Brief Case Show
Raise your hand if you have had a client offer you a gift. Did you accept the gift or politely refuse it because you thought accepting the gift might complicate the boundaries in your professional-client relationship? Responses by social workers:Whenever one Social Worker has to deal with any ethical issues, one can always reflect upon SASW professional ethics which can be found on or to discuss with their supervisor. C. SOCIAL WORKERS’ ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY IN PRACTICE SETTINGS: There are 2 straightforward scenarios that we will look at. It’s a Yes or No response in whichever situation. Usually, when client or family comes to me with a gift, I will explain to them the reason why I cannot accept the gift. If they insist on giving out of appreciation and not as a form of payment, I will declare the gift as this is my agency's rules & regulations to declare all gifts given to us. Then I will share the gift especially if the gift is a food item. If it is not a consumable item, this gift will be used in charity events in the company. Thus, the gift must be made known to my supervisor. However, if the client or family came to me with monetary gifts, this has to be rejected immediately, as it won’t be right to accept any monetary gifts. I will instead suggest to them to donate to the organisation as this will also benefit the beneficiaries. If the case of giving becomes complicated, the Social Worker may notify their supervisor to resolve the issue together. As long as the Social Worker abides by the above mentioned steps, it should be clear and concise and able to maintain the professional relationship with the clients. What is also important is that when workers reject a client’s gift, workers should be mindful not to make their clients feel like their gifts are not good enough. Neither should the worker say no in a harsh manner. We can inform them tactfully, and that we take their gratitude to heart. Julia AoSocial Work Associate Firstly, the organization needs to put in place a policy on gifts & mementos, and a whistle blowing policy to ensure transparency, a framework to guide all staff in the human service sector (not just social workers) on the handling of such gifts and mementos and prevent ethical dilemmas and conflicts. The policy for gifts & mementos should contain the following: a) Cash gifts regardless of amount is not to be accepted – even if it is for festive occasions, birthdays, etc. If there are concerns that clients will feel offended, staff can state that the organization policy prohibits them from receiving cash. b) Non-cash items including mementos and tokens of appreciation exceeding $xx (say, $50 – each organization may defer) must be declared and surrendered. The organization should appoint a senior officer to decide if staff can keep the item, or surrender the item – which may be used as prizes for staff D&D. If the item is surrendered, a letter should be sent to the ‘donor’ to state the organisation’s policy, and how the item will be used. c) Food items (eg. Chinese new year oranges, moon-cakes, even food hampers etc) should also be declared – however, these may be shared between staff and consumed as there is an expiry date on food items. d) Meal treats – again, the Head of Department (HOD) should be informed, and if the HOD thinks that the meal could create conflict of interest, perception by other clients on favoritism or special favours for particular clients, the meals should be avoided. e) Staff may keep items with no commercial value, eg empty CNY red packets (does not contain cash), calendars if offered by clients/vendors. Concurrently, a whistle blowing policy should be in place so that all staff are aware all eyes are watching. Any inappropriate conduct (receiving cash and high value gifts, etc) will be reported. These policies should be regularly communicated, especially at staff orientation for new staff. This is to ensure a high standard of practice, gain public trust – which is critical for the social service sector, and eliminate any avenues to discredit the organization. Jeannie HoSenior Manager Families giving gifts to social workers is not an uncommon act. However, there is little discussion about this issue in the social work. Many thanks to the ethics committee for coming up with this question at this platform for discussion. There are pros and cons to accepting gifts from clients. Receiving gifts from family members is a form of Acknowledging their gratitude towards the worker, and the worker may feel appreciated in turn. However, there might be hidden agenda behind the gift giving by family members. For example, expecting to receive faster nursing home placement or financial assistance. As humans, we are unable to read the minds of each other, hence both parties could have different interpretations of the meaning behind receiving or giving gifts. This might seem like an insignificant issue; however if not dealt carefully, it may affect the rapport built with the clients. Some might feel offended if their kindness is rejected. Personally, I had accepted gifts such as cards, chocolates and homemade cookies during festive periods. I would like to share a couple of my personal guidelines when receiving gifts:
Jocelyn TohMedical Social Worker When a client is referred or coerced into seeking services of a social worker why is it important?When a client is referred or coerced into seeking services of a social worker, it is important that: a common ground is established on the needs that the social worker might help address.
In which phase of the helping process does the social worker guide in the prioritization of goals and identify and address barriers to change?During the work and evaluation phase of social work practice, you and the client take action toward resolving the identified issues and achieving the established goals. In this process, you use both empathic skills and work phase expressive skills.
Which of the following is true of direct social workers?Which of the following is true of direct social workers? They employ interviewing as the primary vehicle of influence. The fit between what a client is inspired to do and what a social worker attempts to provide is called: motivational congruence.
What are the three major phases of the helping process?This chapter provides an overview of the three phases of the helping process: exploration, implementation, and termination.
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A client is likely to discredit the message communicated by the social worker if
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