Code of conducts and ethics
A few years back, when I was working at a specific mental health center, there was a case that got me into these conflicting obligations. There was this lady, call her jane, who was a single mother and a drug addict. So, she came for counseling services at my center since she had suffered from depression after her husband’s death. During the session, Jane confessed that she had neglected her child two years back and hid in her friend’s place, who was also a drug addict.
It is an obligation that social workers should report any child abuse or neglect cases to children’s welfare agencies. But when I told Jane of the same, she pleaded with me not to report her claiming that it was just a slip, and she won’t repeat it. I found myself on two hard rocks, undecided on which action to take, either protect my client or abide by the law.
Protecting my client was a prima facie duty because, according to counseling code of conducts and ethics, a client’s confidentiality should be highly safeguarded.