IndexWhat is an Ethical DilemmaRecognize Ethical DilemmaBrief HistoryConsulting the NASW Code of EthicsPros and Cons of OptionsHow to Deal with This SituationConclusionWorks CitedSocial workers will come across ethical dilemmas on a regular basis . Ethical dilemmas may include the inappropriate nature of the workplace or the need to make a decision that may go against protocols but be morally the right thing to do. During the internship, interns will also face ethical dilemmas and will have to work to understand how to adhere to the Code of Ethics while making the right decision, especially which one is in the best interest of the client. By following the ethical decision making process, workers will hopefully be able to decide what to do and hopefully this will be in the best interests of the customer. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay What is an Ethical Dilemma In social work, an ethical dilemma is a situation in which two or more social work values ​​conflict. Ethical dilemmas in social work may involve inappropriate workplace behavior such as violence or inappropriate language, or may involve other aspects such as contacting a client via social media or violating a client's confidentiality. Social workers regularly face ethical dilemmas and often must consult with the Code of Ethics to make the appropriate decision about what to do. Recognizing the Ethical Dilemma The recent ethical dilemma presented to the Petersburg Department of Social Services involves a young boy who is part of a case handled by the department. The dilemma involves the fact that the child desperately needs his medicine because the medicine is important in regulating his moods and behaviors. His current caregivers are unable to obtain medications because the local pharmacy does not have the information for the child, and social services are not authorized to provide the child's information to the pharmacy for his medications. However, once again it is emphasized that the child desperately needs his medicines, but without an authorization form stating that social services can speak to the pharmacy and release his details, health workers cannot obtain his medicines. which he remained without for about two weeks. .Brief HistoryLike some basic information on how this situation occurred; the boy is about ten years old and has been involved in a case managed by social services since his arrival in Virginia about a year ago, where he stayed with his biological father and stepmother. By mid-October the family had become homeless and had begun moving from motel to motel. However, towards the end of October, the boy's school notified the agency that the boy was absent from school for an excessive number of days. After some investigation, the workers were informed that the father had been incarcerated and that the stepmother had suddenly taken the child to a friend of the biological mother; this friend was in Chesapeake, Virginia. About a week later, this family's primary caseworker was informed that the child was staying with a friend of this person in North Carolina and had initially been left in Chesapeake with only the clothes on his back - no extra clothes, or the most important aspect: its medicine. This prompted the current caretakers – a couple from North Carolina – to call the agency to see what steps could be taken to provide the child with the medicine he desperately needed. However, the agency did not have permission todisclose the child's information to another pharmacy in another location, then the ethical dilemma came into play. Consulting the NASW Code of Ethics From reading the NASW Code of Ethics, this situation conflicts with privacy and confidentiality. As a brief overview, the Privacy and Confidentiality section of the Code of Ethics highlights that social workers are expected to respect the privacy of all clients and keep information confidential unless they are faced with compelling professional circumstances. In this case, the first two parts of this section were the ones that stood out the most. Of the Privacy and Confidentiality section, part A highlights that “social workers should respect users' right to privacy. Social workers should not solicit private information from or about clients except for compelling professional reasons. Once private information is shared, confidentiality standards apply” (Code of Ethics: English, 2017). Part B highlights that “Social workers may disclose confidential information, where appropriate, with the valid consent of a client or a person legally authorized to consent on behalf of a client” (Code of Ethics: English, 2017). Who will be affected by the decision? What options are there? When considering who will be affected, you need to consider all sides of the equation and explore all options. Ultimately, regardless of the decision, the client will be affected since it is their life that is the center around which the ethical dilemma revolves. If the worker were to make a wrong decision or resolve this dilemma in the wrong way, then the worker, or the agency, could be negatively affected. The client's parents may also be affected, depending on the decision made in resolving this dilemma. There are some courses of action that the operator could also take to resolve this dilemma. First, one option would be to ask to speak to his father in the prison where he is currently held and have him sign the authorization form with a new option that would authorize the operators to release the customer's data to the new pharmacy. . Another option would be to ask his current caretaker to petition for custody over him, which would hopefully allow the caretaker to have the information. A final option would involve the worker speaking to a supervisor to see if there is a way to provide the information to the pharmacy without having the authorization resigned, since the customer really needs the medication for their behaviors. Pros and Cons of Options There are several aspects to consider when evaluating options on how to resolve this dilemma. The first option would be for the provider to talk to a supervisor, to see if there is a way to “get around” the authorization, in a sense, allowing the child to receive the drug without authorization. One advantage of this option would be that the client would finally be able to get the medicine they need, and another advantage is that there would be no need for time-consuming tasks such as waiting for custody or finding the father to give up authorization. However, there are also some disadvantages of this option. For one thing, if the worker were to speak to the pharmacy and release information despite getting verbal permission from a supervisor, if there is no written documentation, there could be consequences. Another disadvantage is that, once again, the information could fall into the wrong hands, which could jeopardize the client's confidentiality and privacy. Another option would be to try to get a new authorization from our client's father, whoit would allow the agency to speak to the pharmacy on the customer's behalf. A couple of advantages to this idea would be that the agency would then be allowed to release information to the pharmacy in the area where the customer is located, which would allow them to get the medicine they need. Another benefit would be that if the agency encounters this problem again in the future, the agency would reauthorize the documentation for future reference. The disadvantages of this, however, would be that this could allow the pharmacy to also have too much access to the customer's information and know too much about the customer, which could be dangerous if the information were to fall into the wrong hands. A third and final option would be to have the current custodian instance for safekeeping of the client. An advantage would be that the customer would then be entitled to his information which could help him obtain his medicine. Another benefit would be that the customer would then receive the medications they need. However, this situation also has disadvantages. A disadvantage in this situation could mirror that of the first option; a dangerous situation could be created if the information were to fall into the wrong hands. Furthermore, if the foster carer were to file a foster care application and ultimately win, the agency would no longer have ties to our client as he or she is in someone's custody, which may not be a good thing considering the child still needs the care. services provided by the agency .How I would approach this situation If I were the worker in this situation, I would follow the process to make an ethical decision. To begin with, I would recognize the problem in my head and ask myself what options to consider. In this case, the problem is that a customer needs his medications to regulate his mood and behavior, but we cannot give his information to another pharmacy without a pharmacy authorization that states we can talk to that agency on his behalf. After recognizing the problem, I would evaluate my options – as done above when considering which path to take to resolve this ethical dilemma. I would then continue to consider the Code of Ethics and follow the rest of the ethical decision-making model. Personally, if I were dealing with this dilemma and wanted to deal with it, I would try every option if necessary. For example, I would talk to a supervisor first to find out if there is a way to simply get permission to talk to the pharmacy about getting the medication for our client; perhaps as an emergency order that would allow me and the workers to speak to the pharmacy to obtain the drug without the father's written authorization. Our hope is that this only works with permission from a supervisor. Although there are risks, this would be the quickest option to get the drug. If the first option didn't work, I would try to get reauthorization from the father allowing me and the workers to talk to the new pharmacy on behalf of the son to get his medicine. In this case, as indicated above, the father would simply submit an authorization form but with authorization to have us speak at the new pharmacy on his son's behalf, so that the custodian can receive his medications. If this didn't work, we would look at the third and final option, which is to see if the current guardian can file a claim for custody of the child and, in this way, be able to get his medication. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Conclusion Social workers will face ethical dilemmas on a regular basis, in all areas of work, whether.