Substandard 4.4: Awareness of the boundaries of professional practice and what constitutes unprofessional conduct.
According to Nicholas et al, (2010) in social work, values and rules are considered good conduct and they are established as codes of conduct, and the codes of conduct are also made from the principles and values that govern social workers and that also governs the way that services are delivered to the service users. Furthermore, the authors state that unprofessional conduct is when all the principles, values, rules codes, laws, and policies that govern the social work profession are not followed or are not respected by the practitioners. Social workers need to be aware of the boundaries between professional and unprofessional, this means that they need to be able to follow all the principles, values, and ethics that social workers guide them, knowing that should you not adhere to any of them then such behavior is considered as unprofessional conduct and therefore you can be regarded as incompetent, and you can potentially lose your professional license as a social worker practitioner.
The student learns that it is important to behave professionally as this guides effective services. The student discussed confidentiality with the group members, and they understood that it is not allowed to share the information shared in the group with people who are not part of the group unless harm is foreseen. The student also contracted with the group members to reach an agreement on the goals and objectives of the group program, and the roles of both the facilitator and the group members. This helps create boundaries, foster accountability, and ensure that everything done in the group aligns with the goals and objectives. However, the student did not give group members consent forms as the principal identifies they have consent from their parents at the beginning of the year to offer services to learners when attention is needed. Through consultation with colleagues and the agency supervisor, they find out that it is essential to send the consent form to group members when conducting the group even though the school has consent. This shows unprofessional conduct because the student did not follow social work guidelines. The student demonstrated fairly competence in understanding professional boundaries and rated herself 2/5.drive.google.com/file/d/1B2iIToQaBftwfobHDkr1B1t3_loCUXtm/view?usp=drive_link
Substandard 4. 3: recognizing the inter-relatedness between the moral impulse and codes of ethics.
This standard focus on understanding the innate feeling of right or wrong and moral impulses that guide social workers in making decisions that align with values while the code of ethics provides a framework that aims to standardize behavior across communities. The NASW, (2015) emphasises the interrelatedness of moral impulses and ethical standards within social work. It articulates core values such as services, social justice, dignity, and integrity, which guide social workers’ conduct and decision-making. The code serves to identify ethical principles that reflect these values, helping professionals navigate conflicts between personal moral and organisational policies. It acknowledges that ethical dilemmas often arise in practice and encourages social workers to apply informed judgments and seek consultation.
The student did not apply this standard in practice but if the student would find her values in conflict with professional values. The student would assess the situation and if does not cause harm to the group member and the student's professional conduct the student would process the process in the best interest of the client. However, if it may cause danger to both parties the student would do self-reflection and critically judge the situation when consulting with the supervisor. The student believe she would show competence when dealing with conflicting values among group members showing her negating skills to solve group problems.drive.google.com/file/d/1B2iIToQaBftwfobHDkr1B1t3_loCUXtm/view?usp=drive_link