Ethical and Legal Considerations in Human Services Research Assignment

This assignment delves into an ethical dilemma faced by a human services worker regarding the placement of a child who is a victim of sexual abuse. The essay examines two options: taking the child home or leaving them at the agency, analyzing the legal and ethical implications of each. It explores relevant laws, ethical codes, and the core values of human services, such as respecting dignity, promoting self-determination, and ensuring social justice. The analysis considers potential risks, including the impact on the child's well-being, the worker's objectivity, and the potential for misuse of the system. The assignment concludes by recommending a course of action that balances the child's needs with the ethical responsibilities of the human services worker, suggesting the child remain at the agency for proper care while adhering to professional boundaries.

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Human Services Research
Assignment 2
23-Mar-18
(Student Details: )

Human Services Research
Overview
The main objective of the human services professionals is to help the communities and
individuals in functioning in a manner which is effective in the key areas of living (France,
Weikel & Kish, 2006). The duties of the human services workers go beyond providing merely
the direct care of the clients to improving the access to basic needs, offering support in difficult
situations of life, and solving the interpersonal issues (McDonald, Craik, Hawkins & Williams,
2011). This discussion is focused on analysing the two available options in placement of the
children, in terms of legal and ethical options. Before concluding, a proper course of action
would also be recommended.
Legal and ethical viewpoint
The human service workers are required to assess the needs of the people in need, and are
required to create and implement response plans for them. They are required to work in a manner
that the dignity and the welfare of individuals is respected and upheld, cultural diversity is
honoured, self-determination is promoted, social justice is advocated and are required to act in a
manner which shows objectivity, honesty integrity and genuineness (National Organization for
Human Services, 2018). There are different laws which apply on them and which they have to
keep in mind while fulfilling their roles. These include the youth justice, family law, child
protection laws, criminal law, housing law, criminal law, employment and worker’s rights and
discrimination and human rights law (University of South Australia, 2018).
The National Association of Social Workers puts forth the ethics, standards and
responsibilities for the human service organizations. The core values are that of dignity, worth of
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person, competence, integrity, social justice and service. The human services workers are
required to promote negotiation, recognition, respect and confidentiality in context of right of
client to informed consent and self-determination (Sessoms, 2018). The privacy of clients has to
be upheld and before taking intrusive actions, information has to be gathered which is required
for providing their services. They are required to steer clear of improper relations like
socializing, using insulting language, sexual behaviour and coercion (Crimando & Riggar, 2005).
In the present case study, the human services agency had an unplaced child, who had
been a victim of sexual abuse. As a human services worker, the writer has the option of taking
the child with them to their home or to leave the child at the agency. This is a conflicting
situation, and highlights an ethical dilemma. An ethical dilemma refers to such a situation where
the choice is to be made between two right options. Here, the human services workers have to
refrain from taking any intrusive actions and also have to avoid socializing with the clients. In
this context, they are required to avoid taking the child at home as this would result in the human
services worker getting indulged with the child. They would socialize with the child, which
would create feelings and attachment in both the child and the human services worker. This can
pose as a problem later on when such a child is placed with a foster home. It would not only be
an issue for the child, in terms of getting attached to another set of parents, after losing their first
set of parents and the said human services worker; but, would also be difficult for the human
services worker as their attachment with the child can act as a barrier in their full and proper
performance of responsibilities as a human services worker.
Another issue or risk which is posed in this context is that the human services worker
taking the child would be deemed as an intrusive/ meddling/ invasive action. This is because
such an action would be deemed as impulsive decision, where because of the condition of the
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child, the human services worker would have taken them home. Another problem which would
result from this is that there are a number of children who need help and are often in worse
condition than the child in consideration. If every human services worker would start taking the
kids home, it becomes prone to be misused, in terms of people becoming human services worker
just to gain access to such vulnerable kids, and push them towards dark side of human life, in
terms of trafficking and prostitution or in criminal line of murder and drugs. In the utilitarian
view, this would be against the happiness of maximum and thus not a correct step. This is the
reason why the codes of conduct have been set and which have to be adhered by the human
services workers.
Conversely, where the child is left with the agency, they would be alone and would not
get the specific care which the human services worker would be able to provide. This is
particularly because of the history of the child, in terms of being a victim of sexual abuse. Such
children are often closed in terms of their interactions and are not comfortable with new people.
Even the known faces do not give them much comfort. Such a child needs special care, which a
trained and expert human services worker can provide. More importantly, as the other children
have found a place for themselves but this single child is left alone due to their history of sexual
abuse, it becomes important to care for them. In terms of respecting the child, upholding their
dignity, and helping a person based on their needs, it is crucial to care for the child in this case.
In terms of dignity, worth of person, competence, integrity, social justice and services,
the human services workers are required to promote negotiation, recognition, respect and
confidentiality in context of right of client to informed consent and self-determination. In terms
of virtue ethics, where virtues of justice, fairness and integrity have to be upheld, this approach
would be particularly correct. Here, the child is unable to give informed consent and has no sense
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of self-determination. In sense of being true to the services of a human services worker, it is
important to care for them. Being a victim of sexual abuse, they already feel degraded and less
worth as a person. The lack of placement of this child is an indicator to this. Thus, where the
human service worker hoes beyond their basic duties as a human services worker, and provide
direct care to the child for giving them access to basic needs, and offering them support in
difficult situations of life as a means of solving the interpersonal issues, they cannot be deemed
as unethical or unlawful. The lack of specific laws in this area would again make this matter
typical. In terms of upholding the laws related to human rights, it would be deemed as lawful to
take such a step where the child is cared for in a proper manner and the sense of human dignity is
upheld.
Specific course of action and Conclusion
Thus, based on the discussion undertaken in the previous segment, it can be concluded
that the presented situation was a dilemmatic one. On the basis of comparing the two grounds on
ethical and legal grounds, the best course of action is to leave the child at the human service
agency and stay with the child there only. This would be a midway to the two available options
and would help in getting the best out of the two available options. This is because the child
would not be alone and would be properly cared for, and at the same time, the code of conduct as
is required to be followed by the human service workers would be properly abided. This would
help in avoiding the chances of possible misuse of human service workers taking the vulnerable
clients at home and at the same time would help them in fulfilling their roles and responsibilities
in a proper manner.
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References
Crimando, W., & Riggar, T. F. (2005). Community resources: A guide for human service
workers. Illinois: Waveland Press.
France, K., Weikel, K., & Kish, M. (2006). Helping Skills for Human Service Workers: Building
Relationships and Encouraging Productive Change (2nd ed.). Illinois: Charles C Thomas
Publisher.
McDonald, C., Craik, C., Hawkins, L., & Williams, J. (2011). Professional Practice in Human
Service Organisations: A practical guide for human service workers. Crows Nest, NSW:
Allen & Unwin.
National Organization for Human Services. (2018). Ethical Standards for Human Services
Professionals. Retrieved from: http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/ethical-standards-
for-hs-professionals
Sessoms, G. (2018). Code of Ethics for Human Service Workers. Retrieved from:
http://work.chron.com/code-ethics-human-service-workers-8132.html
University of South Australia. (2018). Human Service Workers and the Law. Retrieved from:
https://study.unisa.edu.au/courses/009690/2018
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