Introduction
Inclusivity and diversity imply acceptance of differences, awareness of their value, and profitable use of the uniqueness of each. Inclusivity removes barriers that prevent a person from gaining access to a specific area: education, the ability to make political decisions, culture, and others. Primarily, it relates to ethical decision-making because all points of view should be considered in any workplace (Banks & Nøhr, 2012). The ethics of decision-making is choosing one of the alternative ways of solving a problem based on the foresight of the immediate and long-term consequences of the decisions made and their responsibility.
Main body
Decision-making is an integral part of the ethics of responsibility. At the level of everyday practice, decision-making is based either on intuition, impulsive impulse, or judgments based on personal experience, knowledge, and competencies. Intuitive solutions are not burdened with a conscious weighing of the pros and cons of each alternative and do not need a rational understanding of the situation (McAuliffe & Sudbery, 2005). Even though intuition constantly accompanies the manager’s activities, rationality is the primary factor in solving the problem. Hence, this paper aims to investigate an inclusive model of ethical decision-making and reveal its influence on the working environment.
The inclusive model of decision-making was elaborated on the basis of numerous principles in such fields as healthcare, psychology, social work, legal practice, and others. It was first published by Chenoweth and McAuliffe (McAuliffe & Sudbery, 2005). It is built upon several essential dimensions responsible for the decision-making process and ensuring a safe environment for every employee. These dimensions are accountability, consultation, cultural sensitivity, and critical reflection.
The first element is explained as the responsibility of “being called on to give an account of what one has done or not done” (Banks, 2004, p. 150). It is usually linked to blame because managers should be careful while making choices since unpredictable results may be. As an essential platform for an Inclusive Model of Ethical Decision-making, accountability focuses on the employee’s ability to formulate and justify the decisions made, considering the broader social context in which they work. This platform is tightly linked to critical reflection, which encourages managers to open up the decision-making process to test themselves and others in a way that improves organizational status (Banks & Nøhr, 2012). If this step is followed, workers can realize the structure of their values and their impact on their decisions.
The ethics of professional social work can be defined as the theory (teaching) of professional morality of specialists in the field of social work. It includes a system of ideals and values, ethical principles and norms of behavior, ideas about what is due, and requirements for the personality of a specialist (McAuliffe & Sudbery, 2005). These components of the ethics of professional social work reflect its essence and specifics as a profession and provide relationships between people that develop in the work process, which follow from the content of their professional activities.
The third component of the model, cultural sensitivity, is of vital importance since the modern world demands us to be tolerant and respectful of any culture. Culturally insensitive practices often lead to destructive consequences and leave employees susceptible to discrimination if managers do not take action against such cases (McAuliffe & Chenoweth, 2008). The final platform of the foundation is consultation, which consists in making reasonable use of the wisdom and advice of others. It also requires participation in discussions with others that can help the practitioner maintain essential values in the interests of honesty and prudence (McAuliffe & Chenoweth, 2008). However, this element is customarily disregarded when it comes to making ethical decisions, and many practitioners silently bear a moral burden, fearing that colleagues will consider them unprofessional (McAuliffe & Sudbery, 2005). These four platforms are interconnected and interdependent since, together, they aim to improve the decision-making process. When passing through the stages of the inclusive model, these virtual platforms should remain at the center of attention at each stage.
The model also includes five steps to solve the organizational problem and come up with a proper decision. The case study chosen for the assessment refers to the dilemmas in working with a gypsy family. Following the inclusive model of ethical decision-making steps, it is primarily vital to define the social problem (McAuliffe & Chenoweth, 2008). The ethical dilemma in the selected situation is that Miguel, the educator, struggles to prevent 15-year-old Gloria from marriage or to respect the gypsy marriage traditions of nomadic people. Despite the fact that now, Gypsies almost do not wander and lead a sedentary lifestyle, they keep their traditions and customs sacred. It is accepted that early marriages in the gypsy traditions are not prohibited, but they are not mandatory either. This practice is common, but not all representatives of the people follow the customs. Its meaning is to preserve the purity of the bride and groom by arranging the marriage as early as possible.
Meanwhile, Miguel attempts to preserve the low school dropout statistics to ensure as many kids as possible receive a proper education. On the one hand, Miguel has a good relationship with the community leader and does not want to disrespect his culture. On the other hand, he wants to satisfy Gloria’s needs and her desire to stay in school because he knows how important it is for her.
Since the ethical dilemma was determined, it is necessary to follow the second step called mapping legitimacy. This stage determines the nature of the relationships between the participants at various levels of interpersonal, family, and social systems (McAuliffe & Chenoweth, 2008). It is crucial to define relevant for dilemma-solving participants since irrelevant stakeholders may worsen the outcomes. In Miguel and Gloria’s case, the primary relationship to be viewed is between the educator himself and Gloria’s father because he is responsible for his underage daughter.
The problem needs to be directly discussed with the client, Gloria’s father, for several reasons. First, the dropout Gloria is facing can have a negative impact on her further education and career. As Gloria’s intentions align with Miguel’s, her father needs to be convinced that school is of primary importance for the girl, while the marriage can be delayed. Second, according to gypsy tradition, a husband is the head of the family, and a wife is the keeper of the hearth, which means they barely receive any education or want to work. Among the gypsies, a girl aged 19-20 years is already considered an old maid (Williams, 2020). It is already challenging for her to get married, no matter how beautiful she is. By the age of 30, she loses her fertility, which means that she will not produce offspring (Williams, 2020). Hence, Gloria’s dad needs to understand that the modern world requires people to acquire new knowledge regardless of the culture they belong to.
The third step of the model presumes to gather information. According to McAuliffe and Chenoweth (2008), “the difference with ethical decision making is that the information to be gathered is more specific to practice standards, codes of conduct, protocols, legal precedent, and organizational policies” (p. 44). It means that the data collection should be conducted thoroughly, considering both sides’ perspectives on the matter (McAuliffe & Chenoweth, 2008). For instance, Miguel should find out more about gypsy traditions. He may research the existing literature regarding their customs and determine if there are any deviations if they do not stick to the specific rites such as getting married. On the other hand, the educator should abide by the code of ethics of social workers to avoid encountering any ethical issues.
Collecting relevant information and disposing of unnecessary facts is crucial to establishing a plan of action. It would also help discard misleading data that could contribute to destructive results in further plan implementation. One of the fundamental principles of social workers is the principle of “do no harm,” which involves working for the well-being of a person and preventing any ill-treatment of them (Beckett et al., 2017). Respect for the client’s right to decide is a manifestation of respect and observance of their rights (Beckett et al., 2017). A social worker cannot assist a client without their consent to their action plan.
Hence, when solving Gloria’s situation, it is vital to consider the background of her family. All the specific features of her culture and family should be taken into account when making a decision on providing her with social assistance. However, it is also indispensable to rely upon the psychological perspective regarding child development. At the age of 15, the ten lays the foundations of conscious behavior; there is a general orientation in the formation of moral ideas and social attitudes (Newman & Newman, 2020). Features of the development of cognitive abilities of a teenager often cause difficulties in school education: poor academic performance and inappropriate behavior. The success of learning largely depends on the motivation of learning and on the personal meaning that learning has for a teenager (Newman & Newman, 2020). The primary condition for any training is the desire to gain knowledge and measure yourself and the student. Considering Gloria’s dive to study and acquire knowledge, I believe Miguel should explain its fundamentality to her parents, suggesting the psychological view on the teenager’s development.
In addition, a teenager has a strong need to communicate with their peers. The leading motive of such behavior is the desire to find their place among their peers. If Gloria is deprived of this opportunity, she is likely to lack social skills. Moreover, if she is getting married and gives birth at such an early age, it may result in trauma since children are not adapted to such events due to the relative instability of their psyche. Early pregnancy among adolescents has severe consequences for the health of adolescent mothers and their children (Branje, 2018). What is more, childbirth during adolescence often forces girls to drop out of school, which could be the case for Gloria.
The final step relates to the evaluation and critical analysis. Here Miguel should appraise several alternatives and suggest them to Gloria and her father to decide which suits them better. There is no need to press clients when they choose, but Miguel should be persuasive to sustain his project’s goals (Beckett et al., 2017). Thus, when they together evaluate the probable outcomes, the solution can be found.
Given similar circumstances in Australia, I would primarily investigate gypsy traditions within the scope of my country. Due to the fact that gypsies share identical values across the world, their mindsets become adjusted to their location as geographical context influences the central part of any person’s life. Hence, if I ever encountered such a situation, I would conduct research on the psychology of 15-year-old teens, determine the positive and negative consequences of a school dropout, and discuss this information with both Gloria and her father. Undoubtedly, it is necessary to explain that adolescence is a time of active personality formation, refracting social experience through the individual’s functional activity to transform one’s personality. As a result, I would persuade Gloria’s father that a girl needs education before entering adult life.
On the other hand, being a social worker demands utter respect for a client. They act in the interests of the person who has applied to them for help, often doing more than is prescribed by standards. It presumes that clients make their own decision based on the alternative proposed by social workers (Beckett et al., 2017). Therefore, I would suggest two ways for Gloria’s situation development to her father and let him choose since he is the official guardian of an underage child. Taking into consideration customers’ needs is vital to providing desired outcomes.
Conclusion
In summary, the inclusive model of ethical decision-making helps solve social dilemmas. It is an efficient means of establishing the root of the problem and the resolutions, and most importantly, it relies on ethics. Gloria’s case proves that cultural context is the primary factor affecting the development of the further flow of the situation. Despite the traditions preserved within a specific society, there are other perspectives on the matter, such as the psychological one, which should also be considered.
References
Banks, S. (2004). Ethics, accountability and the social professions. Palgrave Macmillan.
Banks, S., & Nøhr, K. (Eds.). (2012) Practising social work ethics around the world: Cases and commentaries. Routledge.
Beckett, C., Maynard, A., & Jordan, P. (2017). Values and ethics in social work. SAGE Publications.
Branje, S. (2018). Development of parent-adolescent relationships: Conflict interactions as a mechanism of change. Child Development Perspectives, 1-6.
McAuliffe, D., & Chenoweth, L. (2008). Leave no stone unturned: The inclusive model of ethical decision making.Ethics and Social Welfare, 2(1), 38-49.
McAuliffe, D.,& Sudbery, J. (2005). Who do I tell? Support and consultation in cases of ethical conflict. Journal of Social Work, 5(1), 21-43.
Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2020). Theories of adolescent development. Elsevier Science.
Williams, V. R. (2020). Indigenous peoples: An encyclopedia of culture, history, and threats to survival. ABC-CLIO.