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Running Head: Moral Reasoning Paper

Karlie Muxlow
SW 3410
Moral Reasoning Paper

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Moral Reasoning Paper
Background of Kate

I am a school social worker in a high school. Kate, a sophomore has come to

me saying her friend has told her to come see me. Kate doesnt know if she wants
my help but has decided to tell me her situation. Her stepfather has been touching
her inappropriately at night for months. She told her mother last week and her
mother kicked him out of the house and said he will never let him back again. Since
he has left however, she has been having nightmares about him coming back and is
having trouble sleeping. I had to tell Kate that I am a mandated reporter so I had to
report her stepfather to the Department of Human Services. Kate became very
upset and told me that if I report him her mother will be mad at her for telling me
about her stepfather. She said her mother will never let him back in the house and if
I report him she will never speak to me again. She also said she will tell everyone
that I am not to be trusted. I have a choice to make, either report Kates stepfather
and risk her never talking to me again and having my credibility be jeopardized or
not report him and break rules of mandated reporting.
Moral Reasoning
Moral reasoning develops through stages from childhood to adulthood.
Kohlbergs theory suggests that people progress through three levels of moral
development. The three levels are Preconventional Reasoning, Conventional
Reasoning, and Postconventional Reasoning. Preconventional reasoning is when
children first become aware of moral issues such as rules and what will happen
immediately if the rules are broken. Conventional reasoning happens mostly in
adolescence. At this level, people judge the morality of their actions by comparing
choices with views and expectations of other people in their lives like their family or

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Moral Reasoning Paper
friends. Postconventional reasoning is when people view their own thinking by
taking in the interests of others and society in to account.
Kate is in the conventional stage because she desires to be accepted by her
mother and be seen as a good girl. She said that if I report her stepfather, her
mother will be very upset with her. She doesnt want to upset her mom but some
part of her must have wanted somebody to know about this situation or she would
not have come to me. She also wants her peers to think she is cool so she said
she would tell everyone I am not to be trusted if I report her stepfather. She
probably doesnt want people to know what she has gone through for fear of what
they will think or say. Kate is judging what is right or wrong by the group she is
closest to, her family. She will do anything to not make her mom upset even if it
means hurting herself.
I would consider myself as in postconventional reasoning. As a social worker,
I have to take in the interests of others and society in to account but still factor my
own personal views in. Kate is my client, not her mother so I have to think of what is
best for Kate. She might think that if I report her stepfather, it will be harming her
but in reality it will help her. If her stepfather is in jail he will not be able to come
back to her house and hurt her anymore. She confessed to having nightmares and
having trouble sleeping, if he is in jail, she would have a little peace of mind. I also
have to think of society and how it will be affected. Her stepfather could potentially
be harming other people and it could go on if I do not report. I also have to think of
my own views and what being a mandated reporter means. There is a difference of
moral reasoning between Kate and I and that makes it hard for her to understand
the choice I have to make.

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Moral Reasoning Paper
Argument 1
The first option I have is to report Kates case to DHS. The Child Protection
Law 722.633 states that a person who is required by this act to do so is guilty of a
misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to 93 days or a fine up to $500.00
or both. This law states that it is my duty to report suspected child abuse of any
kind. It is up to me to report any suspicion of child abuse or neglect to DHS, (the
department of human and family services). DHS will then investigate the situation
further and gather enough information to decide if abuse or neglect has or is taking
place. Since I am a mandated reporter, it is better to be safe and make a call
because I would rather be wrong than not make a call and something worse
happen. Reporting the incident would be protecting both myself and the agency I
work for, in this case the school. I would be protecting myself because I would be
following the law. I also would be following the code of ethics by integrity and
service. I need to be a credible social worker, if people found out I withheld
information I would lose my credibility and integrity as a social worker. My
reputation could potentially be ruined and hurt myself in the future. I also am doing
service for my client, Kate. I am doing what I feel is best for my client even if she
disagrees with me. I am giving service to potential victims of Kates stepfather in
the future if he is not put in jail for his actions. Statistics show that over half of
reported abuse cases result from the offender being someone the victim knows.
(New Hope) I am also protecting the school by doing what they demand of me. The
school has to have their students best interest in mind and reporting any type of
suggested abuse will ultimately be doing that. In eight states, including Michigan,
the individual reporter must make the report to authorities and then notify the
institution of the report. (Child Welfare)

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Moral Reasoning Paper
Argument 2
The other option I as a social worker has would be to continue meeting with
Kate without reporting her case to CPS. Even though it is a law in Michigan to make
an immediate verbal report to DHS following a written report within 72 hours, I
could risk not reporting so I could potentially help Kate differently. (DHS, 2015) If I
didnt report Kates case, I would be helping what happened to her stay confidential.
She didnt want people to know that she came to me, especially her mom because
she thought her mom would be mad at her. Although she did say a friend knew, I
could help keep her secret a secret. Reporting the incident and having legal action
could cause gossip to start about Kate, and being a sophomore girl is hard enough
without talk of being sexually abused. People could start calling her names or blame
her for what happened. Her reputation could be at risk and could make the rest of
her high school career miserable. Kate being my client makes me concerned for all
of these things. Kate also might feel like she can trust me more because I kept her
secret and tell me more information that I could build for a case against her
stepfather. Not reporting Kates situation could be beneficial to both Kate and I, by
helping me gather more information for a case and helping Kate talk about what
happened without worrying about her mother being mad, gossip at school or
dealing with the system.
Final Decision
While both of these arguments have valid and supporting points, I ultimately
would chose to report Kates case to CPS. Social Work has a lot of grey matter, with
this being one of those moments, a social worker could choose to either report or
not report. In my opinion, the best choice for me would be to report the situation
because if something else happened to Kate or any other girl I would feel terrible

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Moral Reasoning Paper
and ultimately responsible. Kate did say if I reported this she would ruin my name
as a social worker in the school, but I would rather her try to make me look bad then
have something worse happen to her. I would have peace of mind knowing she was
safe at night and not worrying about if her stepfather would return. I have to do
what I believe is best for Kate as my client even if she doesnt agree. I would be
doing service to not only her but also other potential victims. Kate may not
understand or appreciate my decision but one day she might feel otherwise.
Ultimately, it is the law for social workers to be mandated reporters and I would
have to stick to that law. I would rather protect my client and protect my credibility
than protect myself from gossip from her.

Resources

Barsky, A. (2010). Ethics and values in social work an integrated approach for a comprehensive
curriculum. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Child Protection Law 1978, Act 252, Eff. Mar. 30, 1979; Am
DHS - Mandated Reporters Are Required by Law to Report. (2015).
Retrieved March 24, 2015, from http://www.michigan.gov/dhs
Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect. (2013, November).
Retrieved March 17, 2015, from https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/manda.pdf

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National Association of Social Workers. (approved 1996, revised 1999). Code of Ethics
of the National Association of Social Workers. Washington, DC: Author.
New Hope. (2008). Retrieved March 18, 2015, from
http://www.blountkids.org/abuse-information-answers/