Full transcript
0:05in this segment i' I'd like us to talk
0:07about how we use the code how we use the
0:09code when we look at responsibilities
0:11and how we use the code when we want to
0:14when we have to resolve a situation that
0:16has ethical Dimensions so Stephanie
0:18could you uh walk us through what you
0:20see as the process for using the code be
0:23be before I I look at the process I I I
0:27like the the metaphor of the code as a
0:29company
0:31um it points you in the right direction
0:33but it doesn't it's not a a direct it
0:35doesn't drive the car it doesn't drive
0:37the car it just tells you what roads you
0:39might take so what the code does is help
0:43us in
0:44examining um our core values and our
0:47responsibilities to the different
0:49parties and then to weigh and balance
0:51and try to come to a wise
0:53resolution
0:55um there's a tendency sometimes people
0:58want to find an item there's the answer
1:00I'm done and get on with it and and it
1:02really is a process of deliberation so
1:05when you have an ethical dilemma the
1:08first thing you want to do is try to
1:09identify the problem so what's what's
1:12going on here um the second thing you
1:14want to do is say is it is it an ethical
1:17problem um your co- teer may be putting
1:20the paint somewhere that you don't think
1:22the paint ought to be housed but that's
1:24not an ethical problem that's uh that's
1:26an issue related to professional
1:28practice so you got to be sure that if
1:30it involves ethics you would be using
1:32words like right or wrong or fair or
1:35just so you really want to see what kind
1:36of problem do you have then you want to
1:39say is it an ethical dilemma or an
1:41ethical responsibility the code has both
1:44when we first wrote it we focused on the
1:46dilemmas and then later we thought
1:47there's a lot of responsibilities here
1:50um the primary responsibility to
1:54me that um we all have to remember is
1:58the responsibility
2:00to keep confidential information
2:04confidential and that is a
2:06characteristic of every profession we do
2:08not expect our doctor to tell other
2:10people um about our symptoms we don't
2:13expect our lawyer to discuss our
2:14financial situation and we don't expect
2:18those who care for children to talk
2:19about our family life or our
2:23children's um disabilities or problems
2:26or good or bad behavior um so so that is
2:30really a primary responsibility we also
2:34have a responsibility NE never to harm
2:36children and that's not optional that's
2:39not there are dilemas sometimes that get
2:42connected to that but that's definition
2:45of harm yeah yeah but that's something
2:48that if we know it's harmful we don't do
2:50it that is our responsibility so there
2:52are some things that the codes says you
2:54will
2:55do and it you just need to know what
2:58they are and you can actually go through
2:59the code and pull out what are the
3:01responsibilities those are the two that
3:02I think are are most
3:05important um if you have ascertained
3:08that you have a
3:09dilemma then you need to understand the
3:11dilemma and in a
3:14dilemma
3:16um you have two possible right answers
3:19or two possible wrong answers but we
3:22talk about the horns of a dilemma so
3:24Nancy and I were just talking in a
3:26session about um the the social dma of
3:31um we live in states that have a lot of
3:34Coastline and so there's always the
3:36conversation about do you preserve these
3:39beautiful you know wild um interesting
3:44coastlines for people to enjoy the
3:47Beauty and the the Tranquility or do you
3:51develop them and build housing that
3:54people need and give people jobs so both
3:57of those are right um
4:00you want it to be beautiful you want to
4:02preserve the beauty you want to give
4:03people jobs so now you've got a dilemma
4:05you have two two things you've got away
4:08in
4:09Balance um then when you look at the
4:12code you look at the core values and
4:15that will give you guidance that just
4:16kind of gets you
4:18oriented um you look at the guidance in
4:23the code and what's really important for
4:26people to know is there's not one answer
4:28the harder The Dilemma
4:30the harder it is to come up with the
4:32answer because you really have to think
4:34it about it and the code will guide you
4:36you also can't go to usually you can't
4:38go to one place in the code you've got
4:40to look at the ideals and say well who
4:42do we want to be you've got to look at
4:43the principles and say what do we have
4:45to do and you may need to look at the
4:49sections about families the sections
4:52about community and Society so you
4:54really need to um to use your code and
4:58one of the things that someone said
5:00early on was that that it would be good
5:02to see codes of Ethics that are well
5:04used and smudged and and um that shows
5:07you that people are actually um using it
5:11as a resource rather than the dog code
5:13is the do code is what we're after yeah
5:17um so you got to process all this stuff
5:21and then you say the next step and we're
5:24very good at this in early childhood can
5:26we find a solution that will make
5:28everybody happy mhm so we'll talk about
5:30that when we talk about cases um and we
5:33call this this is a term we learned
5:35early on that I like we call it ethical
5:37finesse can we find a way to deal with
5:41this without having to come to a hard
5:43decision where somebody's going to going
5:45to be unhappy or or disappointed or or
5:49in some way feel feel hurt by it right
5:53um so that's finesse then you can't do
5:56finesse you tried everything it doesn't
5:58work um how do we prioritize our values
6:02then you have to start to say well let's
6:05let's look carefully and who who do we
6:07have the responsibilities to what does
6:08the code say how do we prioritize these
6:10things then after you've processed it
6:14and the harder The Dilemma the harder it
6:18is to do this and at some point you say
6:20I think this is the best resolution that
6:22I can come up with at this time we never
6:24use the word
6:25solve right we resolve and a resolution
6:28may be temporary it may change it
6:30another time and you use your best
6:32professional judgment and you absolutely
6:34use your best professional judgment and
6:36again some things are obvious it's never
6:38okay to gossip you just don't do it but
6:41some things and we'll talk about some of
6:43them are much harder and then you have
6:46to take all the guidance you can and
6:48then you bring sometimes you want to
6:50consult with a colleague you respect But
6:52ultimately you have to go to your best
6:55um best and wisest self and sometimes
6:58it's a really hard decision to make yeah
7:00yeah