1. Element 3
Working Ethically
1. Protecting the rights of clients
2. Using effective problem-solving techniques to resolve
differences in value systems
3. Delivering services to all clients
4. Recognising and discussing potential ethical issues and
dilemmas
5. Recognising and reporting unethical conduct
6. Working within your job role
7. Applying disclosure and confidentiality guidelines and legal
requirements
8. Taking into account your own values and attitudes
9. Recognising, avoiding and addressing conflict of interest.
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2. The clients we care for have the some
needs, desires and rights as everybody
else, be familiar and have an
understanding of the
laws, legislations, charters, industry
standards, codes of conduct and
accreditation standards that apply in your
day-to-day duties.
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3. Ethical is defined as;
“in agreement with accepted principles
or rules for right conduct”
Ethics are principles that guide your decisions and
actions in a way that ensures you are
safeguarding the rights and interests of the people
in your care.
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4. When you know the legislations and standards you are
obliged to meet, you need to apply this knowledge to your
work.
To do this effectively consider your clients’ rights in the following 10
areas based on the codes of ethics
1. Dignity
2. Privacy
3. Confidentiality
4. Informed choice
5. Access to services
6. Social needs
7. Freedom of association
8. Lodge a complaint
• Internal
• External
• Advocacy
9. Express ideas and opinions
10. An agree standard of care
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5. When working in community services be aware of the
values held by your clients, family members and carers
as well as your own.
Never assume you client and co-workers share you
values or beliefs.
You do not have to agree with other peoples values,
ideas and beliefs but you must be respectful of their
rights to have their values.
Never impose your values on others.
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6. When beliefs and
value systems differ,
there is the potential
for conflict and
misunderstanding.
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7. Respecting individual differences:
• Attitudes
• Values
• Beliefs
• Culture
• Gender roles
• Sexuality
Create a client centred approach
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8. As a support worker you will need to make a number of
difficult decisions based on an ethical rather than a
legal situation.
These ethical issues you need to be aware of;
•Understanding relationship boundaries
•Accepting gifts
•Maintaining client safety and security
•Dealing with conflicting priorities
•Dealing with conflicting rights and responsibilities.
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9. Ethical dilemmas occur when ideas or actions conflict
with what you believe to be ethically correct.
Strategies to deal with ethical dilemmas include:
• Self – evaluation
• Refer to regulations
• Refer to others for discussion
• Network
• Mediations
• Counselling
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10. Ethical decision – making is the process of evaluation
and choosing among alternatives in a manner consistent
with ethical principles.
When making ethical decisions it is necessary to:
• notice and eliminate unethical options
• evaluate complex, ambiguous and incomplete facts
• select the best ethical alternative
• have ethical commitment, ethical consciousness and ethical
competency
• use ethical thinking and decision-making
• notice the ethical issues and being committed to act ethically
are not always enough; reasoning and problem-solving skills
are often necessary
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11. Unethical conduct can occur in many situations. It can
be difficult to identify as it may occur behind closed
doors or when no-one else is around.
Unethical conduct can be:
Not following the care plan properly
Walking someone alone who needs to be assisted by two people
Breaching confidentiality
Recording an incident untruthfully
Recording a treatment without having performed the treatment
Skipping care tasks
Performing a procedure you are unqualified to do.
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12. Unethical behaviour is more likely to occur when a person is:
• overworked
• worried or stressed
• working with clients who have high-care needs
• not building a good rapport with their clients
• not suited to the work environment
Before taking any formal steps to report unethical
conduct, you need to check that the behaviour is
unethical.
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13. Unethical behaviour should be reported as
soon as possible to your supervisor
Each organisation will have a policy for
reporting complaints, problems or grievances.
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14. To work within your job role you should adhere too:
• the duties and responsibilities outlined in your
position description
• your organisation’s policies and procedures
• your scope of practice
• your legal and ethical obligations
• your level of responsibility.
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15. Consent should be sought from the client before any
personal information is disclosed.
The only other circumstances where information can be legally
disclosed are:
Where there is a serious threat to a client’s health or safety
Where there is a threat to public health or safety
Where a court has issued a summons or court order for the information
Where there are mandatory reporting requirements in place such as in the
case of suspected child/ elder abuse
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16. Attitude – our personal ideas we have about things
Values – what is important to us
Beliefs – how we see and understand things
Verbal language - the words and sounds we make
Non- Verbal language – body language
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17. As a care worker do not be judgemental. Our duty of care
is to create a professional, supportive and caring
relationship with our clients.
Non Judgemental behaviours include:
• Remember there are other ways of feeling, thinking and
behaving
• Don’t expect your clients and co-workers to behave in a
certain way
• Accept the opinions and ideas of your clients and co-
workers
• Accept clients and co-workers as important individuals
• Allow your clients and co-workers to complete tasks in
their own way where possible
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18. A conflict of interest occurs when a staff
member has private or personal interests that
could conflict with their work
Potential conflicts of interest can arise from the following issues:
• Emotional
• Sexual
• Personal
• Family
• Social
• Religious
• Financial
• Business
• Political
• Professional
• Organisational
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