Introduction Values and ethics have a long-standing history and tradition of being at the forefront of the social work profession. The values and ethics that have been held and lived out by social workers in the history of social work and in the present time have molded the profession into what it is today. No department of social work has remained untouched by the values and ethics set forth by the National Association of Social Workers, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and the Council on Social Work Education. It is these values along with a social worker’s personal biases’ and beliefs, and a social workers cultural and societal background (Congress 2013) that often clash with the world around them creating ethical
The vast history of social work is riddled with ethical dilemmas and value conflicts. From the beginning of the first social work policy, the Elizabethan poor laws, through the great depression and the new deal, and into today social workers have faced situations and context that can be defined as an ethical dilemma or value conflict (Segal, Gerdes, Steiner 2014). Even competent social workers educated under the CSWE standards will come across an ethical dilemma during their profession. These dilemmas present themselves in numerous ways and in varying situations. Ethical dilemmas, as well as value conflicts, cause the social worker to make critical decisions in situations where no win-win solution may be
A social worker must be able to separate their personal values and biases from their professional career. However, a complete separation is never truly attainable and client to a more competent professional can be a difficult and grey area for social workers.
Ethical Issues Faced by Child Welfare Professionals Child welfare professionals are social workers that specialize in the promotion of the welfare and betterment of children. In this profession, there are often situations where a professional social worker will encounter an ethical dilemma or issue when a social worker must use an ethical decision-making process to aid in a resolution to the conflict. While conducting a study regarding how child welfare workers make assessments regarding child neglect Tobi Hamilton and Kim Bundy-Fazioli discovered that there is no set procedure for assessing and evaluating child neglect within the child welfare field. The lack
Handon, R. M. (2014, December). Client Relationships and Ethical Boundaries for Social Workers in Child Welfare. The New Social Worker, (winter), 1-6.
The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) Code of Ethics (2010) proposes three core values of Social Work, respect for persons, social justice and professional integrity (pp.12). These core values establish “ethical responsibilities” for the social worker (AASW, 2010, pp.12), specifically, the value of respect for persons, which sustains the intrinsic worth of all human beings as well as the right to wellbeing and self determination consistent with others in society (AASW, 2010,p.12). This Code of Ethics stipulates the duty of care a social worker must provide, a...
Ethical Issues in Social Work I will provide practical help for new social workers to help them understand and deal with ethical issues and dilemmas which they will face. There are many ethical issues which are important to social work, but I feel that these are all covered by the care value base. The care value base Was devised by the care sector consortium in 1992, this was so that the workers in health and social care had a common set of values and principles which they would all adhere to. It is important because for the first time the social care sector had a clear set of guidelines from which ethical judgements could be made. The care value base is divided into 5 elements - The care value base covers - Equality and Diversity - Rights and responsibilities - Confidentiality - Promoting anti Discrimination - Effective communication Equality and Diversity Carers must value diversity themselves before they can effectively care for the different races, religions and differently abled people they will come across in their caring profession.
The Code of Ethics is an important part of a Social Workers career, by giving them basic guidelines, principles, standards, and values/morals for which they should follow. By following these guidelines a Social Worker can keep their work at a professional level and learn to keep work out of a personal level. This Code of Ethics has been set forth by the National Association of Social Workers, and is mandated in the field of practice (NASW, 2008).
National Association of Social Workers [NASW]. (1998). The New NASW Code of Ethics Can Be Your Ally: Part I. Retrieved from: http://www.naswma.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=96
National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Washington DC: Author.
Social workers focus on the interactions of people and environment in order to improve conditions to help restore and maximize the capabilities to function in society. They must possess the ability to make ethical decisions within various contexts of the profession. This can vary from clinical work in either a mental health facility to child welfare in human service agencies.
As a social work professional, you must take into account your own personal values before you can be an effective worker in this field. Social workers sometimes need to put their own values aside when working with clients who don’t share their same ideals. Clients are diverse and are not going to always have the same values that the worker has. Social workers need to be professional and adhere to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) guidelines when working with any client.
The following paper aims to discuss and analyze the way in which my personal values intersect with the values I hold as most important within the profession of social work. It would stand to reason that these values would stand on common ground; however, there are places where my personal and professional values diverge. These conflicts may prove to be problematic within my chosen career unless I find a way to prioritize my values, or find ways for them to work harmoniously with each other.
“In this essay, we have been asked to critically assess the professional values in the ‘British Association of Social Work’ (BASW). With this the concepts of ethics and how this operates in social work practice and analyse the general role of governing and representative bodies in social work practice”. Values are described as a set of rules and guides in the right and wrong decisions we make. Values facilitates the decisions in recognising what is worthy and valuable, with this, weighs out the important and less important, when there is a conflict of values. Ethics is a set of moral principles and values, and these contribute to individuals and groups.
“Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner. Social workers are to be aware of this profession missions, values ethical principal and ethical standards and practice in a manner consistent with them”. (NASW, 2008, p.6). Social workers are to be sure their practice is embedded in the NASW Code of Ethics.
The social work profession and its Code of Ethics dictate that social workers must act in the best interest of the client, even when those actions challenge the practitioner’s personal, cultural and religious values. In practice; however, ethical decision-making is more complex than in theory. As helping professionals, social workers are constantly faced with ethical decision-making or ethical dilemmas. As noted by Banks (2005), an ethical dilemma occurs “when a worker is faced with a choice between two equally unwelcome alternatives that may involve a conflict of moral principles, and it is not clear what choice will be the right one” (as cited in McAuliffe & Chenoweth, 2008, p. 43). In addition, ethical decision-making is a process that
Her scientific casework methods are still used in assessing clients in today’s practice. The Social Work profession also built off her values of individuality, dignity, and importance of human relationships in the core values of the profession, these can be seen in the National Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics. While Social Workers still follow most of Richmond’s values today, other values have been re-evaluated as time has progressed. Instead of Richmond’s suggestions of gathering personal information without the client’s knowledge (Pumphrey, 1961), the Social Work profession now values confidentiality and privacy when dealing with clients.
Prior to having the class of Professional Values and Ethics, I assumed I understood the basic concepts of what defines a professional who has competence of values and ethics. Nevertheless, by being enrolled in this course, I have gained great knowledge of which professional values and ethical principles must be held by a social worker, which I did not know before. Progressively in this class, by learning professional values and ethics, my motivation to succeed as an upcoming social worker has gotten stronger.
There are certain ethics that social workers must follow and is a guidance for professional standard of work. However sometimes people are not aware of their own values, though the more fully conscious someone is about their values, the more people are able to ensure that their actions are consistent with the values. As a social worker it is vital to know the dangers of not taking account of values and the ethical dimension of practice. A social worker should see their client for who they are and not just another object that is unclear by their own emotions hence why self-awareness is a key to