Running head: ASSIGNMENT 2

Assignment: Assignment 2
Name: Kate Morden
Instructor: Jenifer Dykeman
Course: Ethics for Child and Youth Workers SOCI 181
Date: December 15th, 2015

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Purpose
The purpose of this assignment, as stated in the outline, is to provide a summary
of the case scenario/dilemma, and evidence of considering all aspects, including the use
of the ethical decision making model, and the thoughts, feelings, opinions and beliefs of
individuals expressed in the discussion boards.
Summary
My groups scenario includes a twelve-year-old child in residential care, who
happens to be in a negative space. This child is being verbally aggressive towards
staff/peers and physically aggressive towards the environment by hitting and kicking the
walls and objects. While this is happening, she is demanding that she have the phone to
call the Advocates Office; however, there are many incident reports where this specific
child has been physically/verbally aggressive towards staff//peers, and/or has asked for
the phone to call the Advocates Office and then proceeded to use the phone as a weapon
to harm staff and peers within the residence. My groups dilemma is: Would you give her
the phone, and why or why not?
Prior to answering this question, one must be understand the role of the
Advocates Office. The Advocates Office, professionally known as, the Office of the
Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, is an independent voice for Ontarios
children and youth who are either in care or on the margins of government care (Office
of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, 2009). The purpose of such an
organization is so that children and youth can call/email the agency and speak to an
advocate, where their voices regarding specific topics, issues, concerns and questions can
be heard, valued, considered, answered and readily dealt with (Office of the Provincial

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Advocate for Children and Youth, 2009).

Upon reflecting on my peers comments, many individuals stated that this specific
scenario/dilemma is an interesting ethical debate, as well as a common scenario that
happens to occur in residential care settings, as this is an experience that CYC
practitioners often witness in the CYC field.
Most individuals agreed that they would allow the child to call the Advocates
Office, as it is their right, however, only after having calmed down. These individuals
also discussed methods in which the client could regulate their emotions in this specific
crisis moment. For instance, there was the mention of: supporting the client; debriefing
with the client before, during and after; using a soft voice and strength-based language;
promoting healthy coping skills by using grounding and emotional de-escalation
techniques, such as taking a walk, deep breathing, imagery of positive safe places and
pictures, listening to music, having blank paper, pens, and stress balls, etc.
In such cases where the client was not able to calm down, peers suggested that the
client could use the phone in the staffs office or have the phone on speaker phone while
under the supervision of staff, or use the phone in a secluded room, to again, ensure the
safety of the client and/or others. Other approaches that were suggested was to call the
Advocates Office on the behalf of the client and leave a message, informing the
Advocates Office that the client would like to speak to them, but cannot at the moment
due to the negative space the client is in. As well, someone suggested that the client
write a list of what she wants/needs to say to the Advocates Office.
Some individuals, however, stated that it is the clients right to call the Advocates
Office, as it is legal obligation to provide children/youth with contact information of the

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Advocates Office, including a method of contacting the agency. As well, it is the

clients rights, and agencys polices and procedures, and thus, is unethical and illegal to
deny access to this specific resource. Furthermore, someone stated that denying access to
this resource would impede the clients voice and not value the clients ability to advocate
for herself.
That being said, some peers were adamant in that allowing the client to use the
phone in crisis situations would pose a risk of danger; for example, the client might use
the phone as a weapon, the phone could potentially break, or the client might not call the
Advocates Office and instead call another person. In addition, someone thought that
perhaps by giving the client the phone while in crisis, it would reinforce negative
behaviour of the client, resorting to the client believing she can get what she
wants/needs from others by acting out.
Another common opinion expressed throughout the discussion boards was the
benefit of creating and implementing a safety plan with the client for and during these
specific situations. This includes utilizing emotional regulation activities, evacuating the
area and/or residents if necessary. The thought of doing so, as stated by others, is to
ensure the safety of the client, staff and residents in the residence.
One individual suggested that, perhaps, the client might need to make the call to
the Advocates Office in order to calm down. I thought this was an interesting idea.
However, others felt that the client calling the Advocates Office in crisis would be
ineffective, and thus, would be better of calling when in a positive mind frame. The
reason being was: the Advocates Office could understand them clearly, and therefore, be
more effective in helping and supporting them.

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In addition, a few peers decided to take a different approach to the situation in an

attempt to truly understand the reasoning of the clients behaviours. For example, while
some people answered no due to the individuals negative past experiences with using
the phone in crisis, others felt that making this judgment based on the individuals past
was and is not fair. Instead, these people felt it was necessary to explore aspects such as:
whether or not this is a repeating pattern; finding out if the staff have tried different
approaches in addressing this issue; what has and hasnt worked in the past; finding out
the clients triggers, underlying problems, or what the client is trying to communicate;
creating an individualized approach for the client; placing an emphasis on the future
and/or present moment opposed to the past, and thus, not basing a decision on past
behaviour; and lastly, figuring out the reasons as to why the client reports to the
Advocates Office so much.
OACYC Code of Ethics
The OACYC Code of Ethics that are high-lighted in the scenario are: 1) we will
respect the confidentiality of each client/family, 2) we will respect, safeguard, and
advocate for the rights of each client and/or family, 3) we will be knowledgeable about
and adhere to all relevant municipal, provincial, and federal laws, 4) we will develop,
implement, and administer the policies and procedures of our respective agencies and
institutions, 5) we will cooperate with other professions which offer service to our
clientele, 6) we will recognize that we are a catalyst for change, 7) we will promote
client autonomy and increased self-esteem, 8) we will treat our client holistically,
encompassing family, peer group, and community, and 9) we will conduct ourselves in a
professional and ethical manner at all times.

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This specific scenario was also, in fact, impacted by the ethical decision-making
model, as one must consider the most ethical approach to take, ensuring that the decision
made in the end is in the safety and best interest of the client(s), including others, such as
yourself, staff and residents.
In the dilemma that my group presented, my values and beliefs were not affected
or challenged. There were, however, ideas of others that caused me to consider different
aspects of the situation that I had not previously thought about. Reading the different
viewpoints of others allowed me to consider all aspects of the scenario/dilemma.
Common Themes
Throughout the discussion boards, there were many common themes, particularly
regarding safety and rights; specifically, the safety of the client, staff and residents within
the household, as well as the rights of the client. Throughout the posts, there was a great
deal of agreement. For example, many individuals believed that it is the clients right to
have the ability to call the Advocates Office at any given time or day; however, these
individuals also expressed that they would only allow this once the client was no longer
in a negative space. To summarize, the majority of people would not refuse, but rather
delay it. There were only a few people who expressed differing viewpoints in that the
child has the right to call, no matter what. As well, one individual mentioned that the
answer to this question is based on the risk of the client and others, including the amount
of staff available to help in this situation.
Another theme that arose was the aspect of rights and privileges, in that using the
phone is not a right to be taken away, but rather a privilege to respect. Individuals
believed that because of this, it is important to explain to the client that while they are

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able to use the phone, they must use it safely and appropriately, and if not, there will be
applicable consequences.
While moderating the discussion boards, I was assigned to a specific group of
people to respond to. When responding to these peers, I made sure to remain professional,
respectful, and strength-based. My approach would be to: thank the individual for
responding to our groups dilemma, paraphrase their content, make a connection, and
attempt to create further discussion by asking them another question. While completing
my responses, I maintained an understanding and non-judgmental attitude, knowing and
respecting that each person has their own thoughts, feelings, opinions and beliefs,
including different strengths and viewpoints to offer to others.

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8
References

Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth. (2009). About us. Retrieved
from: http://provincialadvocate.on.ca/main/en/about/aboutus.cfm