NEED IN 15 HOURS or LESS

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Respond to the Classmate’s Discussion (below) as you would in a

face-to face class by stating why you agree and asking questions

pertaining to the discussion.

Discussion 1 (Kelly)

The work I do now is a perfect example of this scenario. It is almost serendipitous getting this example. I am currently doing a stretch assignment for a location that had no leadership for a long while. All but one of the workers were new and established bad habits early on. I have always been pretty uptight about following rules and policies. When I came in, I was prepared to reign with an iron fist. I even have written documentation for verbal warnings about tardiness, absenteeism, language on the sales floor, and just their overall attitude towards my boss and the company. She never allowed me to present them. After about a month, I began to get to know each person individually. I came to understand their story and home life. I realized their backgrounds made them really rough around the edges. Some are young taking care of parents instead of living young adult lives. Some have truly come from abusive homes and are young trying to make it, but not mature for the life they’re trying to live. They have come to really love me being there, and even attempted to change some of their bad habits simply for me. The problem is the bad habits still exist, but I understand the human side of a stressful life spilling over into your work life. Some have mental health issues that surface all the time. On the other hand, I have a boss that needs her business to run the right way, and I am always stuck between a rock and a hard place. I do believe they deserve understanding, probably because I am more passionate about human service. For my supervisor’s side, her focus is business- oriented, and those are things that need to be left out of the selling environment. So, when she asks me to report on certain issues, I have a hard time now, because I do not want to see anyone lose their job. At the end of the day though, my ethical and professional obligation is to my employer.

While I know this is not as serious as gang-related activity, it helps me to understand the dilemma of ethical obligation and the desire to honor your trusting relationship with people. I feel that the mission of the organization was to implement a program that seeks to redirect a way of life for these youth. Violence-prevention programs, to me, look deeper at the community that violent youth have been subjected to and lived in all their lives. Often this behavior is deeply psychological and breeds from untreated mental health issues. It makes sense that the police are looking to fulfill their legal responsibilities to eliminate crime and criminal from the community, but most actions have a deeper reason. I have come to learn that even in the industry I currently work in. I believe my ethical obligation would be to the community I want to impact first, because if you start at the root maybe you can kill the whole weed (violent crimes). Collaborative impact could be a best practice in this scenario. Although it refers to research, collaborative impact states that it is “based on the take-up and use of the findings of collaborative research by individuals and organisations to change practice and policy, and influence attitudes and culture” (Banks, Herrington, & Carter, 2017). The community initiative to promote non-

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violence gives a chance for public safety and non-profit organizations to collaborate on researching deeper problems.

Reference Banks, S., Herrington, T., & Carter, K. (2017, June 15). Pathways to co-impact: action research and community organisingLinks to an external site.Links to an external site.. Educational Action Research, (25)4, 541-559. doi:10.1080/09650792.2017.1331859

Respond to the Classmate’s Discussion (below) as you would in a

face-to face class by stating why you agree and asking questions

pertaining to the discussion.

Discussion 2 (Linda)

"Psychologists have a primary obligation and take reasonable precautions to protect confidential information obtained through or stored in any medium, recognizing that the extent and limits of confidentiality may be regulated by law or established by institutional rules or professional or scientific relationship." (American Psychological Association, 2017, Section 4.01). In this situation, I would feel obligated to uphold the standards of confidentiality. With that being said, if I hear any word that someone or others are in danger, then I would have to report it to the powers need be. It is my job to do no harm or do the least amount of harm. Because I am working with the youth, it is important to show them strong relationships. A betrayal of their trust could lead to more violence in the community. They would take this situation very personal.

"Business is conducted via relationships, and trust is the foundation of relationships." (Reina et al., 1999, Page 8). When considering the work that I am doing within this community, I need to think of the bigger picture and what impact I want to have on these children. I believe that the children should have a strong leader to count on; I would do my best to provide resources for a brighter future. If there are further issues that affect the community, I would recommend having additional professionals become involved in the process. My main focus would be on the individuals; their focus would be on the community issues. If I do not fully understand the dynamics, then I need to either educate myself or refer this case to one of my colleagues. If my work, in the end, does more harm than good, I would need to reconsider the actions that I have taken and try to find a different approach with additional help. It may be a larger issue that one cannot do alone.

References

American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct (2002, amended effective June 1, 2010, and January 1, 2017). http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.htmlLinks to an external site.

Reina, D. S., & Reina, M. L. (1999). Trust & betrayal in the workplace : building effective relationships in your organization. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

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Respond to the Classmate’s Discussion (below) as you would in a

face-to face class by stating why you agree and asking questions

pertaining to the discussion.

Discussion 3 (Marie)

Importance of building trust with clients.

In the human services field, building trust with community members and the specific clients intended to serve is essential. Working as a volunteer at a community gang violence-prevention program where youth are the targeted population to help, building rapport is necessary to engage them in the program's mission. According to Aebi et al. (2022), interpersonal trust is the development of mutually beneficial fairness where vulnerability is accepted, and positive intentions through behavior are developed with the intent that one will not be hurt or exploited. For a program to successfully reach its intended goals, the youth must feel that the program's staff and volunteers are trustworthy and do not present a risk. A volunteer will then face an ethical dilemma if a mutually trusting relationship forms with a child who discloses involvement in less-than-savory activities requiring a duty to report to the police. The volunteer must consider the ethical principles in the social worker's code of ethics to guide them in making the best decision.

Establishing professional integrity.

A volunteer would not have an obligation or a duty to protect or inform if the child disclosed information that was not presenting harm to self or others. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) code of ethics indicates that one has a primary obligation to promote clients' well-being; however, a person has a responsibility to society and legal authorities that will supersede loyalty to a client. If the information shared with a volunteer is unlawful, the child should be advised that the information will not remain confidential and must be reported. According to Gomez-Garcia et al. (2022), an ethical dilemma for a social worker is when one knows what to do, but the moral choice is difficult to apply. A volunteer working with gang-involved youth must establish clear boundaries that promote the safety of the clients and the public's well- being. The volunteer may not want the youth to become involved in the criminal justice system due to the report they make to the police, but morally the volunteer would need to do what is right to protect all involved.

Obligation to do good.

A human services worker's role is to help those in need by improving their well-being. Eskridge et al. (2012) noted that ethics codes foster responsible judgment when a person demonstrates personal integrity, honesty, and credibility through their actions. To accomplish that goal, a volunteer should focus on the organizational mission and vision rather than overstepping boundaries that may involve them in community activities outside their scope of work. A person acting without being fully knowledgeable of a situation could put them in a position to cause harm to clients and the community. A person's credibility becomes questionable if they involve themself in a situation without having full knowledge. Activism and social justice

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endeavors should occur when a person fully understands the goals of the intervention efforts and potential outcomes.

References Aebi, M., Haynes, M., Bessler, C., & Hasler, G. (2022). Associations of interpersonal trust with juvenile offending/conduct disorder, callous-unemotional traits, and criminal recidivism. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598- 022-11777-6Links to an external site. Eskridge, R. D., French, P. E., & McThomas, M. (2012). The international city/county management association code of ethics. Public Integrity, 14(2), 127– 150. https://doi.org/10.2753/PIN1099-9922140202Links to an external site. Gómez-García, R., Lucas-García, J., & Bayón-Calvo, S. (2022). Social workers’ approaches to ethical dilemmas. Journal of Social Work, 22(3), 804– 823. https://doi.org/10.1177/14680173211010251Links to an external site. National Association of Social Workers (2023, March). Social workers' ethical responsibilities to clients. Code of Ethics. https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics- EnglishLinks to an external site.

Respond to the Classmate’s Discussion (below) as you would in a

face-to face class by stating why you agree and asking questions

pertaining to the discussion.

Discussion 4 (Patricia)

Violence is a leading cause of death and nonfatal injuries among adolescents and young adults. Young people are disproportionately impacted by violence in their communities, including firearm injuries and deaths. As, for the police asking questions about gangs I would start by respecting everyone's human, civil, and legal rights. Also, this encompasses such issues as non-discrimination and cultural sensitivity. I will not abuse my position or exploit a participant to gain a personal advantage or to exercise power over another person. This refers to taking advantage of participants or others for political, social, sexual, or financial gain. Actively strive to improve or correct, to the extent possible, the situations of participants in your program and the community. In other words, it's incumbent on you to try to create the best and most effective program possible to meet the needs of participants, and to address underlying conditions or situations in a way that will benefit the community as a whole.

An organization that has a reputation for ethical action is far more likely to be respected by both participants and the community as a whole than one that has been known to be unethical in the past. An organization that's recognized as ethical is also apt to be seen as competent, and to be trusted to treat people with respect and to do what it says it will do. That community trust makes it easier to recruit staff, volunteers, Board members, and participants, and to raise money and public support. Also, volunteers seem to be learning new skills in offering mentoring support and this role is helping consolidate their links with thrive and involvement with other work. When we seek to address problems through community interventions, we discover the importance of the environment and potential community partners (Shinn & Toohey, 2003).

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REFERENCES:

Shinn, M., & Toohey, S. M. (2003). Community contexts of human welfare. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 427-459.

Community Interventions – Introduction to Community Psychology (rebus.community)

Respond to the Classmate’s Discussion (below) as you would in a

face-to face class by stating why you agree and asking questions

pertaining to the discussion.

Discussion 5 (Charles)

Working with at-risk youth can be challenging. At-risk youth experience challenges and dilemmas that can create societal marginalization and stigma in the community. There are many reasons why young people decide to join a gang. The reasons range from the opportunity to make fast cash by selling drugs to being embraced and accepted by a group of their peers- something they may lack if they come from a broken, chaotic home environment (Perna, 2014). Whatever the reason, gang involvement is illegal- and therefore dangerous. Danger and risks surround the gang member as well as anyone working with them because of their affiliation (Perna, 2014).

Individuals in the helping profession are often confronted with ethical dilemmas involving a client or a group of people with questionable behavior and activities. If these activities are illegal, is it the professional's obligation to inform law enforcement if asked, or is the information shared by an individual who identifies as a gang member- considered privileged information? (APA, 2017).

The circumstance then becomes one centered around integrity (APA, 2017). If a law enforcement officer approaches me to ask for confidential information that a gang member may have shared, I would first want to know why. Is word on the street that there will be a massive fight between rival gangs? In situations where deception may be "ethically justifiable," this is the only reason to disclose limited information that may have been related to me (APA, 2017). Suppose the police officer wants information on a gang member to use as evidence to level charges and make arrests. In that case, my duty is to my client (in this case, gang members) and to respect their rights to privacy and confidentiality (APA, 2017).

Everyone deserves the right to be respected. Resisting the urge to pass judgment on an individual because of gang affiliation is the duty and professional obligation of the helping professional (APA, 2017). I would expand the narrative to include, instead of gang members- what if the individual were a wealthy mob boss? Would the difference in socioeconomic status and social position influence the outcome?

References

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American Psychological Association, (2017). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, Including 2010 and 2016 Amendments [Web page]. http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/Links to an external site.

Perna, N. (2014). Talking with gansters: 2 do's, 3 don'ts, and 4 reasons why you should.

Https://www.police1.com/gangs/articles/talking-with-gansters-2-dos-3-donts-and- 4-reasons-why-you-should-raGllinfp36AcXtw/Links to an external site.