Texas Homeless
Education Office
The University of Texas at Austin
Charles A. Dana Center
2901 N IH 35, Room 2.200
Austin, Texas 78722
1-800-446-3142
http://www.utdanacenter.org/theo
Ethical considerations in
working with homeless
youth and families
Ethical Considerations for Working
with Homeless Youth & Families
AGENDA
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Identify the what and why of ethics
Identify common ethical standards in
working with homeless youth & families
Identify common ethical issues when
working with homeless youth & families
Identify possible solutions
YOUTH ARE HOMELESS
Runaway, pushed out,
and unaccompanied youth
are a growing proportion of
children in homeless situations
They often know what they are
running from, but have no realistic
idea of what they
are running to.
YOUTH ARE HOMELESS
Runaway, pushed out,
and unaccompanied youth
are a growing proportion of
children in homeless situations
They often know what they are
running from, but have no realistic
idea of what they
are running to.
What are some of the ethical
considerations when working
with the youth in this video?
Common situations that have ethical implications when
working with youth
Meeting with youth in “non-traditional” settings
Mistaking friendship for appropriate trust building
Keeping Confidentiality – to whom to tell what? When the youth
says “Don’t tell anyone.”
Reporting abuse and neglect – concerns for youth safety
Reporting runaway – concerns for youth safety
Addressing risky behaviors – if you do, will they leave?
Giving Money, taking kids home, leaving youth in unsafe setting
Failing to report or to act on information shared
Dealing with “I only trust you” with certain information
Common considerations that have ethical implications
when working with youth
• Dissonance: when your values differ from those of your client, your
agency, your professional licensure, society at large. Example:
abortion, HIV services, GLBT, etc.
• Confidentiality: issues with confidentiality that can particularly occur
within residential, street, and home-based settings - who should
be present when a home visit is occurring? What happens when other
residents overhear information about a particular client? How do
different agencies safeguard against this? Who needs to know which
information?
• Referral: how to access other services for a client, without sharing
confidential information? How to know when to access a referral, and
how much information to share?
• Boundaries: are frequent issues within residential, community,
and home- based settings, and when working with unaccompanied
youth.
Common considerations that have ethical implications when
working with youth
• Agency or professional policies and/or practices that are
particularly helpful in addressing ethics conflicts.
• Do no harm – Understanding competencies: What tells social
workers that they are working beyond their competence?
• Dual Relationships – business, social, relative, friends, etc.
• Language – What workers see and what they say frames the work
for possibilities or barriers; labels, or enables the client.
• Informed consent – self consent for unaccompanied youth? At what
age?
• Crisis work – what happens when you are in crisis mode? Does
“business as usual” go out the door and what does this mean for
ethical
• When are practitioners crossing ethical lines? When are boundaries
fluid and when are they rigid? What information is too much to share,
and what is not enough? Who does the youth worker look to for
guidance in making ethical decisions in his/her work? How do crisis
situations challenge ethical standards? Reporting, trust loss if you do;
when safety and rapport building seem to be at odds.
What Are Professional Ethics?
While the law establishes a minimum
standard proscribing policy and
practice, ethics defines the ideal
intellectual approach to moral issues
What Are Professional Ethics?
“Professional ethics is not synonymous
with personal morality or governmental
regulation; it is the organized and
systematic articulation of child and youth
care values and their application to the
issues encountered in practice.” Martha A.
Mattingly, University of Pittsburg
What Are Professional Ethics?
Professional ethics include:
•Core values – those absorbed from our
family and culture, and those developed
from life experiences
What Are Professional Ethics?
Professional ethics include:
•Core values - those absorbed from our family and
culture, and those developed from life experiences
•Ideals towards which the profession
strives – i.e. safety and well-being of
children and youth
What Are Professional Ethics?
Professional ethics include:
•Core values - those absorbed from our family and
culture, and those developed from life experiences
•Ideals towards which the profession
strives – for example safety and well-being of
children and youth
•Standards of professional conduct – for
example to never intentionally do harm
What Are the Benefits of Adherence to
Professional Ethics?
•Protection of a vulnerable clientele
•Protection of the professional who no
longer stands alone in the face of
difficulty, but stands with the profession
Why should programs
serving youth &
families be interested
in ethical
considerations?
Why should programs serving youth be
interested in ethical considerations?
Professional ethics can be thought of as representing the
values of child and youth care to which the field holds a
common commitment. When working with youth this is a
commitment to protect, nurture, and enhance the well-being of
children and youth. Thus we must………
Why should programs be interested in ethical standards
when working with youth?
Professional ethics can be thought of as
representing the values of child and youth care to
which the field holds a common commitment.
When working with youth this is a commitment to
protect, nurture, and enhance the well-being of
children and youth. Thus we must………
• understand their vulnerability
Why should programs be interested in ethical standards
when working with youth?
Professional ethics can be thought of as
representing the values of child and youth care to
which the field holds a common commitment.
When working with youth this is a commitment to
protect, nurture, and enhance the well-being of
children and youth. Thus we must………
• understand their vulnerability
• understand whether current practices “do no
harm”
Why should programs be interested in ethical standards
when working with youth?
Professional ethics can be thought of as
representing the values of child and youth care to
which the field holds a common commitment.
When working with youth this is a commitment to
protect, nurture, and enhance the well-being of
children and youth. Thus we must………
• understand their vulnerability
• understand whether current practices “do no
harm”
• understand the impact of staff attitudes and
behavior, agency policy and governmental policy
and regulation
Why should programs be interested in ethical standards
when working with youth?
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Professional ethics can be thought of as
representing the values of child and youth care to
which the field holds a common commitment.
When working with youth this is a commitment to
protect, nurture, and enhance the well-being of
children and youth. Thus we must………
understand their vulnerability
understand whether current practices “do no
harm”
understand the impact of staff attitudes and
behavior, agency policy and governmental policy
and regulation
understand challenging conflicts in the core
values and standards of care
Common Ethical Principles
Beneficence: provide for the good of
the client with at the least doing ‘no
harm’, doing what is in the best
interests of the client
•
Appropriate Boundaries
•
No dual relationships
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No personal gain
•
Appropriate service
Common Ethical Principles
Autonomy: Self Determination
Justice: Fairness, impartiality,
cultural competence
Competence: provide only those
services the professional is
competent to provide
Common Ethical Issues with
Youth
Consent?
Confidentiality?
Who is the client?
Common Ethical Issues with
Youth
Record keeping & documentation
Boundaries
Trust building
Ethical Practices &
Concerns
Allowing youth self determination
Addressing unsafe behavior
Contacting parent or guardian
Ethical Practices &
Concerns
Sharing information with schools,
CPS, other service providers
Maintaining boundaries and trust
building
Non-traditional settings
Know Pertinent Federal and
State Laws and Regulations
Texas Family Code
Texas Health and Safety Code
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
(FERPA)
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act (HIPAA)
Know Professional Ethical
Codes
Social Work
Licensed Professional Counselor
Licensed Marriage and Family
Therapist
Licensed Psychologist
Licensed Chemical Dependency
Counselor
When are laws and
regulations in conflict with
professional ethics and/or
agency policy and
procedures?
When are all three in conflict
with personal values and
morals?
Choosing an Ethical Decision Making
Model
Does the
model used
take all these
factors into
consideration?
Law and Minimum
Standards under
the Law
?
Ethical Decision
Making Model
Do my own
personal values
conflict with
legal, agency or
professional
standards?
What are the
legal
considerations
Professional Code of Ethics
And Standards
Agency Policy and
Procedures
Are
professional
ethics and
agency policy
in conflict?
Using a Model
Using structure is important
 A model:
 Without a model:
 Is uniformly applied to
all situations
 No uniformity – each
decision stands on it’s own
and is less defensible
 Provides for a logical and
articulated decisionmaking process
 May or may not be a
logical and articulated
decision making process
 Provides guidance in the
process
 May feel on your own in
making a decision
 Provides a structure for
documentation
 Documentation may be
haphazard
Example of an Ethical Decision-Making Model
Essential Steps for Ethical Problem – Solving
1. Determine – whether there is an ethical issue and/or
dilemma. Is there a conflict of values or rights or
professional responsibilities? For instance there may be
an issue of self-determination of an adolescent vs the well
being of the family.
2. Identify – the key values and principles involved.
What meanings and limitations are typically attached to
these competing values? For example, rarely is
confidential information held in absolute secrecy,
however, typically decisions about access by third parties
to sensitive content should be contracted with clients.
Essential Steps for Ethical Problem – Solving
3. Rank – the values or ethical principles, which – in your
professional judgment – are most relevant to the issue or
dilemma. What reasons can you provide for prioritizing
one competing value/principle over another? For
example, your client’s right to choose a beneficial course
of action could bring hardship or harm to others who
would be affected.
4. Develop – an action plan that is consistent with the
ethical priorities that have been determined as central to
the dilemma. Confer with colleagues and supervisors
about potential risks and consequences of alternative
courses of action. Can you support or justify your action
plan with values/principles on which the plan is based?
Essential Steps for Ethical Problem – Solving
5. Implement – your plan, utilizing the most appropriate
practice skills and competencies. How will you use core
skills such as sensitive communication, skillful
negotiation, and cultural competence? For example,
skillful colleague or supervisory communication and
negotiation may enable an impaired colleague to see
her/his impact on clients and to take appropriate action.
6. Reflect – on the outcome of this ethical decision
making process. How would you evaluate the
consequences of this process for those involved: Clients,
professionals, agencies? Increasingly, professionals have
begun to seek support, further professional training and
consultation through the development of Ethics Review
Committees or Ethics Consultation processes.
Ranking ethical principles* – a higher level principle is
more compelling than one based on a lower ranked
principle:
1.The principle of protection of life
2.The principle of equality and inequality
3.The principle of autonomy and freedom
4.The principle of least harm
5.The principle of quality of life
6.The principle of privacy and confidentiality
7.The principle of truthfulness and full disclosure
*Lowenberg, F.M. & Dolgoff, R. (1992) Ethical Decisions for Social
Work Practice, 4th ed., Itasca, Ill: F.E. Peacock Publishers, Inc.
Situations/Dilemmas
Work as a group
Use the model and worksheet
Work the steps
Identify the:
ethical principles
ethical issues
ethical practices and concerns
Contact Information
• Hotline: 1-800 446-3142
• Jeanne Stamp: 512-475-6898
jeannestamp@mail.utexas.edu
•www.utdanacenter.org/theo