider her safety and security before allowing the people at her residence. At the same time, the people who need help are many, with each having urgent needs to cater for. She cannot be able to fulfil the desires of each one to make them happy. Mary seems to be empathetic to the challenges that these people are going through. Considering that she had passed through the same case, and someone stepped in to help her, she may be feeling the need to assist them. This makes her remain silent to think critically and try to make an effective decision towards helping the needy. Mary also should be careful when making any decision as they will be held accountable if anything goes wrong. For
PROFESSIONAL DECISION MAKING IN SOCIAL WORK4 example; she might get harmed, robbed of her properties, or even something wrong may happen to the people she is hosting. This keeps her at risk of landing into troubles as a result of her generosity. This can make her reluctant to consider helping them in that manner. Ethical reasoning model Ethical decision making refers to the process of analyzing and finding a solution to a problem with consideration of ethical principles. It is necessary to consider what is ethical and unethical before making the final decision (Ferrell and Fraedrich, 2015). This includes values that govern social work practices. A social worker should consider delivering proper service, social justice, prioritizing to protect individual dignity, among other values (Reamer, 2013). In this scenario, Mary is entitled to help needy people to meet their needs. In this case, people are vulnerable and needy. At the same time, there are scarce resources, and Mary is at a position to assist the few that she can. Food and shelter are fundamental needs to ignore either. She can as well consider accommodating the few individuals that she can. This can as well make a difference in a few people's lives. As ethics directs her not to harm people, it is morally upright to help the people. Considering that she grew up in a large family and was supported by others in life, she can consider helping others as she can understand their situation. It might be unethical to accommodate the clients at her place, but in a humanistic view, it is a good thing to do. Making a positive difference in people's lives is more helpful than allowing them to suffer (Rubin & Babbie, 2016). Mary's boss and other workers are having different opinions on her decision. Some may consider her actions ethical, but others may find it unethical, but her focus on helping the people in all the means that she can drive her, rather than ethical values.
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PROFESSIONAL DECISION MAKING IN SOCIAL WORK5 Practical reasoning model This model explains that one should have a reason to act in whatever the way he/she decides to act. One uses the reason to defend the action and decide what follows (Chai and Ngai, 2016). In this scenario, if Mary decides to continue hosting the needy people, she should be having a reason behind her decision. For example, her past experiences when growing up may determine if she can allow people to stay at her place. Her experience of growing up in a large family and getting help from other people may be a reason enough to make her willing to help others. Having no dependents may also put her in a good position to accommodate and cater for the needy, as she is in a position to do so comfortably.On the other hand, Mary may decide not to accommodate the needy people at her place, the reason being that her actions will make a little difference in their lives. Mary may also decide not to accommodate the needy in her room, considering that she should keep a safe distance from the clients to avoid going against the ethics. When the need arises, it does not discriminate the children from adults, but it affects all. This may make Mary accommodate a specific group of people due to their urgent and special needs. For example, she may decide to accommodate the lactating mother for the safety of the children. This can be supported by the fact that children and lactating mothers are more vulnerable compared to men. Mary may also consider the opinions of her boss and the colleagues and decide whether to assist the people or not, based on the reasons that they present to her. Conclusion Decision making is an essential aspect of human living; life entails making decisions economically, socially, and politically. Individuals make the decision which favours their desires and values (Dichter, 2017). Depending on the decision which an individual decides to make, there is always a positive or a negative outcome. According to the critical thinking
PROFESSIONAL DECISION MAKING IN SOCIAL WORK6 model, Mary can accommodate or fail to stay with the needy in her house, depending on her thinking about the consequences of helping the needy. According to the ethical reasoning model, Mary, as a social worker, has a code of conduct that should be followed. She has a role to assist the vulnerable in society. When considering the practical reasoning model, before making the decision, she should reflect on what she should do and consider the consequences of the action. Regardless of the model that Mary considers for decision making, she should consider various principles as stated by the AASW code of ethics. The principles include doing less harm to the victims, justice to all, protecting human dignity and competence when dealing with clients and others at workplace, among other principles. In as much as Mary may not be in the best position to help the people, she should make sure that she avoids causing any harm to the people, as directed by the social work principles. She should strive to be just to everyone. This principle leads her to maintain fairness and equality without discriminating some clients. As a social worker, Mary has a responsibility to protect the dignity of the victims. This is by helping them to make strategies aimed at meeting their basic needs. This includes finding safe shelter. This principle keeps Mary the mandate to provide housing for the vulnerable. Mary’s boss and her colleagues have differe4nt opinions on the matter; hence, they may not be the best to consult in the issue. I such unclear directions, she should consult the AASW for further guidelines. Therefore, all of the above models are relevant and applicable to Mary while making the right decision. References
PROFESSIONAL DECISION MAKING IN SOCIAL WORK7 Chai, J. and Ngai, E.W., 2016. Decision model for complex group argumentation. Expert systems with applications, 45, pp.223-233. Dichter, E., 2017. The strategy of desire. Routledge. Ferrell, O. C., and Fraedrich, J.2015. Business ethics: Ethical decision making & cases. Nelson Education. Forawi, S.A., 2016. Standard-based science education and critical thinking. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 20, pp.52-62. Hammond, J.S., Keeney, R.L. and Raiffa, H., 2015. Smart choices: A practical guide to making better decisions. Harvard Business Review Press. Moon, J., 2013. Critical thinking: An exploration of theory and practice. Routledge. O'Doherty, J.P., Cockburn, J. and Pauli, W.M., 2017. Learning, reward, and decision making. Annual review of psychology, 68, pp.73-100. Reamer, F. G. (2013). Social work values and ethics. Columbia University Press. Rubin, A., & Babbie, E. R. (2016). Empowerment series: Research methods for social work. Cengage Learning.