Reflections on the issue of ethical dilemmas in the social work profession

What kind of relationship should be maintained - a professional relationship or a friend relationship?

Case: The client went on a trip and brought back a gift from overseas, and came to the social work site to give it to the social worker, and emphasized again and again that it was a piece of his heart, and that not accepting it would be looking down on him. The first thing I want to do is to make sure that I have a good understanding of what I'm doing and how I'm doing it. If I accept it, should I return it? If I don't accept it, how can I refuse to serve my clients?

I think that this issue is apparently seemingly complex, but in fact can be simplified. As long as we understand the pulse and define the relationship, we can. We need to put ourselves in the real situation and consider the impact of multiple factors and clarify the two-way interaction of behavior, and what factors influence the consequences of behavior.

The first is to consider the stage of the service, whether it is intake, relationship building, assessment, or closure.

1. Receiving stage: Social work emphasizes positivism and advocates people in the situation, we can put ourselves in the shoes of a hypothetical case, in the receiving stage of the case, is it possible for the case owner to give a gift to the social worker, and realistically, would we give a gift to an unfamiliar person? Of course not, and social work organizations or social workers are different from the administration or administrative staff even if the social worker has not done anything to help people or impress them, how would the case owner send gifts to the social worker?

2. Establishment of the relationship stage: in the establishment of the relationship stage in the critical period of social work services, social workers with the case of the relationship is extremely unstable period, even if the case is to send some gifts to the social worker is more tentative or courteous expression, such as: the first visit to the case of the family, the case of the case of the case of the case of asking the social worker to eat a cup of fruit or a cup of water to the case of the case of the case of the case of the case of a cup of water, we can not be easily defined as "ethical dilemmas" in China. "Ethical dilemma", we are talking about professionalism at the same time more to go down the altar, into the folk, if you do not accept the courtesy of the caseworker that will appear to the caseworker hospitality, or you do not know how to be courteous, social work is to follow the customs of the countryside, adapt to the situation, even if it is the western social work to China's mountains also have to sing the song of China. Similarly, when we go to a Western country, we have to use our daughter-in-law's thinking to communicate with the locals, otherwise all conversations will be in vain. So at this point the social worker can accept or not accept, generally speaking, the case will not be too strong, if you have to accept the case can be explained to the case of the agency's requirements and disciplines, in short, at this stage can be a smooth passage of the so-called "ethical dilemma".

3. Evaluation stage and case taking stage: at this stage, or even later, the social worker has established a strong professional relationship with the case, or even a two-way activity relationship in which the professional relationship and the friend relationship coexist, i.e., a professional relationship at work and a friend relationship in life, and at this time, the social worker is fully able to sort out the boundaries of the case with the case owner, and can flexibly deal with this kind of ethical dilemma. The gifts mentioned in the case only represent the personal feelings of the case owner, so the two sides are in the private sphere of interaction, but also from the side of the relationship between the social worker and the case owner, and the social worker did give the case owner a great deal of help, from the utilitarian point of view, it is the case owner's own feedback, from a professional point of view, is also considered to be the realization of the "help others to help themselves".

The second thing is that it is the case of the caseworker who is helping the client to help himself.

The second is to consider the economic conditions of the case. We all know that a person can not even solve the problem of food, survival issues how to talk about the development and enjoyment. Case mentioned in the gift is the case when traveling back to the case, since the ability to go out to travel, the case of the economic conditions are not too bad, or poor to the point that even the meal can not afford to eat, because even in the rapid development of the economy in rural areas, many people do not have the time and energy or economic conditions to complete a not too small travel. In addition, most of the small gifts brought back from trips should be local specialties or souvenirs, which are not too expensive, and are more of commemorative significance, which can also be understood as symbolic value. In this case, it is completely acceptable for social workers at the stage of solid professional relationship and parallel diversified relationship. However, while accepting it, the social worker must emphasize that this kind of behavior is carried out in the private sphere and clarify the boundaries of the behavioral relationship. If the family conditions of the caseworker are particularly favorable, and the gift is very expensive, then as a social worker can not accept it freely no matter from which relational point of view, then how to do not accept the gift of expensive gifts without hitting or hurting the caseworker? I think we can consider the following aspects:

One is to explain to the case of the agency's rules and regulations, as well as the service agreement signed by the case, again remind the case of the formal relationship between the two sides, and politely refused;

Secondly, if the case is insisted on the gift of valuable gifts, you can gift alternative, that is, to choose the case of a small object or other items as a gift;

Thirdly, the gift transfer The third is the transfer of gifts, persuade the owner of the case to commit to public welfare, return to society, relief more people in need of help, to achieve the transfer of the owner of the gift target, to realize the euphemistic rejection of the owner of the valuable gifts. The first is to make sure that you have a good understanding of how to use the Internet.

There is also the question of whether or not to return the gift after accepting it.

For this issue, I personally believe that the gift should be given back, social workers to help the case is the responsibility, is out of morality, and the case of the gift of social workers in the private sphere, can not say that social workers to help the case of the case of the case of the case of the case of the gift should be accepted, of course, without any doubt, does not exclude the case of the case of the ambivalence of the gifts do not feel at ease in China is very common, such as to the hospital to see a doctor, do not give doctors to send the red packet! Feeling uneasy as if into the operating room to become forever farewell. In China is a humane society, pay attention to the gift, social workers should also be from the private sphere of the personal point of view of the case back to the gift, but also as a way to clarify to the case of the professional relationship with the friend relationship or other relationships with the boundaries.

? We all know that social work is an imported product introduced from the West, not only the development time in China is short and through twists and turns, China's fertile soil is different, China is distinctive, and the accumulation of tradition, the need to situation and localization, in which the localization does not affect the play of its specialization, just as the "orange is born in Huainan is an orange, and the orange is born in Huabei is a hovenia. ". The reason why "oranges are born in Huaibei is Hovenia" is because of the incompatibility of soil and water, the climate, the soil is not adapted to, did not achieve the "localization" of oranges, just as social work, even if it is introduced to China from the West, took root in China, as long as the localization will not affect the play of its specialization. Just like social work, even if it is introduced from the West to China and takes root in China, as long as it is localized, it won't affect its specialization. We always say that people are in the situation, we should also put the problem in the real situation to think rather than in the ideal sandbox to discuss, the same theory should be explained in the scope of its adaptation, beyond the scope of its adaptation can only be explored or tested. Western theory by the influence of Western culture, come to China, "the soil does not suit" is reasonable, we can not use the method of planting rice in the South to plant wheat in the North, but we can learn from the experience of planting rice, transplanted to wheat planting. It's like using traditional Chinese cultural thinking to explain what's happening in Western countries.

I don't think that social work is difficult to develop, on the contrary, I think that social work in China, especially in the future of China's development prospects are considerable, at present, we are on the knowledge and theories to carry out in-depth inquiry and thinking there is nothing wrong, but there are some problems we don't need to "drill the bull's eye type" of entanglement, like a group of people under the tree at the mouth of the village, and then we will be able to learn from the experience. It is like a group of old ladies under the tree at the entrance of the village choosing vegetables while talking about the shortcomings of the family, every day chattering and arguing as if there is no result, and the day is still going on as usual. Some issues are not even necessary to keep discussing, there are these efforts and energy would be better to do more practical things, such as localization and specialization of the two concepts seem simple, of course, is not as complex as imagined, but always hear people countless times in the discussion. I think that people are not machines, textbooks are not saints, even teachers can not do a thing without any personal feelings, there is no need to be precise in providing services to the "femtosecond" or even smaller. In the community cleaning, do some seemingly boring work although simple, but life is not so, not everyone has to do amazing great work. In the ordinary world can be the most ordinary, the most ordinary things to do well has been very great.

? Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Written at Shandong Youth Political Science Institute

Zhou Wen