Self-Determination In The Code Of Ethics As A Social Worker

Self Determination
Right to self-determination is clearly stated in the Code of Ethics as a social worker’s ethical responsibility to their client. Self-determination means social workers will respect and promote the right of the client’s self-determination as well as assist them in an effort to identify and clarify their goals (NASW, 2008). In this case, the only time a social worker is able to limit the clients self-determination is when the client may pose a danger to self or others.
In the case of Ms. Sanchez, self-determination may be seen as an ethical issue because of the setting she is in. Being that she is in a nursing home, it is not uncommon to have family members come in and make decisions that they believe is what is right regarding …show more content…
404-405). With that being said, it is easy to see that social justice may not be practiced in every facility or agency that offers services to clients. In Baptist, the student learned that many of the clients there were susceptible to social justice issues due to their age. In today’s society there are many people who see those who are older as frail and incapable of doing anything because of their age. As evidenced by Allan and Johnson (2009) younger populations, such as undergraduate students tend to hold more negative attitudes towards the elderly and those who had more factual knowledge of aging showed reduced levels of ageism attitudes. This clearly shows the lack of knowledge available to students and the public about the elderly population and what they are capable of. More often than not, people tend to forget that age may affect the health and cognition of an individual but that does not limit them in their ability to live a good life where they can still enjoy themselves. Because of the public’s perception of an older person’s age, elders are at a higher risk of being perceived as incompetent, being abused or