Essay Sample on the Importance of Ethics in Human Services

Introduction

Human services (HS) professionals play a vital role in addressing human needs based on interdisciplinary skills and knowledge. They focus on human-wellbeing and other aspects such as poverty, environment, youth development, family services and legal assistance that affect and influence the community (Barrett, 2016). The HS experts work towards promoting the greater good to people and conduct their tasks devotedly beset with compassion and selflessness. According to statistics, human services aid more than three-quarters of the American population. While performing their duties, human services meet people having varied attitudes and sometimes it leads to conflict. Therefore, they require a high degree of dignity, integrity, honor, and respect for cultural diversity to handle clients (Connolly & Ward, 2008). On that note, their unique duties necessitate them to have standards and ethical codes that guide them in their profession.

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In the Mecklenburg area, North Carolina, social workers, counselors, mental health workers, and case managers provide the human services to the community. Most of the HS personnel in Mecklenburg liaise with families from underprivileged backgrounds to assist the individuals incapable of meeting their essential needs. They partake in services that enhance the standard of life for the disfavored persons and also those provide expertise in public amenities to boost the wellbeing of the community. As such, specialists in the HS sphere help in solving family disputes legal assistance, rehabilitation projects, and community clean up. Moreover, they partake in advocacy programs intended to alleviate the livelihood of a society and also improve the value of life. Such HS experts focus on formulating government policies and also education strategies and most of them work in tertiary institutes as educators while others thrive within the justice realms as barristers. Besides, other HS career persons conduct oversight roles in NGOs while others offer related civil expertise in federal or national politics and in infirmaries or hospices. Since the professionals handle sensitive problems that affect humans emotionally, mentally and physically, their code of ethics creates an assurance and trust on clients that the professionals will handle their problem with confidentiality. Those in hospices render their services to the elderly to accord them a decent living. Such a diversity in the HS practice draws a broad range of professionals and enhances the equality among civilizations. On that basis, most people in the community give consent to the human services officer to handle their problem.

When it comes to future trends for ethics in human services, the topic requires more research to improve the relationship between professionals and clients. It will need to incorporate aspects of customer care to create a rapport, minimize bias and discrimination and create awareness of multiculturalism, religion and current social and political issues affecting communities (Barrett, 2016). Notably, the kind of social work practiced several years ago has transformed with the refinement insensitivities. As such, the ethical standards that guide the HS profession should consider the thoughtfulness to cross-cultural disparities that affect interracial associations. For instance, the State needs to articulate strategies that protect the liberties of the minorities and pacify their co-existence in a new territory instead of considering them as outsiders and casting doubts as to their nature of life. For instance, most Black immigrants get harassed during international travels with a majority colliding with law enforcers that harbor suspicious stereotypes on Blacks being crooks. Apart from ethnic differences, the HS professionals should disregard the social differences evident in a community such as the socioeconomic variations the gender inequalities and the sexual orientations since they deal with a diverse clientele. In this case, the workers adhere to the values of justice and social action to allow the representation of all cultures.

Moreover, the ethical codes should confine human services professionals within their scope of training and experience and be aware that clients have the right to withdraw their consent during the engagement period (Barrett, 2016). The advances in human services should also consider the revolution in practitioner-client affiliations and refine the laws governing their respective rights to protect the person in need from getting exploited by deceitful providers of the service. Besides this ethical practice should enhance the confidentiality of the records of a client and also prevent intrusive actions such as initiating improper practices, for instance, sexual behavior or insults. More so, the rules should safeguard the HS expert from coercion and intimidation by the government in regards to the sensitive details of a particular customer (Weinberg, 2017, p. 501). Besides the National Organization dealing with social human services should craft codes that standardize the expected nature of response plans to people in need of HS care. The society should also establish the expected charges for rendering social work such as legal assistance or family services case management to avoid mistreatment.

Conclusion

In conclusion, ethics is important in human services as it creates a foundation for a lasting relationship between professionals and clients. More so, refining the practice and the guiding ethics improves the confidentiality and allows the streamlining of services to people in such special populations.

References

Barrett, S. (2016). Ethical Standards for HS Professionals. Retrieved from https://www.nationalhumanservices.org/ethical-standards-for-hs-professionals

Connolly, M., & Ward, T. (2008). Morals, rights and practice in the human services: Effective and fair decision-making in health, social care and criminal justice.

Weinberg, M. (2017). The Politics of Ethics in Human Services: Dueling Discourses. Ethics & Behavior, 28(6), 497-509. doi:10.1080/10508422.2017.1389280