Ethical Decision-Making of Social Welfare Workers in the Transition of Services: The Ethics of Care and Justice Perspectives

Abstract

It is argued that besides the ethic of justice, the ethic of care is essential for social work ethics, and these approaches need to be fused to meet contemporary challenges of New Public Management in public services. The present study explored social welfare workers' ethical decision-making in restructured organisations in Finland. A total of 111 social counsellors and social workers reported a work-related ethical dilemma and its resolution. In ethical decision-making, participants used predominantly justice-based reasoning, complemented by considerations of care. Dilemmas related to clients' needs, reported mainly by social counsellors, invoked carefocused reasoning, whereas dilemmas related to applying rules and laws, the most typical for social workers, invoked exclusively justicefocused reasoning. Professionals aimed to act in the best interests of clients, challenging unjust or harmful rules and procedures generated by organisational changes. The ethic of care was explicated through maintaining relationships with clients to secure their access to services, and taking their particularities into account when using professional discretion. It is concluded that as a more recognised ethic of welfare professionals, the ethic of care would provide the means to enhance the implementation of social justice as a constructive response to current organisational demands and reforms in public services.

Being torn by inevitable moral dilemma: experiences of ICU nurses

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Interprofessional Understanding of Ethical Dilemmas: Learning Experiences Of Simulation Learning in Social Welfare and Health Care Education

“…Interprofessional learning also develops individual professional identity and ethical thinking. It's based on joint act in the best interests of the clients and challenges unjust or harmful rules (Juujärvi et al 2020;Weinberg & Banks 2019). Members of a single profession may also experience interprofessional collaboration in various ways.…”

Social work and the state: Perspectives and practice

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