Law and Social Work in the United Kingdom Essay

Law and Social Work in the United Kingdom - Essay Example Also, this Act is especially in favour of service users in need of assistance from government agencies, since there is no question they must give consideration to individual rights, especially when certain decisions are not always the individuals to make. Agencies and workers affected by this change would be those in public positions such as: In social work there has often been a lack of understanding of the service users predicaments. This revision of the Human Rights Act insures that all people will be treated with fairness and respect that is due to any person. The main issue is making those in public service positions aware that there are some rights that are pertinent in considering and they are protected by law. Other aspects that social work is affected by, through this new act is the assurance they must give to clients that their right to privacy will be strictly upheld. Although it is a natural fact that social workers do have to ask questions in regards to the client's personal information, this does not mean they can share that information with outside sources (The Liberty Guide to Human Rights 2005). In Article 8, there is a special notation which guarantee's this right to respect privacy of the individual. Previously, there had not been an exception for this, but now, there is generalized protection availabl e to honour and respect the person's personal and family life unless there is a legitimate reason to acquire this information. If there is a necessity to inquire into these areas of a persons life then they must follow the established guidelines set forth, such as in the outline below. They must be in accordance with law It must remain within the interests of the legitimate objectives identified in Article 8 (2) It must show the necessary reason in a democratic society (The Liberty Guide to Human Rights 2005). Also, there are sometimes legitimate reasons and pertinent objectives to be gained for requesting more personal information from the individual by the social worker. There are many instances where the client divulging the information is within his or her best interest. The objectives that Article 8 stipulates are acceptable in seeking or sharing confidential information are as follows: Acting in the interests of National Security, public safety, or the economic well being of the country Acting for the prevention of disorder or crime Acting for the protection of health or morals Acting for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others (The Liberty Guide to Human Rights 2005) There is an unquestionable duty now, by public authorities to act within the stipulations of the new Human Rights Act but there are still instances when it seems these rights are being neglected or ignored. Therefore, there are a variety of other common laws that have been laid out as well to insure there is not an invasion of these rights. The piecemeal protection is one of these laws intertwined in common law practice to insure the rights that are endowed. Public authorities, including those in social work,