The case of 33-year-old Janie presents a situation where a social worker needs to make a sensible decision. Janie, who had mental problems for the first time, was moved to an outpatient by her psychiatrist. At the same time, the hospital’s risk management director claimed that I needed to communicate with Child Protective Services (CPS). In my opinion, contact with the CPS will be highly stressful for Janie because all legal contacts related to her children are the scariest topic for her. Although Janie can avoid the stress of communicating with her mother, it is unclear whether she will achieve good relationships with her in-laws. Therefore, I am optimistic about Janie’s ability to rehabilitate independently. She is a very intelligent and independent woman who needs time for calmness and rest.
The Code of Ethics formulated by the National Association of Social Workers can help understand the ethical issues of deciding in Janie’s case. The preamble says that particular attention should be paid “to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable” (NASW, 2021). Janie can be called a vulnerable person because of her temporal mental instability. However, one of the key values of social workers is the “Importance of Human Relationships” (NASW, 2021). In Janie’s case, there is a possibility that the relationships between Janie and her children are not addressed enough. In theory, children can stay silenced about their possibly difficult relationship with their mother. Simultaneously, this value may conflict with the principle that a social worker’s “primary goal is to help people in need” (NASW, 2021). It is evident that for Jannie’s mental help, there should not be any encroachment on her well-being.
Thus, Janie’s children prospectively are the most affected by the ethical decision to avoid contacting CPS. All confidence in Jannie’s abilities to overcome mental problems could be destroyed if children experienced physical or psychological harm. Another factor that can be affected in this case is the CPS. The reason is that because of the accident in Jannie’s family; this organization can start campaigns for state or even federal mandates for regulating children’s security in families.
Reference
NASW. (2021). Read the code of ethics. Web.