Navigating Ethics and Boundaries in a World of Technology

Participants will increase their awareness of ethical practice and will learn techniques for ethical decision-making. This program will be interactive as participants share challenging ethical issues encountered while providing clinical services. Ethical decision-making processes will be addressed using case examples and best practice models to identify and address complicated clinical scenarios. The Code of Ethics will be utilized to manage ethical dilemmas in practice.

Learning objectives:

• Identify the range of ethical dilemmas and professional boundaries in human services
• Learn how artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting many aspects of social services today
• Discuss approaches to address the conflicts that have arisen from the recent changes to public policies and the conflict with ethical practice
• Discuss the impact of technology on clients and the ethical considerations and  pros and cons  of utilizing technology in practice settings
• Increase awareness of the complicated nature of professional boundaries
• Identify risks that may affect professional liability

Bio:

Jeanne Wagner served as the Director of Social Work Field Education Programs at UW-Milwaukee for 19 years, and currently works as an independent contractor developing and teaching professional education workshops including professional ethics and boundaries, leadership and supervision, case management, documentation, confidentiality, adoption competency, safety in the field, etc. She has taught the Training for Adoption Competency (TAC) curriculum through the Center for Adoption Support and Education (CASE) and was previously UWM’s Co-Director for TAC. She received her MSW from Jane Addams College of Social Work, Chicago, IL and her BSW from Morehead State University, Morehead, KY. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Clinical Professor Emeritus with extensive clinical, management, administrative, and educational experience. She has worked in a variety of social service settings prior to her appointment with UWM, which include child welfare, adoption (domestic and international), mental health, intellectual disabilities, and geriatrics. She served in the role of Ombuds for UWM from 2007-2023 and has 10 years of experience in Quality Assurance. She served as a Board member for NASW-WI from 6/2022-6/2025 and is currently serving on their Ethics Committee. She is past President of the WI Council on Social Work Education (WCSWE) and currently serves on the WCSWE Executive Committee.