AASW Code Of Ethics Case Study

The profession of social work holds that every person is special and has the inherent right to dignity self-determination, well-being and autonomy. It promotes social justice and professional integrity (Aasw.asn.au, 2010). Section 5.2.3 of the AASW Code of Ethics discusses about the informed consent and states that social workers are needed to assess the maturity level and understanding of the client in order to get an informed consent (Aasw.asn.au, 2015). Further, section 5.2.1 lays emphasis on the social worker’s responsibility to maintain the best interests of the client as his top priority and lastly and most importantly, social workers are bound to respect the privacy and confidentiality of the client which is clearly provided under Section 5.2.4 of the Code (Aasw.asn.au, 2010). In my
She is fearful that if her parents learn about her pregnancy, they will be disappointed with her and might even go to an extent of disowning her and her entire life will be in ruins. Consequently, she would not be able to complete her studies, would lose her home and this all would have an adverse effect on her mental state of being. The principle laid down in Gillick vs Wisbech Area Health Authority and Australian Common Law Marion’s case was that there were situations where a young person or a minor could give informed consent to her medical treatment and in order to do so, the minor should have proper understanding and intelligence of what she has consented to (Bird, 2011). Thus, the ‘mature minor principle’ will apply here (Bird, 2011) as on assessing my client, I have come to the understanding that she is mature enough to give her consent for abortion. I believe that her best interests would be in getting an abortion and starting afresh. She will be able to achieve her career objectives without any fear of getting disowned by her family and that would be my highest priority in this case. Furthermore, her parents do not know about her boyfriend as well as her