LMSW LMSW Social Work Ethics and Values Questions and Answers 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A social worker discovers that a colleague is billing Medicaid for services never rendered. According to the NASW Code of Ethics, what is the social worker's primary obligation?
- Confront the colleague privately and give them a chance to self-report
- Report the misconduct through appropriate channels, including supervisors or licensing boards (Correct answer)
- Ignore the situation to avoid damaging the colleague's career
- Document the issue internally without reporting to external authorities
Correct answer: Report the misconduct through appropriate channels, including supervisors or licensing boards
The NASW Code of Ethics obligates social workers to report unethical conduct by colleagues, including fraud, to appropriate professional or regulatory bodies.
Question 2: A client with major depression tells her social worker she wants to stop treatment and refuses further services. She is legally competent. What should the social worker do?
- Initiate an involuntary psychiatric hold to prevent harm
- Respect the client's right to self-determination while ensuring she has information about risks (Correct answer)
- Contact the client's family to override her decision
- Continue treatment without the client's consent to protect her welfare
Correct answer: Respect the client's right to self-determination while ensuring she has information about risks
Self-determination is a core social work value; competent adults have the right to refuse services, though the worker should ensure informed refusal.
Question 3: Which ethical principle requires social workers to keep promises made to clients and act reliably in the professional relationship?
- Nonmaleficence
- Fidelity (Correct answer)
- Justice
- Veracity
Correct answer: Fidelity
Fidelity refers to the obligation to be trustworthy and to honor commitments made to clients.
Question 4: A social worker in private practice is ending services with a long-term client due to relocation. What is the most ethical course of action?
- End services immediately upon deciding to relocate
- Provide adequate notice, offer referrals, and facilitate a warm handoff to a new provider (Correct answer)
- Ask the client to find their own replacement therapist
- Continue to see the client via videoconference regardless of licensure jurisdiction
Correct answer: Provide adequate notice, offer referrals, and facilitate a warm handoff to a new provider
Ethical termination requires adequate notice, referrals, and transition planning to avoid client abandonment.
Question 5: A social worker serves on the board of a nonprofit that is now seeking services from the agency where the worker is employed. This situation represents:
- A professional collaboration opportunity
- A dual relationship and conflict of interest that must be disclosed (Correct answer)
- An acceptable arrangement as long as the nonprofit pays market rates
- A violation only if the social worker personally profits
Correct answer: A dual relationship and conflict of interest that must be disclosed
Serving on an outside board while your employer considers that organization for services creates a conflict of interest requiring disclosure and recusal.
Question 6: Under HIPAA and social work ethics, when may a social worker share a client's protected health information without explicit consent?
- When a family member requests it for caregiving purposes
- When required by law, such as mandatory reporting or a court order (Correct answer)
- When the client's employer requests it for insurance verification
- When the social worker believes disclosure is in the client's best interest
Correct answer: When required by law, such as mandatory reporting or a court order
HIPAA permits disclosure without consent in limited circumstances including mandatory legal reporting, court orders, and public health requirements.
Question 7: A social worker's personal religious beliefs conflict with a client's request for assistance obtaining contraception. The most ethical response is to:
- Refuse to assist and explain the religious conflict to the client
- Provide the requested assistance or promptly refer the client to someone who can help without prejudice (Correct answer)
- Encourage the client to reconsider their decision based on the worker's values
- Document the disagreement in the client's record and take no further action
Correct answer: Provide the requested assistance or promptly refer the client to someone who can help without prejudice
Social workers must set aside personal values that conflict with client needs and ensure the client receives non-judgmental, competent service or a timely referral.
LMSW LMSW Social Work Ethics and Values Questions and Answers 3
A social worker discovers that a colleague is billing Medicaid for services never rendered.
According to the NASW Code of Ethics, what is the social worker's primary obligation?