Ethics case study
Principle 9: Impartiality
- Identify the problem
You are a career development practitioner working for an independent careers organisation. Your employer is contracted to deliver career development services to schools and colleges within a major city.One of your clients is an academic pupil in Year 11 who is expected to gain a range of A Levels at good grades. She wishes to pursue a career in business and is not interested in following an academic route into Higher Education.
The school has recently developed more vocational provision as part of the 6th Form offer as a result of local policy drivers and a desire to increase the number of pupils staying on at school. School senior management is keen to see a high uptake of these new courses. A business studies course is available as part of this provision.
Your client is keen to do a business studies course at the local FE College with a view to progressing to a trainee or apprenticeship with an employer. Her class tutor wants her to stay at school and do a combination of academic and vocational courses to keep her options open. The client’s mother is concerned about her daughter’s suggestion of college as she believes A Levels are the “gold standard” and is worried that the college will be a less safe environment for her.
What type of problem is it?
a)It is organisational: your manager is concerned about maintaining good relations with the school.
b)It is professional: there is a conflict between the expressed views of the client and pressure being brought to bear by third parties.
You are also concerned that the client is being influenced by friends who are intending to leave school and are not convinced that she has considered all options fully.
- Apply the code of ethics
Principle 9 of the CDI code of ethics (Impartiality) states that:
Members must ensure that professional judgement is objective and takes precedence over any external pressures or factors that may compromise the impartiality of career development activities and services. In doing so, members must ensure that advice is based solely on the best interests of and potential benefits to the client.
Where impartiality is not possible this must be declared to the client at the outset.
Principle 3, Autonomy, states that:
Members must encourage individual autonomy in making decisions and always act in the individual’s best interests.
Therefore there are a number of questions to address: is it in the best interest of the client to make a definite vocational decision at this stage by committing to a vocational college course? What is her motivation for business studies, what has influenced this choice? Is it the business studies or is it college that she is interested in, what research has she done to inform her choices, what are her friends doing, Has she shown an awareness of the potential impacts of her preferred option? Has she been unduly influenced by family, friends or teachers? Has the client been encouraged to be autonomous in her decision making? Has the adviser ensured that external pressures have not influenced advice given?
Ethical situations often involve more than one principle. This overlap demonstrates the complexity of the work in which you are involved.
- Review of relevant professional literature
Review relevant professional literature to ensure that you are using the most current professional thinking in reaching a decision.
See National Guidance for schools and colleges, including definitions of impartiality.
- Consult with experienced professional colleagues and/or supervisors and/or relevant professional body
You raise this case at a case conference with peers and also at a supervision session with your line manager. Some of your colleagues have also experienced some pressure from schools to encourage pupils to stay on for 6th Form. This has been easier to deal with when clients are not high achievers or appropriate provision is not offered by the schoolbut has been more problematic in cases similar to your client.
Your line manager is keen that relationships with schools are good but equally that school staff acknowledge the professionalism of career development practitioners. She encourages you to probe your client on her decision making; assure yourself that she has chosen the best option and support her in this.
- Potential courses of action
a)Question rather than challenge? Challenge the client to fully explore and understand her reasons for wanting to leave school and go to college whilst making it clear that you are not trying to persuade her to stay, merely ensuring that all options have been fully considered (this would have been discussed in the contracting stage): is she aware of course content at both school and college? How good a preparation would each option be for her longer term goals? Are there other attractions/ factors influencing her choice? Does she have an understanding of the labour market and what employers are looking for in trainees/ apprenticeships? Does she feel pressure from any external sources?
b)If the client wishes to continue with the idea of college, offer to speak to client’s mother to reassure her of the validity of her daughter’s choice and overcome her concerns about the college environment, perhaps her and her mother could attend an open day
c)Advocate on behalf of your client with her class tutor and explore the possibility of an FE experience before choices and applications are made.
d)I am not sure where this goes but there is something as well about vocational options not excluding HE as an future option e.g. Higher Apprenticeships in England
e)Ensure the written action plan reflects your impartiality and the rationale for the client’s choice
- Select the most appropriate course of action
Consider the potential consequences of all actions and select those that best fit the situation. Exploring with the client her thinking and the rationale behind her decision making would be an appropriate starting point and may lead to other appropriate actions.
In this case, the client chooses to leave school and study a general business studies course with the option of progressing to a higher level, more specialist course based on her developing interests and/ or applying for a trainee position or apprenticeship with an employer.
Impartiality is reflected in the action plan to assure the school of your neutrality.
- Evaluate the selected course of action
The test of justice: you feel that this is a course of action you would feel happy with for someone you cared about. You believe that the wishes of the client have been respected and that external pressures have been addressed.
The test of accountability: you feel that you would be happy if this course of action were reported to your professional colleagues. You are comfortable that the press/ public would see your actions as being impartial and client centred.
The test of universality: you would be comfortable recommending this course of action as a valid option to other professionals.
8 Implement the course of action
With the client’s permission, you contact herclass tutor to advise her of the outcomes of your intervention and seek her support in securing a college experience for your client.
You offer to meet with the client and her mother to resolve any issues that the mother has with her daughter’s decision to leave school.
9 Monitor and evaluate outcome
Learn from your choices. Reflect on the lessons that emerged from this case and the ethical issues it raised.
Produced by the CDI Professional Standards Committee 2015.
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