What issues of values and ethics did Tamara encounter as she tried to problem solve with the Anderson family concerning Sarah Jane’s health and personal hygiene issues?
Tamara Simms, a 32-year-old school social worker, had worked in a rural community called The Ridge for more than six years, since 1997. She was assigned a case which caught her off balance. There was something going on in the Anderson home that she couldn’t quite grasp. She had concluded from a home visit that the father was neglecting the children. The home had unsanitary conditions. Sarah Jane, a third grader, had the worst case of head lice Tamara had ever encountered and her lips were severely blistered, a condition that hadn’t healed despite treatment. Furthermore, Tamara sensed that there was something more serious going on in the Anderson home. She suspected that Mr. Anderson was involved in internet pornography and she feared he may have involved his children in some way. In spite of her “hunches” she had no clear evidence to report to Child Protective Services. As seasoned as she was, Tamara still “brought her work home” with her. Although her own family needed her, she could not stop worrying about Sarah Jane and her two siblings. Written for a bachelor’s- level capstone or integrative seminar in social work, the case may also be useful for courses in macro- or micro-level practice, diversity, or international social work. The case situation may be useful for discussion of multiple topics such as social work ethics, policy issues (including policy related to crime victims and to undocumented clients), diversity, language, agency settings, crime victimization, and professional use of self. The case also may be appropriate for MSW foundation courses dealing with these topics.
The first issue related to Mr. Anderson’s right to self-determination as opposed to child safety issues. While he does have a right to view pornography himself, it is against the law for him to engage minors in pornographic photography. Tamara is not certain, but she fears this may be happening.
The dignity and worth of human beings is also a value at work in this case.
Whether she “likes” him or not, Mr. Anderson is a person with worth. Tamara must balance her responsibility to treat him with dignity with her responsibility to protect others from him, especially the Anderson kids if they are in danger. In addition, Tamara must examine her own values related to personal cleanliness, orderliness, and what constituted a “quality environment” for child rearing. Tamara was a mother herself, and she would need to examine her personal values about parenting and how Mr. Anderson “measured up” to those values. She must separate her own preferences from what is legally required of parents as she makes an assessment about whether his treatment of the children constitutes neglect.
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