230 M. Gray e/. Gibbons decision making. By this time, students are expected to be aware of their lega responsibilities(they undertake a legal subject taught by the law faculty in their third year)and to have some experience of agency practice(they have completed two 50-day field placements by this stage; Plath, 2004). As an example of the way in which students fulfill this task, we now present a case example Case Presentation This case has been adapted from a lengthier assignment wherein the ethic arose while the student was on placement in a hospital setting. The client was Mrs Brown, an elderly woman hospitalised for a recent fall. The student was involved in to support her return home or to recommend a nursing hor ne c≥zom placement. The student identified the ethical dilemma as client safety versus client self-determination". In thinking critically about this ethical dilemma, the student turned to Rothmans(1998)and Mattison's(2000)ethical decision making frame- works, as well as her knowledge of (a) social work theory,(b) legal requirements, and (c) the AASw Code of Ethics, at the same time taking client, personal, social, and agency values into consideration. In so doing, the student recognised her need for knowledge pertaining to research on the impact of older people going home as against nursing home care, particularly information relating to (a) clients who remain at home in unpredictable conditions,(b) resources and services available in the home,(c)statistics on injuries to elderly people who live alone and on nursing home admissions,(d)adjustments of patients to nursing home settings, and(e)life satisfaction at home and in institutional settings(Rothman, 1998). In order to gain a deeper level of understanding, the student also thought it may be useful to explo the terms self-determination"and"client safety, to examine their meaning, the conditions in which they may be limited, and the values and laws that support them. Relevant social work the In applying structural social work theory to the case, the aim would be to support the client in taking control of her own social structures and promote an empowering outcome, such as supporting her to be self-determining and allowing her to come to the decision, agreement, or compromise about her situation rather than letting social constructions of her situation push her into a decision. The strengths perspective reminds us to focus on the client's strengths and to use her determination, (Saleebey, 1999). This may draw the worker into an advocacy role( Payne, 197? dependence, strong-spirited nature, and self-reliance as a source of empowermer There are many elements of grief and loss theory that are related to Mrs Browns experiences, including her loss of independence, autonomy, life style, experiences, social supports, freedom, and even loss associated with her mortality. It is importantdecision making. By this time, students are expected to be aware of their legal responsibilities (they undertake a legal subject taught by the law faculty in their third year) and to have some experience of agency practice (they have completed two 50-day field placements by this stage; Plath, 2004). As an example of the way in which students fulfill this task, we now present a case example. Case Presentation This case has been adapted from a lengthier assignment wherein the ethical dilemma arose while the student was on placement in a hospital setting. The client was Mrs Brown, an elderly woman hospitalised for a recent fall. The student was involved in deciding whether to support her return home or to recommend a nursing home placement. The student identified the ethical dilemma as ‘‘client safety versus client self-determination’’. In thinking critically about this ethical dilemma, the student turned to Rothman’s (1998) and Mattison’s (2000) ethical decision making frame￾works, as well as her knowledge of (a) social work theory, (b) legal requirements, and (c) the AASW Code of Ethics, at the same time taking client, personal, social, and agency values into consideration. In so doing, the student recognised her need for knowledge pertaining to research on the impact of older people going home as against nursing home care, particularly information relating to (a) clients who remain at home in unpredictable conditions, (b) resources and services available in the home, (c) statistics on injuries to elderly people who live alone and on nursing home admissions, (d) adjustments of patients to nursing home settings, and (e) life satisfaction at home and in institutional settings (Rothman, 1998). In order to gain a deeper level of understanding, the student also thought it may be useful to explore the terms ‘‘self-determination’’ and ‘‘client safety’’, to examine their meaning, the conditions in which they may be limited, and the values and laws that support them. Relevant Social Work Theory In applying structural social work theory to the case, the aim would be to support the client in taking control of her own social structures and promote an empowering outcome, such as supporting her to be self-determining and allowing her to come to the decision, agreement, or compromise about her situation rather than letting social constructions of her situation push her into a decision. The strengths perspective reminds us to focus on the client’s strengths and to use her determination, independence, strong-spirited nature, and self-reliance as a source of empowerment (Saleebey, 1999). This may draw the worker into an advocacy role (Payne, 1997). There are many elements of grief and loss theory that are related to Mrs Brown’s experiences, including her loss of independence, autonomy, life style, experiences, social supports, freedom, and even loss associated with her mortality. It is important 230 M. Gray & J. 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