ETHC08006 2022 Ethics for Social Care

Analyse and evaluate the circumstances of service users to enable them experience wellbeing, in particular through their self-empowerment, by understanding the relation between wellbeing and the practice of virtues, such as determination, courage, honesty, and consideration for others, drawing from Aristotle's virtue theory (Domain 1.3, 1.5, 1.19, 1.22, 3.5, 4.4, 5.13)

Evaluate the arguments for pluralism and relativism in morality as a basis for acceptance of difference and diversity in society and manage appropriately the relation between professional care values and principles and differing value practices and behaviours of service users. (Domain 1.22, 3.5, 4.4)

Apply principles of respect and care, based on Kant's understanding of each as a rationally justifiable duty, in particular in cases where a Service User's voluntary decision and his/her protection from a risk of harm are an issue (Domain 1.3, 1.5, 1.17, 3.5, 4.4)

Analyse examples of human rights issues, such as income inequality, child poverty and service provision for those within social care settings, drawing from human rights theories such as natural law and showing the relation between theories and specific human rights provisions in international agreements and domestic laws. (Domain 1.3, 1.5, 1.19, 3.5, 4.4, 5.3)

Apply 'the greatest happiness principle' to support a viewpoint in casework and policy improvement and evaluate its merits as an adequate principle in light of the basis for it and its implications in practice ( Domain 1.3, 1.5, 3.5, 4.4, 5.13)

Appraise the relevance of social justice to social care provision and advocacy through comparing and contrasting theories of social justice such as Rawls, Sen and Nozick (Domain 1.3, 1.5, 3.5, 4.4, 5.2)

Appraise the value of relational and context-bound approaches within Feminist Care Ethics exploring how these apply to obligation and decision making, particularly with regard to person-centred care and self-care within Social Care Work (Domain 1.3, 1.5, 1.22, 3.5, 4.4, 5.19)

Teaching & Learning for this module will be developed in accordance with the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Therefore lecture material and content, and module assessment will offer diverse means of engagement to reflect students' range of different learning styles. 

Lectures -  involving significant Q & A time. In these lectures, the key concepts and issues are presented, analysed and collectively discussed and debated.

Tutorials - focus on practical application of ethics theories through exploration of particular theoretical perspectives to specific case studies. In the tutorials, the key concepts and ideas discussed in the lectures are brought to bear on Social Care Practice.

Questionnaire / essay: in which students demonstrate their capacity to critically evaluate diverse ethics theories relative to Social Care Practice and recognise how their own personal values are factor in their deliberation and ethical perspective.  

Case Study / Essay: in which students address an ethically complex Social Care Work scenario through exploring the scenario from a variety of ethical perspectives, critically evaluating the different implications of each, selecting the option that provides the best possible outcome, and presenting a rationale justifying their decision / course of action while recognising how their existing personal values might inform this decision.

This module assessment allows for assessment of CORU Standards of Proficiency as follows:

Questionnaire / Essay: (Domain 1.3, 1.5, 1.17, 1.19, 1.22, 3.5, 4.4, 5.2, 5.3, 5.13, 5.19)

Case Study / Essay(Domain 1.3, 1.5, 1.17, 1.19, 1.22, 3.5, 4.4, 5.13, 5.19)

Students will repeat the assessed task which has not been completed or has failed to pass on the first attempt

The following values and principles are explored using case studies and examples in relation to best care practice and best social policy provisions:

Wellbeing

• Role of reason in relation to desires and feelings
• Making virtuous choices and decisions on the basis of the mean between the extreme and deficiency of desires and feelings
• Care practices supported by the nature of wellbeing: client self-empowerment, practical assistance, social inclusion, development of potential.

Respect and Care

• Role of will and reason in deciding between right and wrong conduct by universalising intentions as a moral principle and avoiding contradiction
• The rational justification of respect and care as required duties
• Care practices supported by respect and care: client self-determination, providing for informed consent, equality of treatment, qualified confidentiality, reporting malpractice, fulfilling a duty of care
• The values of respect and care in relation to professional care values and codes of practice 

 Empathy

• Meaning of empathy, its distinction from sympathy and pity
• Why empathy is necessary for understanding clients while necessarily providing incomplete knowledge and identification with a client's experience
• The Feminist view of empathy as natural emotion arising from human interdependent relationships, and the experience of caring and being cared for.
• The Feminist view of the need for an empathetic response for adequate moral perception and knowledge in light of service user as an other
• The justification for regarding clients as particular individuals with specific life histories, needs and desires and relating to them with an open and attentive mind.

The Greatest Happiness Principle

• Source in Bentham and Mill's utilitarian ethics
• The basis for the principle in the equality of moral status and equal desire of all for happiness
• Happiness understood as pleasure and avoidance of pain or satisfaction preference
• Estimating consequences for the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people of possible decisions/courses of action as the means of measuring happiness 
• Why relief of suffering and hardship for a minority at the expense of some loss of happiness of a majority can be justified as providing for the greatest happiness overall
• The strengths and weaknesses of the theory applied to casework and policy

Acceptance of Moral Difference

• The basis for a difference in individual/group views and culture
• The basis in philosophical arguments, such as psychological egoism
• The support for care goals of treating all people equally and inclusively
• Limits to accepting a full relativist view; examples where difference conflicts with best care practice.

Human Rights & Social Justice

• Source of human rights in theories of common human nature
• A relation between natural law theory and human rights agreements
• The relevance of a rights-based approach to Social Care services in particular to realise equality rights
• Differing views of social justice: fairness (Rawls), the entitlement of individuals (Nozick), the merits of cases (Sen), Social Contract theories (e.g. Hobbes and Rousseau)
• Implications of social justice views for care practice and social policy
• Social justice and social care advocacy