1. A Social Worker’s Responsibility to His or Her Clients
By: Meredith Brunkow and Joanna Esker
Social Work Field Practicum
March 14, 2014

2. Who are these People?
Who are these people? They are the young, the old, the sick and dying, the homeless, the incarcerated, and the victims of abuse. These are our clients and it is our responsibility to assist them. Have Joanna read Social Work Poem now (look over at her).

3. ~Sister Mary Rose McGeady
Something to Remember
“There is no greater joy nor greater reward than to make a fundamental difference in someone's life.”
~Sister Mary Rose McGeady
‘Nor or or’

4. 1.01 Commitment to Clients
As a social worker, our primary responsibility is to our clients’ well-being.
Social workers are required by law to report if a client has abused a child or has threatened to harm themselves or others.
Our client’s needs and rights are our top priority.

5. 1.02 Self-Determination
Social workers should respect and promote the right of a client’s self-determination and assist clients in their efforts to identify and clarify their goals.
Social workers can limit a client’s self-determination if a client’s actions or potential actions pose a serious risk to themselves or others.
Don’t force

6. So, how many social workers do you think it will take
So, how many social workers do you think it will take? I believe this best exemplifies self-determination because we can pull all the resources we have and provide them to our clients, but that alone is not enough. They have to have the desire to WANT to CHANGE.

7. 1.03 Informed Consent
Social workers should protect clients’ interests, when clients lack the ability to provide informed consent.
If a client lacks the ability to provide informed consent, social workers should seek permission from an appropriate third party.
Social workers should take reasonable steps to enable their client to provide informed consent.
Sometimes a victim may be a minor, so we have to involve the parents in order to get their consent or to have them help their child understand what is going on in the legal process. Waiving their rights as a criminal.

8. 1.04 Competence
Social workers should provide services and represent themselves as knowledgeable in their field, which reflects their education and training.
Social workers should never assume that they know everything about every culture or political issue.
When working with a client there will be times that we may not know the answer to our client’s questions and we may not have all of the proper resources either. We should not assume that we know what the answer is, especially when we don’t have any idea. We should inform our client that we don’t know, but would be more than happy to find the correct answer or point them in the right direction to someone else who may know the answer.

9. 1.05 Cultural Competence and Social Diversity
Social workers should understand the significance of culture and its impact on human behavior and society.
Social workers should have a knowledge base of their clients’ cultures and be able to demonstrate competence when providing services.
Social workers should obtain an education and be exposed to various cultural experiences.
As a social worker, our clients may be of a different race, religion, ethnicity or age. We need to be understanding and open minded to their cultural and personal differences. Our clients do not think like us. We need to be respectful and we should educate ourselves about our client’s culture and religion, so that we know and understand the best way to assist them. For example, when working with youth at risk, we should never assume that we know what is best for the youth, especially those involved in the gang life. It is important to help the youth, but we should also make an effort to reach out to the youth’s family because that is where the real loyalty lies.

10. “Diversity makes for a rich tapestry
“Diversity makes for a rich tapestry. We must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value, no matter their color.” - Maya Angelou
We are surrounded by diversity. Even in this room we are bringing our own different cultures, which make us unique and different than the person sitting next to us. Our clients will not be just like us. They will have their own unique differences, which we must acknowledge and promote for the success of our clients. This is a quote from Maya Angelou.

11. 1.06 Conflicts of Interest
Social workers should avoid conflicts of interests, exercise professional discretion and use impartial judgment.
Social workers should not take advantage of any professional relationship to further their personal or business interests.
What are some examples of Conflict of interest?
There is our way as the social worker and then there is the client’s way. As a social worker we need to find a middle road that combines both our way and our client’s way. A happy medium. By combining both of our ideas and interests we can hopefully/successfully aid our clients in achieving their goals.

12. 1.07 Privacy and Confidentiality
Social workers should respect a client’s right to privacy.
Social workers should protect the confidentiality of all information obtained, except for legal reasons.
Social workers are not expected to conceal information when disclosure is necessary to prevent harm to a client or other individuals.
As a social worker it is essential that our clients know that they can confide in us while knowing that their issues are safe with us. Are clients trust us and trust is essential in building a strong relationship between a social worker and their client. The only time that we are obligated to break confidentiality is if harm may occur to our client or someone else. Or as a VWC, we are required to provide information to the assigned attorney that could be relevant to that case.

13. Show respect to your clients
This is a comic….displaying what not to do as a social worker when off the clock. We should never gossip about our client’s problems and most importantly we should never judge them.

14. 1.08 Access to Records
Social workers should provide clients with reasonable access to their records.
When providing clients with access to their records, social workers should still protect the confidentiality of other individuals also identified in that client’s records.
A client should be allowed to have access to their records and know what is being said about them or something they might have said in a prior meeting but don’t remember what they said. But it is our responsibility to also protect the identity and confidentiality of other clients that may be involved in this client’s records too. When filing a case there are times when we may have more than one victim. In order to protect their identity we only show a client their specific portion. Or if the victims are minors we only use their initials.

15. 1.09 Sexual Relationships
Social workers should never engage in sexual contact with current clients, whether it is consensual or forced.
Social workers should also not engage in sexual contact with clients’ relatives or other individuals with whom clients maintain a personal relationship.
Basically, a big no-NO!

16. 1.10 and 1.11: Physical Contact and Sexual Harassment
Social workers should not engage in physical contact with clients when there is a possibility of psychological harm to the client as a result of the contact.
Social workers should not sexually harass clients. This includes sexual advances, sexual solicitation, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.
Do you think it’s okay to have physical contact with a client if they’re crying in your office?

17. 1.12 Derogatory Language
Social workers should not use derogatory language in their written or verbal communications when talking with or about clients.
Social workers should use accurate and respectful language in all communications.
Can you give us some examples of what you think is derogatory language? …

18. 1.13 Payment for Services
When setting fees, social workers should ensure that the fees are fair, reasonable, and equal with the services performed.
Social workers should avoid accepting goods or services from clients as payment for professional services.
Money under the table…shady deals. When dealing with payments we should be fair, but we should never give ‘special treatment’ to some clients because of their financial issues. We should look for ways to make their payment easier for them to achieve.

19. 1.14 Decision Making Skills
When social workers act on behalf of clients who lack the capacity to make informed decisions, social workers should take into consideration the interests and rights of their clients.

20. 1.15 Interruption of Services
Social workers should work to ensure obtainable services in the event that services are interrupted by factors such as unavailability, relocation, illness, disability, or death.

21. 1.16 Termination of Services
Social Workers can terminate their services if they believe that their client no longer needs their assistance.
Social workers who are leaving an employment setting should inform clients of appropriate options for the continuation of services.
Social workers should notify clients promptly and seek the transfer, referral, or continuation of services in relation to the clients’ needs.
Joanna

22. “Never, be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
“When you were born, you cried
and the world rejoiced. Live your life
so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice." -Cherokee Expression
Say Thank you before game slide.
“I want to inspire people. I want someone to look at me and say ‘because of you I didn’t give up.’”

23. GAME TIME!!
Mother May I??