Building an Ethical Organization Essay Example for Free

Building an Ethical Organization Essay The name of my organization is Focus Mental Health and Developmental Agency Focus is an agency that provides help and compassion to people that are going through a mental health issue whether it is needing counseling, support, or medication treatment Focus is your path to peace of mind.  Substance abuse is another issue that we address from helping to get assistance to go into inpatient treatment facility, or outpatient treatment, as well as Aftercare which is a support program for clients being fresh out of drug or alcohol treatment or stopping using on their own. Recovery program that can be provided through Focus for continued success at a productive life for clients. Recovery is a life altering event because the client will be drug or alcohol free for a certain amount of time but will constantly be on a mission to stay free from these addictions. We have case managers who do home visits as well as office visits to stay on top of our clients’ needs before they become a crisis. We promote medication therapy which assists clients in staying on a strict medication regiment for mental health and some substance abuse treatments as well when necessary. Groups for substance and alcohol abuse meet weekly, the meeting are separated in to one for teenagers and one for adults as well as one for narcotics and one for alcohol abuse. Focus also has a team that works in human services call the impact team which do such things as take the clients grocery shopping, or to appointments or out to functions in town and even to visit family members they are up close and personal with the clients. The clientele for Focus will be children starting at age 10 and up through adulthood. The clients are high in number in male and female ratio, meaning we service high numbers of both genders. Clientele for Focus consist of primarily low income clients but is open to all residents of Richmond County. Children and adults that may be going through a turning point in their lives and need some assistance in adapting to the changes and probably have no other place to turn are much of Focus clientele. Within our substance abuse programs many of our clients are repeaters they have had some type of counseling or treatment in the past, the clients are children as well as adults. Much of our clientele is involved in long term care phases with Focus they are in need of support in their lives, medications and usually involved in aftercare or recovery. Mental health issues brings many clients to Focus, they sometimes come straight from the hospital to the offices of Focus they are usually in great need of care. Our clientele is very diverse we have to be prepared for almost anything from getting someone to speak another language to clients to giving a child a hug. Focus is a non-profit organization, but we do bring in an income by charging for services, on a sliding fee scale, services maybe free for those who qualify, or clients can setup a payment plan, but the rates are according to income and ability to pay. Focus has to charge a small fee to cover their bills and overhead to stay in business and grow and continue to service the Richmond County area. Focus is not in business to get wealthy but to make a difference in the lives of our clients and the community. The issue of Focus is to support an issue of private or public interest that does not include a monetary value. Mission Statement: Focus gracefully and respectfully service adults and children that may be at a turning point in their life and are having mental health and/or substance abuse issues, as well as people in any phase of relapse. Focus particularly caters to low income people but all are welcome, we serve the county of Richmond. Our goal is to provide our clients with the knowledge, treatment and support so they can return to a life of independence, good health and wellbeing; and Focus encourages and support clients in their aftercare and recovery as needed. We do not discriminate against anyone needing service for any reason; we are made up of a diverse society at Focus. The mission statement supports the ethical system because Focus not only will treat the clients and bring them around to better health and not only that Focus will make sure that the clients learns the tools they need to stay healthy and recover, and continue on a path to independence again. The mission statement supports the ethical system because it calls for diversity which is a big part of the clients that come to the agency and the staff. The message the mission statement send to the community is that we are here for you, to help you, support you and see that your needs are met. Focus will be with you through your journey and for the long term until you are able to become more manageable in your life. That during your need for Focus services you can count on us and we will teach you how to take the best care of yourself with and without our assistance. Drohan William M, (June 2010) wrote a successful statement becomes a unifying force, a foundation on which to build, and a reference point for everything the association does. Its well worth the time to make sure it is written in such a way that it will serve as a guide and an inspiration for many years to come. Values statement: At Focus we value and treat everyone that comes through our doors with mutual respect and dignity. We will have acceptance of all people regardless if there is any kind of difference between us, we will always embrace diversity. Focus will respect each client’s privacy by protecting their medical records at all times, and allowing only staff directly involved with client care to view records. There will be no room for sexual harassment of clients or staff. Kernaghan, K.(2003) writes, A values statement expressing values that are shared at all organizational levels-combined with the dispersal of leadership roles throughout the organization-provides an especially strong foundation for integrating values into public service. These values will inspire action and influence behavior because it states that you will be treated with mutual respect, so clients will know to be on their best behavior and staff will know that also as well as being professional at all times. By accepting diversity that lets all clients know that they are welcome, important and will be getting equal treatment. The clients will feel protected knowing their medical records are kept confidential and they will not be sexually harassed during their visit. They both call for treating the clients with mutual respect, regardless of any type of differences that maybe. Values and mission statements both state that they are for diversity so it includes people, make people want to come forward and get care. Knowledge and support for the clients is a part of the values statement as well as the mission statement. Long term care is part of each statement which would usually be necessary for Mental Health and Substance abuse treatment. The mission statement and the values statement in different ways states that they want the best for the clients, want them to get the best service or treatment available at Focus, so they can be their best. Code of Ethics All employees will abide by these codes of ethics at all times (except when necessary not to), we will present good conduct ourselves at all times to be a credit to the organization and the community we serve. Yi-Hui, Haung, (2010) states, First, responding to the argument that ethics codes are not an effective indicator of professionalism, I believe that a code of ethics is part of the standards that must be fulfilled for an occupation to be a profession, especially for public relations. 1. All staff should attempt to meet the needs of their clients, including committing to and respecting client rights and maintaining confidentiality at all times, except in special cases. 2. Staff should be knowledgeable in a variety of areas and situations in order to be able to effectively perform their duties in human services. 3. All staff must work well with their peers and should show mutual respect for one another, and avoid negative criticism. 4. All staff must carry themselves in a professional manner at all times and must not let their personal lives interfere with being professional on the job. 5. All staff should work for the benefit of society and make sure that all clients equal rights are protected and have an opportunity for helpful services that meet their need. 6. Staff will not argue with clients or other staff if a situation should come up between either of the two it must be taken to the supervisor and dealt with directly if the situation cannot be handle in any other fashion 7. All staff must vow to speak up if they see or know of another employee that is violating the codes of ethics, the law, or a client these matters must be addressed with your immediate supervisor. 8. The use of drugs will not be tolerated, and the use of alcohol while on the clock will not be tolerated either, if you suspect another employee report it, it is for the safety and protection of the organization. All employees should exercise their power to prevent mistakes or wrongdoing by asking questions at the right time. 10. All staff should respect the property of others, be honest and not take unfair advantage of other employees. The code of ethics inspires a tangible outcome from an employee because they will want to be the best example for the organization and their peers. The code of ethics would cause the employee to check their work more carefully and make sure it is done correctly and by the law as well as dealing with the clients. The code also helps the employees feel protected, because it sets rules and guidelines for the employees and all must abide by them equally. The code of ethics is related to the mission and values of the organization because they are there to co-inside with each other for the direction of the organization, and the protection of the clients and staff. All three are necessary for the good of the organization, the focus and the goal to be effective. Our organization plans on having a relaxing, calm, approachable family oriented culture. The atmosphere will be calming, loud noise will be prevented as much as possible, and we tell our clients to invite a family member if possible to the appointments. Our staff will carry themselves in a professional, plight and clam manner in order to set an example for the clients, so they will not get excited. The culture will institutionalize the organizations values by having them mesh together. When the clients see how the environment of the organization is they will be more than willing to come to their appointments regularly and participate in their treatment and perhaps invite a family member. Even though this will be a change for the clients from an institution staff will do everything to help them adjust. Focus employees will treat everyone with dignity, respect, honest, and kindness this is the type of atmosphere we represent. Identifying my moral responsibility as a leader is of importance, because the workers will be watching and imitating the kind of behavior that I display, the leader sets the mood in the environment in the whole organization. I will be responsible for all action that I take part in, and be honest and truthful in all my actions. While trying to maintain the ethical standard I will be evaluating their performance in six month intervals and on their anniversary date. For the six month if no problems the employee will get a gift card to a store and for the anniversary day they get a raise. I will have a one on one meeting to talk about their performance evaluation and their strengths and weakness and how they can improve during their job. I will keep a record of all evaluation so I can assist workers in being the best employee they can be. I will lead by example. Part of my moral responsibility is to lead the worker to the best of my abilities. I will make sure that I set the same kind of ethical standards that I would like for my workers to follow. Morals have to do with values and values relate to compassion, integrity, and dignity and these are things that I will display while I am in a leadership role. I will maintain Focus ethical standard while measuring the workers performance by treating all employees as individuals and as fair as possible. There will be an ethics committee which will consist of the me, my boss and one employee so the employees will have a voice. The ethics committee will review the evaluations to make sure all rule and guidelines have been followed and the committee will study different methods and organization policy to look for what is right and what is wrong. Other than me leading by example and the ethics committee the workers will follow suit and become loyal employees. The structures I would put in place for oversight is training for employees, evaluate new employees the first six months of employment. In conclusion the mission and value statements and the code of ethics form the core of Focus is something that clients and employees can value in the organization. They serve as a guiding tool for employees so they can give their clients the best service practically every time. Effective leadership is necessary for morale and production in the organization and that comes from a good leader. Performance evaluations will play an important role in the structure of the employee’s positions. Periodical performance evaluations are necessary in order to evaluate the performance of the employees and maintain an ethical standard. The Focus is a place where people with mental health issues and/or substance abuse issues can come for help and get their needs met and feel safe.