Doing “ethics work” in practice
An analysis of care managers’ collegial discussions concerning reluctant clients
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21724673 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Annika Taghizadeh Larsson (0000-0002-4059-3889, Linköping University, corresponding author), Anna Olaison (0000-0001-9293-4932, Linköping University), Johannes Österholm (0000-0002-6241-0027, Linköping University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 701-720 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Qualitative Social Work (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1473-3250 • E-ISSN: 1741-3117 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/14733250241303782 |
| OpenAlex | W4404885032 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 32 |
Few studies have explored the moral and ethical dimensions of how, in practice, social workers talk about and handle cases as part of their daily work. At the same time, identifying and examining the ethical dimensions of actual social work practice can be challenging because ethics is often hidden within the complex particularities of daily work. This article applies and develops Sarah Banks’ conceptualisation of “ethics work” to examine how care managers in Sweden are “doing ethics”, while seeking and providing collegial support and guidance on how to deal with the wishes of adult (potential) service users who are reluctant to accept support – or whose wishes in the matter are difficult to determine. The study is based on an analysis of 14 audio-recorded case conferences. With the help of Banks’ conceptualisation, the analysis makes visible how the case discussions in question encompass a complex “doing of ethics”, by means of which the welfare of individuals is balanced against care managers’ legal duty to adhere, without exception, to the principle of self-determination. The findings suggest that further research that applies and develops Banks’ conceptualisation of ethics work by examining “actual” social work practice in situ, while recognising the particularities of the social and societal context in which this work is taking place, could provide new knowledge and understanding about both the specific and common challenges that social workers face in different parts of the world. It could also make the ethical dimensions of social work practice more widely recognised and valued
Engineering ethics · Ethics of care · Political science · Public relations · Sociology · Ethics in medical practice · Foucault, Power, and Ethics · Law · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Social Work Education and Practice · Social Work
Ethics and Values in Social Work
Glossary of transcript symbols with an introduction
Vulnerability, Law, and Dementia
Worker collectivity in child welfare
Persuasion in practice
Ethical and legal dilemmas experienced by Israeli social workers during the Covid-19 pandemic
Looking into backstage discussions in social work
Managing multiple accountability perspectives and expectations in practice. A scoping review of the use of accountability mechanisms by social workers
Ethical Issues for Practice and Research in Congregate Settings During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Everyday ethics in professional life
Ethics in Professional Interaction
Doing ‘Ethics Work’ Together
Law Versus Morality
Negotiating personal engagement and professional accountability
Dilemmas and conflicting pressures in social work practice
The personal is political
Age-appropriate elder care recipients? Care manager's categorisation practices in intraprofessional case conferences
Declientification
Ethical dilemmas of Israeli social workers
Practising ethically during Covid-19
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Learning from partnership tensions in transcultural interdisciplinary case discussion seminars
Interpreting Qualitative Data
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |