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Work within a legal and ethical framework

Content

• Key Legislation
  • Community Services and Disability Services Legislation
  • General Employment Legislation
  • Legislation with Confidentiality Provisions
• Section 1: The Australian Legal Framework
  • Framework for Human Services Workers
  • Sources of Law
  • The Court Hierarchy
  • Legislation
  • Criminal and Civil Law
  • International Treaties and Conventions
  • Federal System of Government
  • Federal Government Structure
  • Queensland Government Structure
  • Interactive Self Check
  • Summary
• Section 2: Working within an ethical framework
  • What are ethics?
  • Ethical and impartial service delivery
  • Personal values, principles and beliefs
  • Ethical dilemmas
  • Professional boundaries
  • Conflicts of interest
  • Identifying a conflict of interest
  • Resolving a conflict of interest
  • Resolving ethical issues
  • A model for ethical decision-making
  • Dealing with unethical conduct in others
  • Interactive Self Check
  • Summary
• Section 3: Following Policies and Procedures
  • Defining policy and procedures
  • Following policy and procedures
  • Changes to policy and procedures
  • SWOT analysis and Brainstorming
  • Interactive Self Check
  • Summary
• Section 4: Protecting clients' rights
  • The right to privacy
  • The right to consent
  • The right to safety and adequate care
  • The right to complain
  • Other client rights
  • Referring clients to advocacy services
  • The roles and responsibilities of legal guardians
  • Interactive Self Check
  • Summary

Introduction

Part of your task in supporting a client and acting ethically is to ensure client rights are protected. Many client rights are protected by law, while others are linked to funding arrangements or your agency's mission or philosophy.

As a community and disability services worker, you have a responsibility to ensure that a client's right to privacy and consent is upheld. You also owe your clients a duty of care. A significant aspect of this duty of care involves being able to identify signs of abuse and promptly reporting suspected abuse to appropriate agencies.

To further protect client rights, it is essential that you have a good understanding of the roles and responsibilities of legal guardians.

You must also be able to recognise those occasions when either you or your agency are not able to adequately assist a client. In these instances you must be able to refer clients to other relevant services.

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