Practising ethically during COVID-19: Social work challenges and responses

Sarah Banks; Tian Cai; Ed de Jonge; Jane Shears; Michelle  Shum; Ana M. Sobočan; Kim Strom; Rory Truell; María Jesús Úriz; Merlinda Weinberg

doi:10.1177/0020872820949614

Practising ethically during COVID-19: Social work challenges and responses

Sarah Banks^*, Tian Cai, Ed de Jonge, Jane Shears, Michelle Shum, Ana M. Sobočan, Kim Strom, Rory Truell, María Jesús Úriz, Merlinda Weinberg

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review

200 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article draws on findings of an international study of social workers’ ethical challenges during COVID-19, based on 607 responses to a qualitative survey. Ethical challenges included the following: maintaining trust, privacy, dignity and service user autonomy in remote relationships; allocating limited resources; balancing rights and needs of different parties; deciding whether to break or bend policies in the interests of service users; and handling emotions and ensuring care of self and colleagues. The article considers regional contrasts, the ‘ethical logistics’ of complex decision-making, the impact of societal inequities, and lessons for social workers and professional practice around the globe.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	569-583
Number of pages	15
Journal	International Social Work
Volume	63
Issue number	5
Early online date	20 Aug 2020
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872820949614
Publication status	Published - 1 Sept 2020

Scopus Subject Areas

Sociology and Political Science
Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

User-Defined Keywords

COVID-19
ethical logistics
ethics
inequities
pandemic
social work

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1177/0020872820949614

Cite this

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title = "Practising ethically during COVID-19: Social work challenges and responses",

abstract = "This article draws on findings of an international study of social workers{\textquoteright} ethical challenges during COVID-19, based on 607 responses to a qualitative survey. Ethical challenges included the following: maintaining trust, privacy, dignity and service user autonomy in remote relationships; allocating limited resources; balancing rights and needs of different parties; deciding whether to break or bend policies in the interests of service users; and handling emotions and ensuring care of self and colleagues. The article considers regional contrasts, the {\textquoteleft}ethical logistics{\textquoteright} of complex decision-making, the impact of societal inequities, and lessons for social workers and professional practice around the globe.",

keywords = "COVID-19, ethical logistics, ethics, inequities, pandemic, social work",

author = "Sarah Banks and Tian Cai and {de Jonge}, Ed and Jane Shears and Michelle Shum and Sobo{\v c}an, {Ana M.} and Kim Strom and Rory Truell and {\'U}riz, {Mar{\'i}a Jes{\'u}s} and Merlinda Weinberg",

note = "Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: A small grant for research assistance was received from Durham University (UK) from the Economic and Social Research Council Impact Acceleration Account, reference ES/T501888/1. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2020",

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doi = "10.1177/0020872820949614",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Practising ethically during COVID-19

T2 - Social work challenges and responses

AU - Banks, Sarah

AU - Cai, Tian

AU - de Jonge, Ed

AU - Shears, Jane

AU - Shum, Michelle

AU - Sobočan, Ana M.

AU - Strom, Kim

AU - Truell, Rory

AU - Úriz, María Jesús

AU - Weinberg, Merlinda

N1 - Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: A small grant for research assistance was received from Durham University (UK) from the Economic and Social Research Council Impact Acceleration Account, reference ES/T501888/1. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2020

PY - 2020/9/1

Y1 - 2020/9/1

N2 - This article draws on findings of an international study of social workers’ ethical challenges during COVID-19, based on 607 responses to a qualitative survey. Ethical challenges included the following: maintaining trust, privacy, dignity and service user autonomy in remote relationships; allocating limited resources; balancing rights and needs of different parties; deciding whether to break or bend policies in the interests of service users; and handling emotions and ensuring care of self and colleagues. The article considers regional contrasts, the ‘ethical logistics’ of complex decision-making, the impact of societal inequities, and lessons for social workers and professional practice around the globe.

AB - This article draws on findings of an international study of social workers’ ethical challenges during COVID-19, based on 607 responses to a qualitative survey. Ethical challenges included the following: maintaining trust, privacy, dignity and service user autonomy in remote relationships; allocating limited resources; balancing rights and needs of different parties; deciding whether to break or bend policies in the interests of service users; and handling emotions and ensuring care of self and colleagues. The article considers regional contrasts, the ‘ethical logistics’ of complex decision-making, the impact of societal inequities, and lessons for social workers and professional practice around the globe.

KW - COVID-19

KW - ethical logistics

KW - ethics

KW - inequities

KW - pandemic

KW - social work

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DO - 10.1177/0020872820949614

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EP - 583

JO - International Social Work

JF - International Social Work

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ER -

Practising ethically during COVID-19: Social work challenges and responses

Abstract

Scopus Subject Areas

User-Defined Keywords

UN SDGs

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