The Ethics of Social Work in India

1.  You are the administrator of an agency, and you are responsible for sending poor families' financial aid applications to government agencies. Your subordinate believes that lowering the annual income of the families listed in the documents will improve their chances of receiving assistance. Furthermore, he/she claims that all other agencies do the same, and that if your agency does not, households in your neighbourhood would suffer. Will you agree to willfully falsify information in order to assist the families? 
2. A woman purchases female newborns from impoverished households and places them for adoption with well-off families. She claims she is not in it for the money and is just concerned with helping the female newborns and their families. She claims that if the babies are not removed from their family, they will almost certainly be killed or mistreated, resulting in death. (She backs up her argument with data.) She admits to breaching the law, but compares it to Gandhi's breaking of the law during the war for independence. The goal is to benefit society as a whole while causing no harm to individuals. Is she acting appropriately? 
3. Following an accident, a guy is infected with HIV/AIDS during a blood transfusion. He claims that his family members should not be told since he would be evicted from the residence and will be homeless. At the same time, other members of the family, particularly his wife, are at risk of becoming infected. Should you keep the information private or tell the person's wife/family members about his health? 
4. Your coworkers at the counselling centre talk about the customers' problems and make fun of them. When you inquire why they do this, they explain that the knowledge stays within the group and that the clients will never know. When you claim you'll report it to your supervisor, they threaten to end your relationship if you do. Will you be willing to be shunned by the group in order to fix a problem that no one seems to be impacted by? 
5. Your superior organises a community health initiative, but misreports it as an educational programme. When asked why, he/she explains that the agency's bureaucratic approach has led to a misunderstanding of the problem, and that the community requires health awareness rather than education. Is it correct for him to manipulate the records? 
6. An unmarried woman approaches to you for help aborting her foetus. She claims she has no option because the unborn child's father has refused to marry her. Her parents had planned for her to marry another man. However, if they learn of this, the marriage will undoubtedly be annulled. The pregnancy has progressed to the point where it cannot be legally terminated. The woman has not told her parents about her illness and has no plans to do so. Will you assist her in having an abortion, despite the fact that it is illegal? 
7. A police officer tortures a criminal by telling him that he is guilty and that he deserves to be punished. Do you believe the officer is correct in his actions? 
8. Your client (of the opposite sex) proposes to you for marriage. He/she claims that because you both come from similar social backgrounds, you should marry. She points out that there have been a few occasions where professional ties have deteriorated into personal ones. Coworkers in the same office, for example, marry; doctors marry nurses, and so on. Will you accept the proposal if you believe he or she meets your criteria for a life partner?

In both governmental and non-governmental organisations, social workers hold positions of authority, and any position of authority carries with it an element of accountability. The term "accountability" means "to keep track of." You have been entrusted with specific goods, and you must account for what you utilised, for what purpose, how, and to what effect after you have used them. Unlike others, social workers have an additional responsibility: they must ensure that human dignity and self-esteem are protected.

No other profession perhaps deals with these issues as directly as social work does. When a police officer acts, all he needs to consider is whether his conduct would reduce crime and whether he is operating in accordance with the law. The lawyer just has to consider whether his or her actions will benefit his or her client. A priest's main concern is whether or not his acts would assist in meeting the individual's religious demands. The social worker's decisions, on the other hand, should reflect a concern for human dignity and self.

• The social worker should act in accordance with the highest standards of personal conduct as a social worker: When dealing with people, the social worker should maintain high standards of personal conduct. High ethical standards would imply that the social worker would not engage in dishonesty, cheating, or deception. A person's life is usually 'split' into two parts: professional and personal. The individual's work life is expected to be accessible to public scrutiny, yet in his personal life, he or she is free to do whatever he or she wants without infringing the law. However, even in his personal life, the social worker bears a significant deal of duty. A social worker, for example, is unlikely to be bigamous while still maintaining the community's respect as a guide or leader.
• The social worker should strive to achieve a high level of competence ami proficiency in the practice of the profession: Every dedicated professional, regardless of their sector, aspires to achieve excellence. In this regard, social workers are no different than others. A social worker should keep up to speed on topics relevant to his or her practise in a variety of ways.
  
  Only those cases should be taken on by the social worker that he or she is capable of handling. The decision to take up the matter should be made after a thorough and objective examination of the facts and circumstances surrounding it. If the social worker feels that the situation is above his or her competency at any point after taking on the case, he or she should make plans to have the case transferred to a more capable expert.
  
  In rare occasions, the social worker may face stressful events that have an impact on his or her performance. Professional assistance and alternative arrangements should be sought by the social worker for his or her clients. Otherwise, the social worker should make sure that his or her troubles do not interfere with his or her behaviour with the client and, as a result, have a negative impact on the client. In order to gain a job or a promotion, the social worker should not lie about his or her qualifications and experience.
• The social worker regards as primary the service obligation of the social work profession: By providing efficient service to customers, social work as a profession justifies its existence. The social worker is authorised to intervene in the individual's private life as long as he or she accepts responsibility for it. Acceptance of the customer, regardless of personal characteristics, is critical in the partnership. In his or her work and within his or her sphere of responsibility, the professional should ensure that discriminatory and inhumane activities are not tolerated.
• The social worker. should act in accordance with the highfst standards of professional integrity and impartiality: The social worker must guarantee that the values and principles of social work are followed in their practise. He or she should be able to reject all negative influences, whether they come from within or outside the agency; from coworkers, subordinates, or superiors; from bureaucrats, politicians, or anyone else in a position to do so.
• The social worker engaged in study and research should be guided by the conventions of scholarly inquiry: Human problems are the focus of social work research, and people who are dealing with these issues are more often than not dealing with acute trauma. While gathering information from various sources, the researcher should consider the sensitivity of the problem, the impact the procedure will have on the individual, and the impact on the agency's overall service delivery. No one should be forced to engage in the study process by the researcher. Further precautions should be taken to guarantee that the respondents are not harmed as a result of their involvement in the research.

• The social worker’s primary responsibility is towards the best interests of the client: The social worker is supposed to provide complete loyalty and to the best of his or her abilities to the client. The phrase "best interest" is simple to pronounce but difficult to put into effect in real life. Because the options available in India are so restricted, many aspects of the client's wellbeing may have to be compromised. Social welfare programmes and organisations, as well as the bureaucracy that manages and implements them, all have their limitations. Furthermore, the intensity of social control systems at various levels in society hinders people' ability to take independent action. A woman who is harassed by her husband's family for more dowry, for example, is most likely to be sent back to her parental home because she has few options. For fear of shame and uncertainty about her future, her parents may not want to retain her in their home. In these situations, social workers must accept the options and act accordingly. The social worker, on the other hand, can make regular follow-up visits to check on the woman's condition and prevent further harassment. Under no circumstances should the social worker use the client's connection for personal gain.
  
  If it is in the client's best interests, the social worker should collaborate and consult with other social workers and specialists from other disciplines. When other professionals are not cooperating as well as one would want, the social worker must keep in mind that he or she must have a holistic picture of the client while still protecting his or her dignity. As a result, he or she can put his or her ego aside for the sake of the client.
  
  In India, the social worker must ensure that the client is not discriminated against because of his or her gender, caste, religion, language, ethnicity, marital status, or sexual preference. Because the social worker's connection with the client is professional, it has certain goals. Interfering with parts of the client's life that are relevant to the problem would be inappropriate on the side of the social worker. A social worker, for example, may be a moralist who believes homosexuality is a sin, but his or her client seeking HIV/AIDS counselling may be a gay. One should not judge the patient in such a situation. It's always a good idea to try to comprehend the client's problem from his or her point of view.
• Rights and Prerogatives of Clients: The social worker should make every attempt to help clients achieve maximum self-determination. Self-determination entails providing the client with the essential chances, support, confidence, and information to make life-altering decisions. When confronted with situations in which the client is unable to make decisions, the social worker should remember the client's rights, his or her socio-cultural status, and other pertinent variables that affect the client when making decisions for the client.
• Confidentiality and Privacy: The social worker should protect the client's privacy and keep all information received during the course of professional service confidential. With the client's knowledge and approval, information about the client can be disclosed to those who need to be informed. Access to records should be controlled and information held in them should be carefully maintained.
  
  When information must be shared with others, the social worker must inform the client and obtain his or her permission. The client's sentiments and emotions should be respected, and appropriate action should be done.
• Fees:  When determining prices, the social worker should make sure they're fair, reasonable, considerate, and proportionate with the service provided, as well as taking into account the clients' financial situation.
  
  The purpose of a social worker's job is not to make money. Social workers should not make their efforts solely for the sake of making money. As a result, the social worker should charge rates that are fair and reasonable, taking into account the time and experience he or she has utilised to provide the service.
  
  It's worth noting that, unlike in the West, India's social work practise has yet to achieve professional status. There is no regulatory or accrediting authority. The average person is not well-informed or educated about social work and the benefits that can be obtained from it. Currently, social workers are only employed and paid by agencies, and private practise for financial benefit is rare.

3) The Social Worker’s Ethical Responsibility to Colleagues

• Respect, Fairness, and Courtesy: Respect, kindness, fairness, and good faith should be shown to coworkers by the social worker. This applies to colleagues who work as social workers as well as those who operate in other fields.
• Dealing with Colleagues’ Clients: The social worker has the task of relating to colleagues' clients in a professional manner. When colleagues are unavailable, the social worker should handle the clients as if they were his or her own. The social worker should not take a colleague's client, try to smear the colleague's reputation outside of formal "channels, or try to influence them outside of formal "channels. Only with the complete knowledge and agreement of the colleague client can a client be transferred. A client, on the other hand, is free to change his or her counsellor at any time.

• Social worker as an employee: The social worker must follow the hiring agency's norms and regulations. Most agencies have a hierarchy, and the social worker will be assigned to a certain position within the agency. The social worker should endeavour to obey all of his or her supervisors' valid orders. The social worker's response to unethical actions at the agency will be determined by the severity of the offence, as well as its negative impact on clients and society. Even though the social worker is employed by the agency, he or she should not be involved in any wrongdoings by the agency.

5) The Social Worker’s Ethical Responsibility to the Social Work Profession

• Maintaining the Integrity of the Profession: The social worker should uphold and enhance the profession's values, ethics, knowledge, and mission. Remember that the social worker is part of a larger community of professionals, and that his or her actions will have a positive or bad impact on the profession and its practitioners. Any incidents of serious wrongdoing by members of the social work profession should be reported to the proper authorities by the social worker.
  
  The social worker should not exaggerate his or her professional credentials or abilities. A social worker, for example, should not claim to be a medical doctor, despite the fact that this may boost his or her reputation with the community and make them more receptive to his or her message.
  
  Even if it appears to benefit the client, the social worker should not falsify facts about them. If the impression is conveyed that facts are manipulated for that reason, the profession's and the social worker's credibility will be harmed.
• The social worker should assist the profession in making social services available to the general public: The social worker's role in providing social services does not end when he or she leaves the office. The social worker should volunteer his or her time and knowledge to efforts that aim to enhance society.
• The social worker should take responsibility for identifying, developing, and fully utilizing knowledge for professional practice: In any profession, the quest of new information and the clarification of current knowledge are crucial goals. The social worker should keep up to date on the newest advancements in the field by participating in a continual process of updating knowledge and abilities.

5) The Social Worker’s Ethical Responsibility to Society

• Promoting the General Welfare: The social worker's job is to enhance society's overall well-being. All activities aimed at eradicating social problems such as discrimination and exclusion, as well as violations of human rights and the promotion of equality, should include social work.

Problems Faced by Social Workers in Ethical Decision Making