Gain a better understanding of common ethical dilemmas encountered when dealing with minors as well as tips on handling these challenges.

Social workers and other professionals in child-serving settings strive to meet serious human needs in an often fragmented and frustrating social service environment. Every day, in schools, hospitals, child protective, residential and other settings, a delicate balancing act takes place between the constraints of policies and resources and the needs of clients. In addition to providing services that are clinically sound and responsive to their clients, workers must also be attuned to the ethical dimensions their cases present. How can they uphold principles such as confidentiality, informed consent and self-determination with a clientele whose rights and choices are constrained by age, maturity, and legal and parental prerogatives? This topic addresses the strategies helping professionals can use to bridge those tensions, to deliver effective, ethical services. You will learn about ethical decision making, explore the practice norms associated with various child-serving settings, and apply ethical, legal, and practice standards to work with minors.