Professional Ethics

Basing your actions on our highest understanding

“Ethical dilemmas rarely present themselves as such. They usually pass by before we know it or develop so gradually that we can only recognize them in hindsight - a little like noticing the snake after you have been bitten.”

Course ObjectivesAt the completion of training, participants will be:• Familiar with the Standards for Practice of North

American Child and Youth Care Professionals.• Able to use the steps in the process of “doing”

professional ethics.• Able to apply the ethics code to practice scenarios

to develop ethics based solutions to practice dilemmas.

Why discuss ethics?• Work with vulnerable populations• Vulnerable populations by AmeriCorps definition

are:• children under the age of 18 (Stepping Stones, BGC, Parks

and Rec, IU Health Bloomington, Girls Inc, New Hope Family Shelter, RLHEC, Jameson Camp, YMCA, Deaconess)• individuals with a disability (RHI)• persons over the age of 60 (Area 10 Agency on Aging,

VIM)• What about individuals with low incomes? Those

without access to proper healthcare? Those who aren’t able to communicate well? Where do these vulnerable populations fit into a discussion of ethics?

Professions with a code of ethics• Agriculture• Animal Breeding and Care• Architecture, Art and Design• Business• Communications• Computer and Information Science• Construction Trades• Education and Academia• Engineering• Finance• Fraternal Social Organizations• Government and Military• Health Care• Industrial

• Law and Legal• Management• Marketing• Media• Mental Health/Counseling• Other Professions• Real Estate• Religion• Science• Service Organizations• Sports and Athletics• Travel and Transportation • Wildlife and Environmental

Stewardship

What are professional ethics?Organized principles to which we hold a common commitment and

their application to practice.

Professional ethics are not:

Agency PoliciesLaws and Regulations

Personal Values

How do ethics fit into professional practice?• Handling confidentiality • Knowing to whom and

how to report various scenarios

• Gaining trust• Contact with families and

mediation when it comes to familial conflict

• Protecting the rights and safety of clients above all else

Code of Ethics: Standards for Practice of North American Child and Youth Care Professionals• Composed of principles and standards:

• Responsibility for self.• Responsibility to the client.• Responsibility to the

employer/employing organization.• Responsibility to the profession.• Responsibility to society.

Process of Doing Ethics:1. Develop an ethical vision.2. Get the issue ready.3. Explore resolutions / interventions.4. Choose and implement the resolutions /

interventions.

Steps in an ethics discussion:1. Develop an ethics perspective.2. Identify the ethics statement to which you are

committed.3. Describe the ethical dilemma.4. Identify the principles/standards which apply.5. Distinguish between useful and unacceptable

disagreements.6. Encourage a broad range of discussion (tolerate

ambiguity).7. Conclude what a good practitioner would be expected

to do.8. Consider possible interventions.

Resolutions in ethics discussions:• A statement that provides specific and compelling

guidance.• Statement provides guidance which must be

enriched with sound professional judgment and consultation to achieve a good practice solution.

• Statement provides an understanding of the issues involved and leads to further consideration.

ActivityIn groups (3-4) select two scenarios. Create a skit for each scenario that:1. Identifies the problem in each situation.2. Explains what you would have done or could have been done instead3. Explains how this incident could have been prevented in the first place.4. Explains how this incident should be dealt with.5. Explains what AIHTI or AmeriCorps policies, procedures or protocols

pertain to this situation.6. Explains which behaviors should be changed and by whom.

Scenario #1One of the youth in your program, 12-year-old Sara, comes to you privately. She asks you if you can keep a secret because there is something that she wants to tell you because you are the only person she can trust. She then reveals that her 17-year-old brother is making sexual advances on her and is coming into her room at night. What will you do?

Scenario #2At your host site you always do special activities for the holidays, especially Christmas. Your program even participates in the local Christmas parade. This year you have a 17- year-old youth who is a Jehovah’s Witness in your group. The child’s family does not believe in celebrating holidays. You are not sure what to do. You don’t want to involve the youth in something against her family’s beliefs, but you don’t want to give up the celebrations that the other children really enjoy. What should you do?

Scenario #3Susan, a 15 year old in your program, lives alone with her mother, who works long hours. Susan often comes to the program dirty and smelly. Even the other children make fun of Susan because of the way she smells. You are faced with several problems. What should you say to Susan’s mother? Should you report neglect to Family and Child Protective Services? What do you tell the other children in your class? What should you say to Susan?

Scenario #4A power of attorney is prepared by an elderly person’s attorney to give his son the power to manage all of his business affairs when he no longer can. The son wants to use his dad’s money now for his own family needs. If this elderly person is in your senior citizen gardening class or your adult diabetes class and comes to you with this problem thinking their children or caretaker is stealing from them, how do you deal with the situation? Who do you go to?

Scenario #5You are at your host site and notice two volunteers talking about one of the kids who attends programming at the site. You notice that several youth are slyly listening to the conversation. What will you do?

Scenario #6One of your co-workers brings her own children to your host site’s afterschool program. One day you are visiting the site as part of your service. You notice 6-year-old Rex eating his healthy snacks at a table alone. You invite him to join you where you are sitting with your coworker’s children and several others. As Rex begins to move to your table, your co-worker tells you that Rex is not allowed to sit with her children because he ‘bothers’ them. She then redirects Rex back to his isolated table. What will you do?

Scenario #7One of the young people in your program reveals that she is an atheist. You believe that her life will be so much better if she gets involved with church and learn to have faith in God. What will you do?

Scenario #8Since the day that you started with AITHI punctuality for meetings and programs has been stressed and you arrive early to make sure you are at meetings on time. Over the next few months you notice people showing up 5, 10, 15 minutes late on more than one occasion, especially at member training meetings. You are now torn because you don’t feel as though it is fair they are not held accountable for their actions but you are not their supervisor and it is not your position to say anything. What do you do?