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Client or former client? Implications of ex-client definition on social work practice
Debra Mattison1, Srinika Jayaratne, Tom Croxton
1St Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. debmatt@umich.edu
Social Work
|February 7, 2002
Summary
Social workers lack consensus on defining "former clients," impacting professional behavior standards. This ambiguity influences perceptions of appropriate conduct in social work practice.
Area of Science:
- Social Work
- Professional Ethics
Background:
- Defining
- former client
- is crucial for maintaining ethical social work practice.
- Variations in this definition can lead to inconsistent professional conduct.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how social workers' definitions of
- former client
- relate to their perceptions of appropriate professional behaviors.
- To analyze variations in practice behavior perceptions based on the definition of an
- ex-client
- .
Main Methods:
- Survey of 654 social workers with Master of Social Work (MSW) degrees.
- Analysis of perceptions of appropriate behavior across seven practice domains.
- Examination of practice behavior variations linked to the definition of a
- former client
- .
Main Results:
- A significant lack of consensus exists among social workers regarding the definition of a
- former client
- .
- This ambiguity in definition correlates with variations in perceived appropriate professional behaviors.
Conclusions:
- The lack of a clear, shared definition for
- former client
- poses challenges to consistent social work practice standards.
- Further research and professional dialogue are needed to establish clearer guidelines.
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