Ethical Decision-Making in Child Protection: Applying the DECIDE Model SWK3025

Task-1: Using the Framework of the DECIDE Model to Interpret the Case Study of Jayne and Dave

1.Define the Problem

The given case study discusses the situation of parental negligence involved in providing care to Carlie and Samuel. They both are the children of Jayne and Dave, where Carlie is 6-years-old and Samuel is 3-years-old. It has been reported by the school authorities that Carlie has been skipping schools on a regular basis. She is observed to wear soiled clothes whenever she occasionally visits the school and never brings a lunch box with her.

Samuel, being the younger brother of Carlie is diagnosed with spina bifida. This disease is characterised by a defect in the neural tube as a result of which the spinal cord does not develop properly. The healthcare provider of Samuel mentions that he has not been attending his appointments with the paediatrician which are very essential for maintaining his health. Also, he has been observed to be losing weight very rapidly.

Jayne and Dave are primarily responsible for providing care to their children. However, Dave has lost his job and is feeling extremely demotivated. He has started consuming alcohol and is becoming addicted to cannabis. He now has a strained relationship with his wife Jayne. She is also going through an existential crisis where she is feeling lonely as her stepmother (Kerry) has passed away and her sister has moved abroad to live with his partner. They both are under financial burden.

2.Establish the Criteria

Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1987 (NSW) - Section 9

Considering the situation of Carlie and Samuel, it is justified for the concerned organisation to interfere in the personal life of Jayne and Dave to ensure the well-being of the children. This act aims to safeguard the children and provide them a supportive environment where their culture, language, religion,etc is considered (Whitten et al., 2020).

AASW Code of Ethics (2020)

It is guided by three ethical principles namely respect to person, social justice and professional integrity. The parents and their children (Carlie and Samuel) should be considered as unique individuals which require care and subsequently, the solutions for improving their well- being should be identified. In addition to this, the second principle aims to address the social issues such as addiction to alcohol, drugs and financial burden to improve the life of Jayne and Dave. Also, all the decisions taken by the organisation should be openly discussed with the parents and proper documentation should be done to avoid conflicts (Jefferies et al., 2023).

Positionality and Statutory Obligations

The concerned organisation should ensure that there is an appropriate balance for the social struggles of the family and the necessary statutory obligaitons for intervening when these social issues start impacting the life of the children. The interventions suggested should ensure that the safety of the children along with empowering the members of the family are given prime importance (Patton & Winter, 2023).

3.Identify Options

Out-of-Home- Care

The concerned authority should provide an emotionally and financially supportive environment to the children. For this, out of home care would be the most effective strategy which will help the children to get guidance and grow in a healthy environment. It will fulfil all their basic requirements for Carlie by making her excel academically and ensure Samuel is adhering to the treatment strategies prescribed by the pediatrician for improving his health (Gill, 2021).

Family Support Plan

A comprehensive plan should be prepared for Jayne and Dave to uplift their financial condition. Jayne can be motivated to work in order to distract her from the feeling of loneliness and also financially support the family. Dave can be kept under the supervision of a therapist to counsel for his addiction towards drugs and alcohol (Gall et al., 2022).

Task-2 Critical Evaluation of the Step Four of the DECIDE Model

Comprehensive Family Support Plan

The family plan designed for the parents (Jayne and Dave) aims to reduce the financial burden on them and address their mental health concerns. By providing counselling to Dave, he can be rehabilitated to normal life where he feels motivate to look for work while Jayne is empowered to work and distract herself from the loneliness.
By following the ethical principle of beneficence, the organization is making an attempt to improve the social status of the family. They are provided with job opportunities and medical counseling which ultimately address the individual needs of the family. This will require an external help from a healthcare facility specialized for mental health and different small organizations providing employment. The ethical principle of justice ensures that Jayne and Dave get all the opportunities in a fair manner. The medical facility responsible for addressing the addiction of alcohol and drugs should provide a culturally sensitive treatment to Dave. In addition to this, Jayne should receive unbiased and equal opportunity to get recruited for a job role. The decisions taken by the organisation should be respectful enough and should be percieved as a means of support rather than a strict regulation by the organisation (Coady, 2020).

This option would provide high level of emotional and financial support to Jayne and Dave. They will be able to improve their financial situation and pay back their mortgage. In addition to this, Dave will focus on living a healthy life which is devoid of alcohol and substance abuse. On the other hand, the childcare community services will be able to effectively address the social issues of the family and provide aid in uplifting the community as a whole (Krakouer et al., 2021).

Temporary Care Outside Home

It is very important that Carlie and Samuel are provided with a financially and emotionally supportive environment to address their needs. They can be transferred to a temporary child care facility or a foster home which will consider their cultural backgrounds and help them in providing the right guidance for growth and development.
The principle of beneficence aims to ensure that all the concerning parameters of the children are addressed by suggesting an effective measure like this. It will help Carlie to focus more towards educating herself and his brother Samuel in getting the right treatment. On the other hand, the parents will also get relieved from the responsibility of childcare and will be able to resolve their problems. This will involve the costs for enrolling the children in child care facilities or for foster home. The principle of justice aligns with the section 9 of the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1987 (NSW) which promotes the safety and well-being of the children. However, finding the right foster home or a child care facility is a long process ans requires a long time. Through this, the basic requirements for the overall growth of the children is respected. It will definitely cause trauma and distress among both the children and the parents but they have to be dealt in with a sensitive way (Hassall et al., 2021).

The individual concerns of Carlie and Samuel will be easily resolved through this strategy. Carlie will be able to focus on her education while appropriate medical care will be made available for Samuel. This will also make the parents relieved that their children are under good supervision and are receiving appropriate care. The community services will be able to promote and maintain the safety and well-being of the children in their area.

Task-3: Additional Considerations for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Families in Decision Making

It is very important to understand the cultural practices and spiritual beliefs of the people like Jayne or Dave who consider themselves as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander resident. Thus, in addition to the interventions utilized by the community services, more culturally sensitive parameters need to be considered while coming to a decision.

Cultural Sensitivity and Respect

The community services should initially understand the cultural and traditional practices followed for upbringing the children belonging to the aboriginal community. These people have experienced discrimination and exploitation in the past from the government and have very little trust on these agencies. Thus, it is very important that the insights obtained by the caseworker consider the cultural sensitivities of the aboriginal community while making any decision related to the well being of the children. For instance, while suggesting the measure of shifting the children to a temporary childcare facility, the caseworker should ensure that the cultural requirements of the children will be met. This can be also be ethically done by taking advice from their community leaders who can assist in the decision-making process and suggest effective measures for both the children and their parents (McPherson et al., 2021).

Cultural Competency of Services

It is very important that the children a provided with a culturally safe foster home or a childcare facility. In addition, the strategies used for empowering the parents is also culturally sensitive. To address the complex cultural background of the aboriginal people, it is important to include their supportive family members, elders and community leaders in providing adequate services. The aboriginal people have an extended family where children can receive similar care in an appropriate cultural environment. The elders can be included in supervising the quality of care received by the children in their temporary residence. Also, the mental healthcare facilities involved in providing guidance to Dave should use culturally safe and inclusive language which does not offend him at any stage of the treatment (Khatri & Assefa, 2022).

Equitable Access to Resources

The Aboriginal community have experiences bias in certain phases of their life. Thus, it is very important that the community services ensure that they receive equal access to resources and services which are culturally modified for addressing their issues. For Carlie and Samuel, it is very important that high quality education and medical services are provided to both. In addition to this, Samuel is suffering from spina bifida which is complex disorder which requires specialised care and medications. He should receive all the medical facilities with financial aids to provide him support. They should be made to participate in policies and programs which consider the cultural rights of the aboriginal community and provide them with necessary financial support (Gide et al., 2021).

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