Abstract
Child Protection Unit (CPU) therapists work with the family system, providing support, counselling, and facilitating change. At the same time the counsellor is part of the wider child protection system, its legislation, organisation, and practices, and the justice system. Social workers must act in accordance with the law and organisational directives, and are encouraged to critically reflect on ethical decisions while observing professional values. When these directives conflict with perceived moral obligations, and complex systems intersect in a way that is at times unhelpful and at the worst re‐traumatising for children and families, CPU counsellors may find themselves in a state of ‘ethics anxiety’; attempting to juggle the systemic imperatives, the needs of the child and the family, ethics, and the law. While our experience arises from the CPU context, the themes we will discuss are relevant for anyone working with people whose presenting problem relates to a court process such as in matters of domestic violence and adult sexual assault.
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