Whistle Blowing and the Social Worker

This is a sensitive topic to social workers as many of us will come across times in our careers when we will be faced to whistle against blow unsafe or unethical practises to our management, union or social work board.

It can be particularly damaging to a social worker's safety if they whistle blow in an environment where they depend on other staff to protect them i.e. corrections.  Also, there is the emotional isolation that comes from whistle blowing whereby other social workers do not trust you or wonder why you had to "rock the boat."  But like in every profession there are good social workers and there are bad ones.  There are also good supervisors and bad supervisors.  Oftentimes we are given directives that we must follow through on that we do not agree with, but if they go against primary social work ethics and safe practise then we have a right to voice our concerns to the proper bodies.

Sadly, I have witnessed things in my social work career which I believe were highly unethical.  However, it was often my word against another social worker's and I believed that my concerns would not be taken seriously.  Some social workers are just get jaded after so many years in the field and they may not see that their behaviour is mentally or emotionally abusive to their clients.  And oftentimes management is just happy that the position is filled with a somewhat capable body that they do not reprimand these employees.  Older styles of management might also support this approach to clients which could be offensive to more newly trained social workers.

And oftentimes the fallout to our coworkers could be so tremendous that we do not want to take on the responsibility of "ratting them out."  This is especially true if you work in an environment that rarely tries to rectify the issue.  As you can imagine, it can become a tense situation if the issue is never resolved and that coworker thinks you "have it out for them."

In regards to what you should do if you are ever found in a situation where you feel something unethical is happening at your job, I recommend first speaking to your supervisor or management if they are supportive.  You might also want to consult with your union about appropriate reporting steps you must take.  If you truly believe something criminal is happening, you MUST go to the police, even if your management does not support this.  Also, alert your social work board if you are a member of an association since they have their own internal investigation process against complaints.