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It often happens that different professionals discuss the peculiarities of their work to find out which professional sphere involves the greatest number of issues and, therefore, requires specialists to have extended knowledge concerning many different aspects. Continuing on this topic, it is necessary to assume that each profession involves a variety of unique problems. Despite that, when it comes to the most difficult issues, it is important to regard this problem in connection with the field of social work.
Social work is the sphere that involves a wide range of ethical dilemmas that may have a significant influence on the outcomes for individuals who seek help. There is no doubt that the mental health of many people is fragile and its condition may change due to the presence of triggers that surround us everywhere. Despite that, it is clear that an individual who has no serious issues related to psychiatric health is likely to be able to cope with a problem without negative consequences. The given paper is devoted to the analysis of the case of Joyner and Arthur in connection to ethical dilemmas and values of social work.
The Case of Joyner and Arthur and Ethical Dilemmas
For any professional in the field, it is crucial to understand the responsibilities and the nature of social work. According to the guidelines provided by AASW, the responsibilities of social workers include respecting human dignity and human rights, paying special attention to clients’ interests, being culturally competent, and many others (“Code of ethics,” n.d.). These points must be considered about ethical conflicts that could occur in the case of Arthur and Joyner and similar cases.
As it is clear from the official report outlining the details of the discussed case, the struggle between former spouses has started many months ago as their life as a couple was very unhappy (“Arthur and Joyner,” 2016). The wife reported cases of inappropriate behavior demonstrated by the father of her children; according to her statements, he used to speak to her grossly and break furniture in a transport of rage in the presence of their joint children.
Apart from that, he had problems with drugs in the past, and it acted as an additional reason why the woman wanted to limit the time he could spend with their children. It is extremely important for social workers and other specialists who deal with people facing significant problems to realize that each case is unique even though the issues of their clients may be similar. Considering the mental condition of people in a difficult situation, clients of social workers expect to be treated with respect and sometimes it happens that emotional support is important as well. It is a common truth that good specialists should possess enough knowledge to see the most efficient ways to solve work-related problems. Despite that, professional integrity remains a quality that makes specialists able to perform their duties without doing damage to other people.
When it comes to social work, professional integrity is inextricably connected with ethical decision-making. As for the discussed case of Joyner and Arthur, it is possible to identify a few ethical dilemmas that could occur in the situation involving conflicts between former spouses who have underage joint children. In general, ethical dilemmas that can be identified in the case include conflict of interests between spouses, possible partiality of social workers, and compliance with social norms.
Views toward Ethical Behavior and the Case
Ethics remains one of the most important topics that are studied by future specialists in social work. Ethics is one of the branches of philosophy that defines appropriate and inappropriate behavior that people may demonstrate in different situations and explains why certain acts can be classified as good or bad. Speaking about the role of ethics in different professional fields, it is necessary to say that social work is one of the spheres that require specialists to have a deep understanding of the influence that ethical conflicts have on the outcomes for the clients.
More than that, they are supposed to understand the role of proficient knowledge of ethics in their professional activity. Also, the ability of a social worker or another specialist whose professional engagement involves constant interpersonal contacts to make decisions with ethical values in view often acts as the benchmark of professional suitability (Reamer, 2013).
Discussing the role of ethics in social work, it is important to mention that there are a few important ethical theories that present the information helping to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate actions. These theories can be applied to many cases that social workers are supposed to deal with, and the case discussed in the previous assignment is not an exception to the rule. To analyze the case from the point of view of ethics, it is important to present the major theories and understand how they can be applied to the situation described in the report from the Magistrates Court of Western Australia.
Deontology or duty-based ethics can be listed among the number of ethical positions that can be applied to the field of social work, especially when it comes to the work with dysfunctional families. As it is clear from the name used to denote the position, it is based on the importance of duty; thus, deontology focuses on the rules of conduct accepted in the society and it means that the attention of people making decisions by this position is directed to taking actions that are approved by social norms and connected with the common notion of duty (Smith, 2016).
According to the very nature of deontological ethics, the action aimed at assisting other people is considered to be more important than the consequences of this action for a person who needs help. Taking into account that such notion of ethical behavior can be seen as rather superficial as many thinkers regard it as the proclamation of the seeming virtue, it becomes clear that this vision of appropriate behavior is subject to the barrage of criticism (Zheng, 2015).
Back on the topic of the case of Joyner and Arthur, the conflict that was arranged in Western Australia, it is necessary to mention that there was a family counselor who was supposed to help the former spouses to arrive at a consensus and avoid having legal proceedings. As for additional information related to the work performed by the family counselor that is presented in the report prepared in court, it is important to mention that this specialist was expected to hold the meeting where the initial analysis of the case was conducted. During the meeting, the concerned parties had to express their visions of the situation so that the family consultant could define if there was an urgent need for further examination.
Applying the principle of deontological ethics to the case, it is of first importance that the family consultant working with the former spouses should put the primary focus on his or her professional behavior and try to use different means to defuse the conflict between the participants at the moment of the conference. In this case, the social worker should demonstrate a commitment to social justice and provide clients with all the resources encouraging a prompt resolution of the conflict. To perform the task, social workers need to recognize the needs and responsibilities of both the father and the mother and help them to analyze the situation as is stated in Section 5.1.3. of the document by AASW (“Code of ethics”, n.d.).
Utilitarianism is another ethical concept that is applied by specialists working in different professional fields. As is clear from the notion, the given approach is based on the importance of utility of an action. From the perspective of the primary notion used by those thinkers supporting this theory, it can be defined in many different ways. In general, using this term, philosophers mean the aggregate pleasure or the plurality of benefits derived from action by those people who are related to the situation (Birnbaum & Lach, 2014).
Therefore, according to the opinion of those who support this theory, the action that provides more utility can always be regarded as a more advantageous variant (Conway & Gawronski, 2013). About the case that is discussed, it is necessary to understand that children can also be regarded as the concerned party even though they were not allowed to take part in the proceedings where the case of their parents was decided. If the principles of utilitarian ethics are applied to the case of Joyner and Arthur, it becomes clear that a good family consultant should define his or her strategy or work based on the possible pleasure of the parties to the conflict including children who are interested in the establishment of neutral relationships between their parents.
Speaking about the most important ethical issues that could occur in the given case, it is necessary to pay increased attention to a certain conflict of interests that exists between the primary participants of the case – the mother and the father of two children. As is clear from the statements he made before and during the proceedings, his primary goal was to prove that he could be trusted to spend more hours with his children and that it was no longer necessary to supervise him during his parenting time. What is more, the father wanted to increase the impact he could have on the life of his children; to do so, he decided to urge his ex-wife to ask for his permission before traveling with their joint children.
At the same time, the mother wanted to introduce additional requirements to control his communication with the children. As it was indicated by the family consultant working with these people, the statements presented by the parties to a conflict contained exceptive propositions, and this is why they couldn’t reach an agreement without starting legal disputes. Applying the utilitarian theory to contribute to the resolution of the dispute, any social worker should take into account the obvious conflict of interests existing between the mother and the father of the two children. It is impossible to choose the strategy that would satisfy the claims of both participants and, therefore, bring utility to all individuals in dispute.
Despite these difficulties that seem to be inextricable, specialists working with people with such problems should try to do their best to defuse a conflict between them. To perform this task, it can be necessary to define the common value of the two feuding parties and apply this knowledge to motivate the participants to listen to reason (Barsky & Groshong, 2017).
According to Section 5.2.1 of the code, social workers should pursue the interests of their clients, but in some cases, it can be impossible to satisfy them due to legal requirements or other people’s interests (“Code of ethics,” n.d.). In the matter of the discussed case, it is obvious that the well-being of the children is the value that should be the basis for further discussion. Considering that both parents can be clients of the same specialist, encouraging the parties to work hard to do good for their children would be the best strategy from the point of view of utilitarianism and professional ethics. To do that and fulfill the mission of social work, specialists may collaborate with other professionals such as psychologists to explain to the parents the influence their conflicts have on children’s mental health.
Another concept that can be applied to social work is virtue ethics that presents a set of theories based on the assumptions supported by ancient Greek philosophers. In contrast to deontology, virtue ethics is the concept that recognizes the virtues as the primary values and denies the priority of the duty. Therefore, according to those thinkers relying on the principles of virtue ethics, the action which is the most appropriate is always benevolent and aimed at helping other people to cope with their problems in a more effective way. Among the virtues distinguished by those luminaries who have contributed to the development of the concept, there is courage, love of truth, friendliness, honorableness, and other qualities that people are advised to develop (Jayawickreme, Meindl, Helzer, Furr, & Fleeson, 2014).
An important ethical dilemma that occurs in the practice of many social workers and can be applied to the discussed case is an unwillingness or inability to be disinterested when it comes to the work with one or more people. For instance, the family consultant who was assisting the former spouses could face an ethical dilemma related to her or his perception of the clients. When it comes to cases related to family disputes, it sometimes happens that the outcomes depend on the gender of the specialist working with a couple as it is easier for two people of the same sex to understand each other’s concerns.
Therefore, the female specialist could take the side of the wife who had been the victim of domestic violence whereas the male specialist would probably understand the indignation of the father. The question of warped judgments and fellow feelings towards one of the clients becomes even more complex as truthfulness and sincere attitude are seen as virtues. At the same time, every professional related to social workers should understand that partiality should be eliminated during the work as it is incompatible with social justice that is one of the key values appreciated by specialists in the field. According to Section 3.3 of the code, social workers should demonstrate empathy and honesty. To estrange partiality, social workers should forget about their attitudes and focus on the facts related to the case.
Values of Social Work
There is a set of values that every social worker should take into account to become a good specialist, and these values can also be applied to the discussed case. According to the ethical code prepared by Australian specialists, the requirements that a professional should meet include the readiness to recognize the essential rights of any person, the commitment to social justice, and the ability to proceed from the considerations of professional honor (“Code of ethics,” n.d.).
Although the actions of specialists contributing to the resolution of the case were appropriate from many points of view, it happens that professional values are underestimated in similar cases. For instance, the family consultant working with divorced couples can neglect the fact that social work involves seeing the interdependence of people and needs. To make the best decisions, one should understand that divorced couples with joint children still present the community with their own needs, and regarding the problems of the parties separately can be seen as an inhibiting factor in such cases.
Conclusion
The case of Joyner and Arthur and similar cases related to conflicts concerning parental responsibilities involve possible ethical problems such as the influence of conflict of interest between the clients on the outcomes of the work, the need to follow social norms during the work and effectively use time, partiality or unequal attitude to the family members, and many others.
To act by the responsibilities of social work presented in the Code of Ethics which is the primary document for professionals in Western Australia, social workers involved in the case should recognize the needs of both parents, educate them if necessary, use the help of psychologists, find the link between the interests of both clients, and make decisions based on the facts of the case in disregard for personal attitude to clients and their actions.
References
Arthur and Joyner [2015] FCWAM 197 (4 September 2015). (2016). Web.
Barsky, A., & Groshong, L. (2017). Ethics was alive! Respect in social work advocacy. Web.
Birnbaum, R., & Lach, L. (2014). Teaching about what ethical social work practice means: Responsibility starts with schools of social work. Intervention 2014, 140(1), 37-43.
Code of ethics. (n.d.). Web.
Conway, P., & Gawronski, B. (2013). Deontological and utilitarian inclinations in moral decision making: A process dissociation approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104(2), 216.
Jayawickreme, E., Meindl, P., Helzer, E. G., Furr, R. M., & Fleeson, W. (2014). Virtuous states and virtuous traits: How the empirical evidence regarding the existence of broad traits saves virtue ethics from the situationist critique. School Field, 12(3), 283-308.
Reamer, F. G. (2013). Social work values and ethics. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
Smith, E. (2016). The social work services need and the significant role of women in the school system of the North West Province. Gender and Behaviour, 14(2), 7290-7300.
Zheng, Z. (2015). Dai Zhen’s criticism and misunderstanding of Zhu Xi’s moral theory. Dao, 14(3), 433-449.
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