Bartering is an activity that has been employed by people from generation to generation. However, it is the form in which it operated which has morphed over time. Many people currently do not have engagements that lack sureties, collaterals or written codes which act as guidelines for transactions or interactions. There are some several instances when one can reject being part of barter engagements, and one of them is when the other party does not have the mental competency of engaging in the issue at hand. This is an aspect which can cause serious consequences if harm happens to the other party in the long run. It is unwise to engage in barter interactions if there is the pressure that one is being coerced to enter into an agreement (Thomas, 2002).
This is an aspect that can result in people entering in agreements which they can default later when they feel uncomfortable in the future. People should engage in barter engagements if there is the moral desire for both parties to enter into an agreement which is legal and is binding. In this case, each party must need what the other has which will create the necessary environment for the need to engage in an exchange (Hardy, 2018). Also, there should be no other means applicable for the exchange to happen, and barter engagement is the only viable option.
There are guidelines which have to be followed during transactions, and one of them is that there should be a common measure of value in the services which have to be exchanged. The goods or services being exchanged should be indivisible, creating the need to engage in barter exchange and not as a means to escape another more appropriate way.
Also, the exchange must meet all the legal requirements of a binding contract including consideration, offer, and acceptance. The ethical issue here is that there should be beneficence such that each of the parties involved should be constituted to the wellness of others, transactions should not be made to harm others, and there should be the desire to promote integrity and honesty during the engagement (Corey, Corey & Corey, n.d.).
The societal relationships formed with clients during the provision of services should be based on the need to help each other and the desire to form a binding relationship which can result in fruitful engagements. This engagement should be for the benefit of all those who take part in it. However, the focus should be on the client as it is needed to place the need of the client at the center of the caseload (Thomas, 2002). This will inform any decision which will be made to them and their lives. Also, one should provide services which are within their competence where fraudulent activities should not be involved. Even after the offloading the caseload, there should be the absence of confidentiality between the client as the professional. The ethical guidelines in this aspect are in such that there should not be more than one type of relationship between the professional and the client. Also, the professional should not disclose personal information as self-disclosure can make the client develop different perspectives towards the services being offered(Corey, Corey & Corey, n.d.). The client needs to understand that they are not figuratively, potentially or figuratively a child, parent, friend or partner.
Works cited
Corey, G., Corey, M., & Corey, C. (n.d). Issues & ethics in the helping professions.
Hardy, R. (2018). Top tips on managing professional boundaries in social work. Retrieved from http://www.communitycare.co.uk/2017/06/19/top-tips-managing-professional-boundaries-social-work
Thomas, J. L. (2002). Bartering. In A. A. Lazarus & O. Zur (Eds.), Dual relationships and psychotherapy. New York: Springer
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