Ethical Dilemmas in Social Work Practice with Disabled People: Young Adults with Autism

Abstract

This paper discusses ethical dilemmas related to social work practice with young adults with autism. It does so via the use of a case study taken from real life practice. The different viewpoints and ethical frameworks of the young person, the young person's parents and the Local Authority (or the Local Authority social worker) are considered and discussed. The competing rights of the 2006 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (and the Optional Protocol) are also considered.

Keywords:

• Social Work
• Disabled
• Disability
• Autism
• Ethics
• Ethical Dilemmas

Notes

¹‘Neuro-typical’ is a phrase coined by members of the autism community, and the National Autistic Society recommends its usage in place of the word ‘normal’.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

David Wilkins

David Wilkins is a former Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Anglia Ruskin University, a PhD scholar at the University of Kent (supervised by Prof. David Shemmings) and a manager in the London Borough of Enfield's disabled children's social work team