For Blanca, many ethical issues can be considered simultaneously from the art of the NASW” Code of Ethics.” Privacy and the responsibility to report family violence are the two main issues I am concerned about. NASW’s code of ethics sets a route for social workers to be helped in resolving ethical matters. For the issue of domestic violence, Principle 2.01 depicts that social workers have to “recognize clients’ self-determination and promote their wellbeing.” However, when the likelihood of harm is high, the social workers must intervene (National Association of Social Workers, 2021). This is a situation where Blanca, who is the wife of Ernesto, experiences different forms of physical mistreatment that pose a threat to her health. In this way, the social worker must ensure that Blanca is safe by acting and filing the report on the abuse with the appropriate authorities and providing Blanca with resources to protect her.
Regarding the confidentiality issue, Principle 1.07 of the NASW Code of Ethics mentions that it is crucial to protect client information. However, when trust is a much greater concern than ethical obligations, the client can threaten to harm himself or, in gravity, concern others (National Association of Social Workers, 2021). Here, if it is noticed that Blanca’s safety is at increased risk because of Ernesto’s abuse, the social worker would be required to disclose this information to proper authorities- law enforcement or even child protective services for Blanca’s security. The privacy of a person’s health condition should be considered when looking up a person’s history on Google.
Cultural competence and bias are also accompanied by significant moral questions in Blanca’s situation. With Spanish being her only language, the Mexican Blanca might have the characteristics of her culture that must be seen in her care. Section 10.5 of the NASW Code of Ethics presents the right of social workers to be culturally competent and socially diverse in their practices (National Association of Social Workers, 2021). It becomes a social worker’s duty to figure out their clients’ cultural identities and to undergo continuing education and training to master to master cultural competence.
Discrimination in cultural competency and bias concerns should be the subject of knowledge of the Blanca culture. This might require the therapist to engage in continuous self-reflection and enrollment into continuous training constantly and, if need be, seek supervision or consultation from colleagues with expertise in working with diversified populations, particularly Mexicans. On that account, try to have an overview of Blanca’s cultural values, beliefs, and practices, including them in our counseling meetings in a respectful and acknowledging manner. Maria, a confidant, and translator for Blanca, will also be an indispensable partner in creating an environment of healthy communication and cultural sensitivity. When sharing personal data, social workers will pay attention to the client’s autonomy and confidentiality rights (National Association of Social Workers, 2021). Rather than looking up information from internet sources, social workers seek to cultivate trust with the family and gather relevant information through open communication during counseling sessions.
Nevertheless, collecting additional data can explain the clients’ means and conditions in a less intrusive manner. However, it should also consider the notion of the privacy and autonomy of the clients. Social workers must first obtain client consent before running internet searches with clients’ interests in mind as the priority unless there is a ground to do so at a cost to the client (National Association of Social Workers, 2021). For example, this could be to ensure their safety. If the social worker decides to trace it down on the net, it is their foremost responsibility to use it ethically and respect the client’s privacy. This limits the disclosure of searched information to the client and the social worker, who might use the compelling information discovered to change the practice for the client’s benefit.
Engagement and Assessment
In Blanca’s case, handling the client’s cases boils down to considering the patient’s situation, background, and needs. As an advocate for Blanca, I believe a trustworthy and cooperative rapport should be essential for me as a social worker if he is willing to participate. The first task is to make a secure and relaxed place where clients can share their sentiments without feeling pressured. The fact that the nurse actively listens, provides empathy and receives the patients nonjudgmentally is of key significance (Rukadikar et al., 2022). Regarding Blanca’s cultural heritage, and considering that Maria has been very close and supportive, it is necessary to deliver cultural competence by respecting their cultural paradigms, views, and communication styles.
Including the client in the decision-making process helps them feel they play a significant role in the goal identification and meeting. Realizing the strength and resilience of the clients by emphasizing their surviving mechanisms and resources can encourage confidence. To guarantee the clients that the purpose and your approach to counseling are clear with straightforward communication is of great essence (Rukadikar et al., 2022). A crucial thing to be noted is that in addition to the assessment, Blanca’s cultural experiences should be analyzed. In this regard, one should look into values stemming from the local customs concerning marriage, civil status, women’s societal roles, and how people perceive appealing for support. Trauma sensitivity must form the basis for the assessment, as Blanca has a record of being abused. It can prove detrimental to her mental health and wellbeing if not conducted with a deep sense of care.
Looking into Blanca’s family, including her interaction with her father, Ernesto, and the help offered by her sister, Maria, would be a fruitful field for exploring her situation. Knowing Blanca’s physical and mental wellbeing, consisting of kinds of diseases, degree of sadness and fear, as well as abuse of any substance, is a fundamental stage for proper planning of the care strategy to be followed. Working through and overcoming the emotions and prejudice that may be present during looking and analyzing is important. Practices and supervision of reflective kinds, as well as methods of identification and managing possible feelings of empathy, anger, or cultural difference, might be needed to overcome the barriers with the clients. Ensuring that one remains aware and asks for support becomes essential to avoid letting personal reactions get in the way of an individual’s ability to provide quality and ethical care.
Apart from the details presented in the case, a complete evaluation will include a look at Blanca’s social support network, coping strategies, and cultural beliefs about gender roles and relationships. Comprehension of why Blancais is getting married now, her background, and her acculturated process in the US should guide intervention planning and build cultural competence. Facets that include her immigration status, experiences of bleak isolation and loneliness, and the past horrific domestic violence abuse story of Blanca should be taken into consideration while ranging the conversations and assessing her (Rukadikaret al., 2022). Recognition of intersectionality as an essential factor in navigating and managing disparate forms of domination, such as gender and ethnicity, with which Blanca, a young female immigrant, has to deal daily, can guide the social worker in providing culturally responsive and trauma-informed support.
Safety Planning
Safety Planning and Intervention on Domestic Violence is a joint effort of Blanca and Maria in the creation of a comprehensive safety plan meant to address the problem of domestic violence experienced by Blanca and protect her safety and psychological wellbeing. This plan will comprise different approaches for recognizing triggers, seeking safe places, calling for help from institutions like hotlines or shelters, and creating boundaries with Blanca. The presence of Maria as a trusted support person is fundamental because she can remind the victim of the safety plan and provide support during the entire process, making it possible.
The purpose of such help is to strengthen Blanca’s feelings of safety and the risk of her being victimized by domestic violence again. Blanca can develop handy self-protection behavior through the strategy plan and get help whenever needed (Mahon, 2022). The plan’s success will be based on how well Blanca puts the plan into action, reports feeling safer and more empowered, and reports fewer incidences of abuse or feeling scared and insecure. Check-ins with Blanca will be scheduled frequently, and her safety plan will be reevaluated periodically to ensure it will still be effective and appropriate to the changes in her current situation.
Individual Counseling for Blanca
Individual Counseling for Blanca: Blanca will receive one-to-one counseling sessions to cope with her experiences of abuse, violence, depression, and chemical use. This will happen through treatment approaches like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or trauma-informed therapy, which involves processing feelings, developing coping skills, challenging negative thinking patterns, and finding healthier ways of managing stress and emotions (Mahon, 2022). This session is purposed to improve Blanca’s mental health by understanding and addressing depression, trauma, and substance use together. Through counseling, Blanca can comprehend her worldview, develop problem-solvers, and enhance her toughness.
The results of this intervention will be assessed by following the variations in Blanca’s levels of depression and anxiety, substance use behaviors, as well as personal performance. Constantly monitoring her progress and hearing from Blanca about the benefits of the therapeutic sessions will indicate success and changes in the treatment plan at each re-assessment when necessary (Mahon, 2022). The main aim in this case is to help Blanca face up to her struggle and to equip her with the right tools and resources to accomplish her healing and recovery in the long-term perspective.
Community Referral and Support
Community Referral and Support intervention focuses on linking Blanca to various tailored community services and support groups that will address her problems holistically. Such resources could be homeless shelters for women experiencing domestic abuse, immigrant survivors’ legal help, health and counseling groups for domestic violence or trauma survivors, and educational or vocational programs (Mahon, 2022). Through these bridges, Blanca took assistance mechanisms and spaces for healing and spiritual development through therapy on a larger scale than only individual counseling.
The desired effect of the proposed intervention is to enlarge Blanca’s foster network, render her more accessible to various resources, and strengthen her confidence in making the right steps relevant to the abuse and trauma. Through affiliation with community assistance resources, Blanca will get counseling and services geared toward her specific issues, helping her build resilience on her road toward healing and recovery. The project’s success will be measured through Blanca’s use of community resources and feedback regarding the benefits of these services, as evidenced by her enhanced level of wellbeing and quality of life.
References
Mahon D. (2022). Implementing Trauma Informed Care in Human Services: An Ecological Scoping Review. Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 12(11), 431. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9687247/
National Association of Social Workers. (2021). NASW Code of Ethics. Retrieved from https://www.socialworkers.org/about/ethics/code-of-ethics/code-of-ethics-english
Rukadikar, C., Mali, S., Bajpai, R., Rukadikar, A., & Singh, A. K. (2022). A review on cultural competency in medical education. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 11(8), 4319–4329. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9638640/
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