An occasional newsletter intended to enlighten, inform and artificially inflate the ego and sense of self-importance of the writer and creator of Mark One Communications, Mark Bernstein.

A Matter of Ethics

The recent grand jury findings in the case of Danieal Kelly against the Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS) have raised important questions in our field around issues of professional responsibility and accountability.  For those unaware with the case, Danieal, a 14-year-old girl with cerebral palsy, died in her home in West Philadelphia in August 2006.  She had starved to death.  To date, a total of 18 employees from DHS and a private non-profit organization working with the city agency have been criminally charged, fired or suspended from their jobs.  They range from caseworkers to supervisors to commissioners.

The grand jury report charges, among other things, that caseworkers failed to make routine visits and failed to report the deplorable conditions that they found in the Kelly household when they did visit; that supervisors failed to hold caseworkers and other involved employees accountable for overseeing the Kelly case; and that supervisors “backdated” data in order to cover their tracks.

How could so many people have acted in such an unethical and deceptive manner?  What kind of culture existed at DHS that would compel otherwise decent human beings to engage in a deliberate pattern of neglect, denial and falsification of records?  What barriers existed that might have prevented other ethical DHS workers from speaking the truth?

In the wake of a calamitous tragedy like this, it is incumbent among all social service agencies to examine the culture that exists within and beyond their walls; to revisit codes of ethics and requirements for employees to act in professional and ethical ways.  All agencies should be actively engaged in the following:

Reviewing their mission and vision statements and ensuring that all employees know and understand them. 

Encouraging employees to develop their own personal mission statement and providing motivation for them to live it every day.

Examining their employee code of conduct (or developing one if it doesn’t exist) and making sure that employees know it and abide by it.

Reviewing supervisory practices and making sure that supervisors are providing their staff with the information, resources and support they need to do their jobs.

Assessing the effectiveness of the communication process within their agency and eliminating any barriers to effective communication and collaboration.

Ensuring that all staff work in an environment that promotes their success and, in turn, the success of the children and adults that are supported in the agency.

Now, more than ever, agencies need to set the bar high in requiring that their staff meet standards of excellence at all times and in every situation.  We need to do it not just in the memory of Danieal, but in the name of all those who need our continued help, support and nurturance.

Mark Bernstein