There are a variety of social issues that adolescents deal with during this stage of their lives. As a human service professional working with adolescents and families, you will build reciprocal relationships that make a lasting impact on both the client and yourself. Understanding how the environment is impacting the client and their family helps build the trust required to better understand what interventions and resources may be available to empower the client and their family. In the field of human services, you will be interacting with individuals with a variety of needs within many systems, especially when working with children, teens, and families. Due to the span of diversity among individuals, it is important for you to become familiar with the ethical standards as set forth for human service professionals.
The following Assignment will require you to find and discuss the importance of the ethical standards as developed by the National Organization for Human Services (NOHS). A code of ethics is “an explicit statement of the values, principles, and rules of a profession, regulating the conduct of its members” (Barker, 2003, p. 78). Understanding how to consider ethical issues and how you may resolve them using ethical standards is critical to successful and ethical client outcomes and ensuring both the human service professional and the client are protected from potential conflicts.
Reference
Barker, R. L. (2003). The Social Work Dictionary (5th ed.). NASW Press.
Assignment Directions
For this assignment, you will be reading a case scenario in your text and responding to questions related to the impact of the environment on behavior and choices, the impact of the client-human services professional relationship, and how identifying potential ethical issues and the National Organization for Human Services (NOHS) Ethical Standards can help guide you in working with clients.
Begin by reading the case study “Applying the Framework: A Depressed Adolescent” in Chapter 7 of your text (pages 344-345) about Susie. Then, go to the NOHS website and review the Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals. Use the Unit 6 Assignment Template to reflect on the situations Susie finds herself in, her environment, and the possible ethical considerations in the case that the human service professional may need to consider as part of an ethical approach to working with the client and her family. Review “Exhibit 7.18: Developmental assets for youth” (found on page 333 in your text) as a useful reference for completing this assignment.
Please respond to the following:
- Discuss a minimum of three ways that Susie’s environment has influenced her behavior and decision-making in her adolescence. Be sure to include a citation from the textbook related to the case study.
- Considering the case study details and the NOHS Ethical Standards, identify one ethical concern you would need to consider when working with Susie and/or her family and discuss how you would apply it within the client and human service relationship. Make sure to include the specific NOHS Ethical Standard (taken directly from the NOHS site) in your response. Be sure to include proper citation for your selected standard.
- Provide the name and contact information for one human service agency a human service professional could refer Susie to help provide assistance and support for her current issues. Identify a minimum of three specific services and/or interventions that this agency could provide to assist Susie and explain why these are helpful to the client.
- Discuss how knowledge of ethical standards and available resources can strengthen the relationship between the human service professional and Susie and help her achieve positive outcomes.
Assignment Guidelines
Your assignment should be at least two pages, not including the title and reference pages, and should include the following elements:
- Title page: Provide your name, title of assignment, course and section number, and date.
- Body: Answer all the questions in complete sentences and paragraphs.
- Your responses should reflect professional writing standards, using proper tone and language. The writing and writing style should be correct and accurate, and reflect knowledge of human behavior and the environment.
- Reference page: Sources listed in APA format.
- Include a minimum of two sources to support your responses and conclusions. One should be your text and the other should be a reference to the NOHS Ethical Standards.
- Use Arial or Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced and left aligned.
- Use standard 1″ margins on all sides.
- Use current APA formatting and citation style.
- If you need assistance with APA style, please visit Academic Writer.
This assignment assesses the following Course Outcomes:
HN144-3: Apply ethical standards from the National Organization for Human Services (NOHS) to support a professional relationship between a client and a human service professional.
GEL-7.05: Evaluate the ethical rules applicable to human services.
PC-2.3: Demonstrate integrity through the application of relevant codes of conduct and social responsibility within one’s profession.
Submitting Your Assignment
Use the provided Unit 6 Assignment Template. Save your file in a location and with a name that you will remember. When you are ready to submit, select the Unit 6 Assignment Dropbox and upload your file. To view your graded work after your instructor has evaluated it, please visit your Gradebook.
ASSIGNMENT RESOURCES
How to Submit an Assignment to the Dropbox
Writing With Integrity: Expectations for Academic Research and Professional Writing
Purdue Global Writing Center