To prepare:
Review the Learning Resources on boundary setting and ethics. Download the ETHIC Model of Decision Making.
Review the following scenario:
You are a social worker for the Grief Center, which offers services for children and adolescents who have lost a parent or sibling. Your caseload has grown 20% larger than you have experienced in the past. One evening, just as you are about to leave for the day, the director gets an emergency call about a child who needs services. You need to be at home to care for your own children and to check in on your mother, who is recovering from surgery. This is the third time in a month that the director has asked you to stay after hours to meet with a client or finish a project. You did so the first two times, but it caused distress in your family life and a rift with your partner. You fear that staying late has now become an expectation. You do not want to jeopardize your job or let a grieving child down, but you need to maintain personal boundaries, and you are already exhausted from the day. What do you do? What conversation might you have with the director?
Navigate through the scenario, using the ETHIC Model of Decision Making as a guide. What do you do? How do you resolve the issue? What conversation might you have with the director?
Use the ETHIC model to work through the scenario and resolve the issue. Explain how you came to this conclusion, based on the model and the NASW Code of Ethics. In the given scenario, what factors might lead someone to work harder without questioning? What factors might help someone maintain boundaries?