Ethics in Child and Youth Development free essay sample

More so, one can expect to see a case study of an unethical practice that occurred at an orphanage in Zimbabwe. Just before the conclusion there is going to be a section of a reflection on how far the care of children came over the centuries and how it has affected the writer. Gharabaghl (2008:185) points out that the centrality of the concept of relationship within Child and Youth Care practice, it is clear that values are an important element of that practice. So much so that it is rather very difficult to imagine Child and Youth Care practice unfolding in the absence of any role or value. This then shows that in order for the organization to be a successful one people have to be able to follow a certain way of carrying out their different tasks. Hence ethical practice is important. It of paramount importance to take note that, personal values are shaped by our past, present and future thus people have different values. We will write a custom essay sample on Ethics in Child and Youth Development or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Therefore, in order to engage with children and youth one should be able to not allow ones’ values to provide a framework for ones’ thoughts of action in an unfettered manner or each agrees to mitigate or transcend specific values in order to limit the range of acceptable interventions and interactions. This is because if there is acceptance of the unfettered presence and impact of values in work, the risk of exposing or impacting children with harmful or negative interventions is great. A very good example is that many individuals view corporal punishment as deeply embedded not only as an acceptable practice but also as a core component of the value system related to raising and disciplining children. As a profession however, child and youth care practice does not accept the value system of endorsing corporal punishment. Furthermore, Banks (1999:56) postulate that, ethical values are important because ethics can serve as a bridge between differences within ones’ personal values and value systems of the profession and on the other hand the rights and well being of children and youth as determined by a broad social, legal and cultural consensus about the rules and methods of professional engagement with children and youth. Hence the presence of certain values gives room for professionalism thus when the practitioners are dealing with decision making it will not be biased because no personal values would have been used. Additionally, Sercombe (1998:35) mentions the following as unethical practices in the field of child and youth. These are selling of drugs to young people, having sexual relationships with them, sharing pornographic videos, embezzling agency funds and turning up to work drunk These are just some of the many unethical things that can happen in this field. Every action that one takes whether good or bad always has consequence. There might delay but they always come. In this case if one who was entrusted with children does something that is against the organizations’ values they have to pay the consequences. For instance if one decides to turn up to work drunk those in authority after giving the person warnings have to fire that person. This is so because the practitioner in question might be bad influence to the children. And at the end of the day the reputation of the organization will be in jeopardy. Another consequence of unethical practice that can be faced by a practitioner in the field of child and youth care work might be imprisonment depending on the unethical practice. In the case of one whom rapes children in his care, stiffer penalties like life imprisonment should be given. This is so because if such people are kept around chances are that they might continue with their behaviors or others practitioners might repeat the same error because they will be confident that no punishment would be given to them. It is also important for one to note that if unethical practices occur it might affect the whole organization in the sense that they may lack funding from their sponsors which will result in the suffering of the children. In the following paragraph is gong to be an example of an unethical practice that was done by a practitioner in the field and the consequences that he faced. A man in Zimbabwe, who used to be a practitioner in the field of child and youth care work, had the tendency of sexually abusing young girls at the orphanage that he worked. When his actions became known by the authorities investigations were made and he was found guilty of raping about ten young girls. He got the sentence of life imprisonment. This is a really sad thing to happen to someone who had vowed to work with children because being in the field is a clear indication that one loves children and that one has personal strong ethical beliefs. The development of the field of child and youth care as a profession is in my opinion the best thing that has happened to children because now the orphaned and the homeless have people who are specialized in taking care of them. This move of making child and youth care work to be a profession has made me realize that taking care of children and youth is of great value and should be taken seriously. Professionalization will always have its risks. Ethical problems, lack of clarity, conflict of interest, misinterpretation and lack of discipline are there but it is important to uphold the ethics and values of the profession. This is so because it will help the organization to reach its goals which is to ensure that every child in need is given attention and that the children’s’ needs are met. Practitioners who do not abide by the code of ethics of the profession should be given stiffer penalties. All in all ethical practice is very important in the field of child and youth care work.