Ethics
You are with your client and you remember that your prescription is ready and the pharmacy closes in 5 minutes.
Possible solutions: Continue on with your service as planned your personal errand will have to wait
Drop a quick text to a family member to see if they can grab your prescription for you and continue with your service
Go get your prescription with the client in tow.
You have 2 siblings in a family on your caseload. It's winter and the children don't have winter coats, gloves and hats and the family can't afford them. They are visibly cold when they are with you. Mom asks you if you can purchase coats for the children when you come to pick them up for a service. What do you do?
Possible solutions: help them find other places in town that may be a resource (Sal Army, Emmaus house, Schools)
Consider using REACH flex funds if they are REACH kiddos
Brainstorm with mom about people they know who might have used coats to pass down
Give them coats that your own kids have outgrown.
You open your mail and in it is a card from a client's parent that says "Thanks for helping our daughter, you are the best thing that's happened to her." Also included is a $10 Applebees gift certificate made out to you.
Possible solutions: Thank the parent for the kind words and let them know that you appreciate the gift card but can not accept it.
Go immediately to Applebees and get the biggest margarita you can get for $10.
You are doing respite with a consumer and you know they like baseball. Your nephew has a baseball game the same day. Do you take the consumer to the game to enjoy some baseball.
Possible solutions: PLAY BALL! Heck yes, take them and cheer loudly for your nephew very specifically.
No, your nephew may see you and ask who your client is causing a potential HIPPAA violation.
You are at a local restaurant when a child you serve and their family approach and loudly begin to talk to you about a crisis that happened last night.
Possible solutions: Claim you have diarrhea and quickly go to the bathroom.
Quietly prompt the family that you would be happy to discuss this privately at the office tomorrow and make sure they have your contact info.
You walk into a class room and they are celebrating your clients birthday. The teacher asks you to stay.
Possible solutions: Politely decline and reschedule your service time.
Decline and give them some time to finish up and then provide your service.
Grab 2 cupcakes for yourself and sit down and celebrate!
You get assigned a new consumer and realize you have their parent on Snapchat. Do you delete them from Snapchat or keep them as a friend?
Possible solutions: Use your favorite filter and send them a snap the next time you are providing a service to their child.
Delete them and don't give it a second thought
Have a conversation with them about why you need to delete them and then delete
You are doing a service over lunch and the parent provides money for lunch. Do you take the kid to get something to eat?
Possible solutions: of course, growing kids need fed and the parent sent money
Yes and if there is extra money get yourself a cheeseburger.
No way, this is not a billable activity
Your 12 year old client of 2 years gets in an argument with her parents over going to a party. She doesn't want to live with her parents anymore, says her mom hit her and locked her in her room all weekend so she wouldn't go to the party. She wants you to report all this to the police. You know your client struggles to be honest and most likely just wants to cause problems for her parents. What do you do?
Possible solutions: Monitor the situation for a few days and see if things calm down.
Call and make a DCF report and let them sort it out.
Encourage your client to talk this through with their parent. Offer to go with them to support them.
A mom asks you to take her child shopping for new shoes during respite as his got a hole in them last night. The parent does provide money.
Possible responses: Sure, since it's respite and not a goal directed activity this is appropriate.
No, get your kids their shoes on your own time !
A family you have been working with for over 2 years invites you to your client's birthday party. They tell you that you don't need to bring a gift however your client specifically said he wanted you there because of your relationship with him.
Possible solutions: Thank the family for the invite. Politely decline and explain that your relationship is a professional one and that if you attend this party you would have to do the same for all clients and that is not possible.
Go to the party and make sure you get the biggest piece of cake.
Your high school girlfriend has a child who is struggling. She hears you work for Compass and requests that you be her child's Case Manager. You haven't seen or had contact with her since high school.
Possible solutions: Let your supervisor know of your past relationship with the mom and let them decide.
No conflict here. Just go ahead and serve the child.
Let your supervisor know of your past relationship with the mom and explain that you can't be assigned to the case.
Your client has been doing very well and meeting goals. You would like to reward them. How much of your own money should you spend on the reward treat?
Possible solutions: Go all out! Spend $25 or more.
Spending your own money to do this isn't a good idea. Brainstorm a reward that is not monetary.
You get a new youth placed on your caseload. At your second meeting with them they ask you if you are gay. How do you respond?
Possible solutions: Respond politely that you don't talk about your personal life with your clients.
Answer truthfully but with minimal details.
Pretend you din't hear them and change the subject quickly.
Your consumer is in the same class as your daughter. Your consumer starts talking about this girl in class. Do you disclose that the girl is your daughter?
Possible solutions: No. This could cause issues in the long run.
Sure, no problem. Maybe also get them together for a play date.
Your teenage client has run away from home. Mom doesn't know where she is. You call client and she answers and tells you where she is and asks if you can come and have your regular service time with her. What do you do?
Possible solutions: Tell her no and that you can't provide services until she is back at home.
Tell her you will be happy to see her but that you must let her mom know you spoke to her and she is safe and that you will be providing services.
Tell her you can see her but you will be telling mom you spoke with her, she's safe and that during your service time you will meet with mom with her.
You find out that a Facebook friend you have had for years is the mother of a child on your caseload.
Possible solutions: Unfriend immediately and never speak about it.
Have a conversation with the parent ASAP explaining that due to the professional aspect to your relationship now you must unfriend her. Then follow through with unfriending.
Keep the friendship and transfer the case to another staff.
A parent is very adamant that you see their child at 6:30 pm on Fridays in their home out of town. You have other openings in your schedule but they don't want those times. How can you handle this?
Possible solutions: We are family centered in our service provision. If this is what the family wants, this is what the family gets.
Try to negotiate a compromise with the family. Maybe see the child every other week during the day and every other week on Friday evening.
Stay strong! Only offer the openings you have and make the family choose from those.
During your interview you were asked if you could work evenings. If you were hired, you must have said yes! This would be one of the times you need to work an evening.
You are sitting in a treatment plan meeting and one of the parents falls asleep. What should you do?
Possible solutions: Take a picture of them sleeping and post on social media.
Gently tap them on the shoulder to wake them.
Let them sleep, the meeting will be easier that way.
A child you serve is doing a school fundraiser and asks you to purchase something.
Possible solutions: Explain that you can not because you must treat all of your clients equally and if you bought from them you would have to by from all. (And Compass doesn't pay you that much;-)
Buy the cheapest thing they are selling.
How much should you reveal to clients about your family, personal life, life changes etc...
What falls into rapport building and where is the line between rapport and too much info?
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