SCWK90055 Chap.4 Ethical Dilemmas and Reamer's Decision Framework
Ethical Dilemmas and Reamer's Decision Framework
This is the chapter behind the ethics paper, worth 40% of the grade. It starts by separating ethical issues, which are everyday, from ethical problems, which have a clear answer, and ethical dilemmas, which force a choice between conflicting duties. It then sorts decision-making models into process, reflective, cultural and integrated families and explains why the subject teaches an adapted version of Reamer's process model.
The heart of the chapter is the seven steps: name the conflict, map who is affected, list the options, weigh each option against codes, law, theory, practice frameworks, personal values and policy, consult, decide and record, and monitor. Each step comes with the guiding questions the module supplies, and the chapter closes with the six abilities the outline says the paper must demonstrate.
Each step is illustrated with a scenario written for this guide, so you can see what a complete answer to the guiding questions looks like before you attempt the assignment scenario you have chosen.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Ethical issues, problems and dilemmas
- 02
Four families of decision models
- 03
The seven Reamer steps
- 04
Weighing options in step four
- 05
Consultation and documentation
- 06
What the ethics paper must show
Worked example · free
Steps one to three for a confidentiality dilemma
- 1Step 1: the conflict is between confidentiality and self-determination on one side and honesty to the agency and her wellbeing on the other.
- 1Step 2: she, her treatment team, the agency, other clients on the waiting list and her family are affected.
- 1Step 3: options include reporting now, encouraging her to disclose herself with your support, or keeping the confidence, with risks and benefits for each.
Key terms
- Ethical problem
- An ethical problem is a hard decision with significant ethical dimensions but a clear course of action.
- Process model
- A process model is an ethical decision-making model that gives a step-by-step checklist of what to consider.
- Reflective model
- A reflective model is a decision-making approach that includes service users in the process and names power differences.
- Integrated model
- An integrated model is a decision-making approach that combines process, reflective and cultural elements.
- Mental map
- A mental map is a remembered outline of the framework's key elements used when there is no time to work through it slowly.
- Consultation step
- The consultation step is step five of the framework, where colleagues and experts test the options and challenge assumptions.
Ethical Dilemmas and Reamer's Decision Framework FAQ
When should I use a full decision framework?
When you face a true dilemma, meaning a choice between options that may all have undesirable outcomes because ethical duties conflict. Everyday ethical issues and problems with a clear answer do not need the full process.
Is the practice theory element of step four required?
The module says students who have not yet taken the introductory practice theory subjects may leave that element out. The other elements of step four, codes and law, theory, personal values and agency policy, are expected.
Why does the module emphasise consultation?
Consulting colleagues, supervisors and other experts tests the options you are considering and challenges your assumptions, whatever else you have weighed. It also shares responsibility, while you protect confidentiality by sharing only what the question needs.
Where is the marking rubric for the ethics paper?
The subject outline says the rubric is embedded in Canvas for the task, alongside a detailed assessment guide and a list of dilemma scenarios. Read those together with the six abilities the outline lists for the paper.
What should the final steps of the framework include?
Step six chooses the most defensible option and records how it was reached, and step seven reviews the outcome, arranges any support for the client or worker, and notes lessons for similar dilemmas. Documentation is what makes the decision defensible later.
Assessment move
Write the seven steps on a card and recite them until you can produce them in order without prompts. Choose one of the scenarios provided for the assignment and draft a paragraph per step, using the module's guiding questions as prompts; for step four, write a separate paragraph for codes and law, theory, personal values and agency policy.
Check that step three lists at least three genuine options, including one that keeps the client involved. Finally, read your draft against the outline's six abilities and the rubric in Canvas, and mark where each is shown. For short tests, be ready to match a described action to its step number.
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