What sections of the NASW Code of Ethics could have been instructive for Carla as she decided what to do in this situation?

Question

Carla Hudson, a Black social worker with the Women’s Resource Center (WRC), had worked with Maria Velasquez, a Mexican immigrant and mother of two children, for several years as she struggled to escape a violent home situation. Maria was Carla’s first Spanish-speaking client. Maria’s spoken English was easily understandable, but she could not read or write English well. As Carla assisted Maria in acquiring mainstream services, including Head Start, TANF, Food Stamps, and WIC, she noticed barriers to services that she began to suspect were related to discrimination against Spanish-speaking clients. When two White Head Start caseworkers refused to help Maria attain educational support that she needed in order to gain English literacy, Carla faced the challenge of addressing discrimination issues in another agency and perhaps throughout the service delivery system in Jasper, Alabama.

Answer 1

The sections of the NASW Code of Ethics most relevant to this case include “Social Workers’ Ethical Responsibilities to Clients” (particularly section 1.05 Cultural Competence and Social Diversity), “Social Workers’ Ethical Responsibilities to Colleagues,” and “Social Workers’ Ethical Responsibilities to the Broader Society.”
Carla’s primary responsibility was to Maria. She had an ethical responsibility to be culturally competent. She also had a responsibility to be respectful of colleagues and avoid unwarranted negative criticism of colleagues. Her approach to colleagues should have been cooperative in the interest of serving the well-being of her clients. She should have tried to avoid involving clients in any disputes or conflicts. The case did not specify whether the caseworkers were social workers or whether they belonged to some other profession. In either case, Carla’s responsibility was to consult with those colleagues about her concerns. In the larger community, Carla seemed to have detected a need in the service delivery system for greater sensitivity to Spanish-speaking clients. This could have been a good opportunity for Carla to use her macro skills to promote the welfare of this population in her community. She could engage in social action that could help to ensure that people had equal access to the resources, services, and opportunities they required to meet their basic human needs. She had a responsibility to address and work to prevent discrimination.