Assessment 32551/02 Common Unit - CIV in

Communication barriers and ethical issues Mental Health & CIV in

Alcohol and Other
Drugs
Case Study
Module 1

1. Background/Overview Deliverables
Working in the health and community services industry means dealing This assessment will be submitted
with a wide range of people in a wide range of settings. Workers must in Word doc format.
know, understand and follow the policies and procedures that apply in
their workplace so they make informed decisions that are in the best To do list:
interests of the people in their care and the organisation itself.
1. Read the Background/
Sometimes workers in the health and community services industry will Overview and Brief sections of
come into contact with people who are seeking help who are in distress this document.
and/or not able to communicate their needs clearly. This may be due one
or more communication barriers including the state of mind or language 2. Read the sections of the case
or cultural differences of the person seeking help. In all cases, it is very study and answer the questions
important that workers follow the organisations policies and procedures
that follow each part of the
and if they are unsure about anything, that they ask a more senior/
experienced member of staff for their advice before any decisions are case study.
made.
3. Save the Word document using
the naming convention: [your
2. Brief
student
For this assessment, you will read a case study that explains a realistic number]_[assessment]_[assess
situation that you could witness or be part of at work and you are ment number].doc. For
required to demonstrate a range of knowledge and skills from your work example:
on this Module so far. 12345678_31135_01.doc.

Your ability to identify barriers to communication will be tested and you 4. Upload your document in Open
will be required to explain how you would reduce or avoid them. Your Space using the relevant
knowledge of de-escalation techniques, social justice and ethics will also
Assessment Upload link in this
be explored. Lastly, your understanding of how to manage all aspects of a
meeting, including the related communications, will be established. Study Period.

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3. Activities
Case study

Scenario
Rob is a worker at CareShore, which is a multi-faceted not-for-profit community services organisation.
CareShore operates a medium-sized Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) unit and in his role as a counsellor, Rob
often makes referrals to related services such as detoxification, residential rehabilitation and mental
health services through network partnerships.

One particular day, Rob hears a commotion at the front desk and goes to investigate. He sees an older
Aboriginal man and a middle-aged Aboriginal woman arguing with the receptionist. There are other people
in the reception area, and Rob notices their discomfort at the commotion especially when a child starts to
cry.

The older man is looking anxious and Rob hears part of the heated conversation:

Hes (the older Aboriginal man) from the Alice but hes been staying with me here in Sydney. Im his
daughter the Aboriginal woman said.

He dont speak English so well, so you gotta talk to me she continued. Then loudly, as if rebuking her
father she said Hes he got on the grog and hes gone silly, he needs the rehab now. Hes talking about how
everybody would be better off if he was dead.

Now visibly upset she continued in a moderately quieter voice You got rehab here, you should take him.
My family dont drink, only him. We dont want him staying with us.

Rob notices that Irene from administration is handling the front-desk inquiries because Judy is in training.
Rob notices that Irene is struggling to cope with the situation.

Irene states impatiently Look, even if he wasnt from out of our service area, we dont do comorbidity in
the residential program. Is this suicidal ideation were talking about here?

The Aboriginal woman angrily quips: What are you on about? He needs to get into rehab so hurry up!

Irene vainly attempts to check procedure manuals on the desk. The older Aboriginal man turns to his
daughter and speaks to her in hushed tones in presumably is the language of his people. The conversation
between the man and his daughter become louder and more heated.

Irene interrupts the man and his daughter telling them I doubt hell get past our exclusion criteria. He
cant come in if hes suicidal. Ill see if theres someone else here who speaks Aborigine. Irene picks up
the phone to arrange and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) liaison officer to help.

The daughter leans over to Irene and says Tell them hes Kaperte-ritta. Kaperte-ritta

After a short conversation with the ATSI liaison officer, Irene hangs up the telephone and tells the daughter
Sorry, our Aboriginal worker doesnt understand that.
The daughter shoots back It means hes bad in the head.

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Instructions

Read the case study on the previous page and a nswer the following short-answer questions:

Question 1

(a) From the case study, Identify three barriers to communication that occurred
and describe how each barrier could have been avoided or minimised. (50-
100 words)

Communicatio Solution (to avoid or minimise the barrier)

n barrier

(b) The Aboriginal mans daughter could speak both English and his peoples
language. Name 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of having a person who is
directly involved in a situation act as an interpreter. (50-100 words)

Advantages Disadvantages

c) List 3 questions Irene could have asked the daughter (if properly trained) in her
attempts to arrange a suitable interpreter for the Aboriginal man. (50-100 words)

Question 1)

Question 2)

Question 3)

d) List one communication need of the following people, and identify a way in which
Rob can support each of them.

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Person / People Communication need How Rob can support
this need
The Aboriginal father
and daughter
Irene

Scenario (continued)
Rob decides this is not a good situation and steps in. The daughter turns to Rob and says:

Shes not listening to me. My father needs rehab. He cant stay at my house. None of us even drink! He
needs to get some help. He says he wants to die!

Rob says:

Hi, Im Rob, Im a Counsellor here. Whats your name?

Joyce the daughter answers. She continues This lady says my father cant come into rehab. Is that
true?

Rob responds sincerely I like to think we have a No Wrong Door policy here. We shouldnt be excluding
people.

Meanwhile Irene has the intake manual out. Listen to this she says with authority. Exclusion applies to
clients with the following disorders or characteristics: Acute mental illnesses with high levels of risk in
terms of either harm to self or harm to others or both.

Question 2

a) Name and briefly describe 3 communication techniques Rob could use to de-
escalate the situation. These techniques could be aimed at either Irene, Joyce and
her father, or both. (50-100 words)
Name of Who is the technique aimed at?
technique Provide a short description of technique.

b) Briefly describe 2 ways in which Irene could improve her communication style in
order to address the clients with respect, uphold their rights, and accept individual
differences. (50-100 words)

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 1)

2)

c) Do you think Irene and Rob are representing CareShores policies and procedures?
Are Irene and Rob communicating in a way that would be in line with CareShores
policies and protocols?

Name Are they representing Are they communicating in a way

of CareShores policies and that would be in CareShores
person procedures? Explain your policies and protocols? Explain
answer. your answer.
Irene

Rob

Scenario (continued)
Later, Rob gets to sit and talk with Joyce and her father, Will. Irene is also present. It appears that Irene
was right the exclusion criteria state that people with mental illnesses with high levels of risk in terms
of either harm to self or harm to others, or both are indeed excluded from the residential program.

Question 4

(a) How should Rob explain this exclusion issue to Joyce and Will? What should he
say? (50-100 words)

(b) Do you think Will should be excluded from the rehab program? Justify your
response and say if you think you are being judgemental or not. (50-100 words)

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Scenario (continued)
Instead of explaining that CareShore cannot admit Will, Rob says:

Look, we really shouldnt be taking your father into rehab because he might have Alcohol Related Brain
Injury and if hes suicidal, its not strictly ok. However, I can see its pretty urgent for you guys, and hed
probably be safer with us. How about we dont mention the suicide thing and you can just apply and say he
needs rehab.

Irene does not look happy about this and asks for a private word with Rob.

Away from Joyce and Will, Irene says she is going to report Rob if he doesnt exclude Will.

Question 5

a) Imagine you are Irene.

i) What should you do in the face of such ethical issues and dilemmas?
Explain your answer. (50-100 words)

ii) Do you believe Rob has breached organisational policies and

procedures? Explain your answer. (50-100 words)

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 b) What problem solving techniques could Irene use to address this ethical
dilemma? Name and describe at least one. (50-100 words)

c) How can Irene and Rob identify the scope of their own ethical and legal rights
and responsibilities in this scenario? Think about people they could talk to and
possible sources of information. (50-100 words)

Scenario (continued)
Rob agrees that Irene has a good point. He suggests they refer Will to a mental health service.

Question 6

(a) What would be the appropriate way to communicate with Will about the referral
to a mental health service? (50-100 words)

(b) How could Rob and Irene seek feedback on the effectiveness of their
communication with Will? (50-100 words)

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Scenario (continued)
Rob calls a mental health service. They tell him he cant refer Will because Will has an alcohol problem
and he needs to detox first. Their exclusion criteria forbids it. Rob is angry about this. He says to Irene:

What are we supposed to do with this guy? We cant take him because hes suicidal, and they cant take
him because hes still drinking! Where is he supposed to go?

Irene says hed better think of something because the service now has a duty of care to Will. Rob says he
will ask the Mental Health Crisis Team to assess Will. He asks Will, using Joyce to interpret, for consent to
refer him to the Mental Health Crisis Team. Joyce replies Will is not making any sense, hes just muttering
about killing himself. Rob says never mind the consent, hes going to refer him anyway.

Question 7

(a) Is Irene correct about the duty of care? Why/why not? (50-100 words)

(b) Is Rob correct to refer Will without getting consent? Why/why not? (50-100 words)

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 Scenario (continued)
The Crisis Team arrive and declare that Will is a risk to himself and needs to be assessed at a secure psych unit.
Joyce starts to panic, saying:
What the hell is that! They cant just take him away can they? Cant you do something Rob? Where does it say
they can just take him away?

Question 8

a) Name two potential or actual conflicts of interest that exist in this scenario. For
each one, state what action may be taken.

Conflict of interest Appropriate action to address the conflict of

interest

b) Find, in your state or territory mental health legislation, a section relevant to this
situation. Quote the most relevant paragraph from the section.

c) Conduct some research and identify a principle, or right, that conflicts with people
being locked up against their will. Make sure you include the source (where you
got your information from).

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 d) Are there any aspects of the Declaration of Human Rights that can be applied to
this situation? Think about the differences between human rights and human
needs.

4. Units of Competency
CHCCOM002 Use communication to build relationships
CHCLEG001 Work legally and ethically

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