Competency : Ethical And Professional Behavior

When evaluating practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, it is necessary that Competency 2: Ethical Practice and Competency 3: Critical Thinking are taken into consideration. Competency 2 requires that social workers are able to recognize and manage personal values in a way that allows professional values to guide practice. Competency 3 requires social workers to demonstrate effective oral and written communication in working with individuals, families, groups, communities, organizations, and colleagues. By following these competency skills, a social worker is able to evaluate their experience with these different populations without being bias, and can display diversity within the profession of social work.

The NASW Code of Ethics is the guideline for social workers in regards to professional conduct and practice. The Code of Ethics is divided into four parts: “The Preamble,” “Purpose of the NASW Code of Ethics,” “Ethical Principles,” and “Ethical Standards.” These sections educate social workers on what their mission is, and how they complete that mission with true morality. Within the Code, there are six values presented which are also used in regards to helping and practicing with clients honorably. These six values are: service, social justice, dignity and worth, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. These six values are the principles that drive social work practice, and are used by social workers everyday.

Social work is a profession which has the objective to improve the quality of life of other individuals. The NASW code of ethics is used as a guideline for social workers and the interaction they have with their clients. In addition, within the code of ethics, there are six values, which include service, social justice, dignity and worth of a person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. Therefore, going into the social work field it is important to understand that your

The commitment to act ethically is an essential aspect of social work due to the effect it can have on the quality of the service offered to those who engage with us. Through group discussions in our foundations of social work practice I have become extremely ethically aware and now will always seek to ascertain and respect, as far as possible, each individual’s preferences, wishes and involvement in decision making. From discussions with my fellow classmates I have learnt to strive to respect and uphold the values and principles of the profession by making sure I promote and work towards the code of ethics wherever possible. This in turn enables me act in a reliable, honest and trustworthy manner having worked closely with service users in a professional setting and learned of their good and bad experiences with practitioners through the service user experience we undertook in class. I believe I am now in a good position to apply the social work ethical principles to my professional practice, in a way that seeks to empower my service users and enable me to emulate the best practice. In addition from reading social work journals and staying on top of news regarding the profession more generally I am knowledgeable about the value base of social work as a profession .

Chandler reminded me of Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities. This competency aligns perfectly with advocating for diverse clients, such as abused and/or neglected children. It is imperative for social workers to develop realistic task and goal to aid these children throughout their life. Dr. Chandler also talked about the importance of using the NASW Code Ethics as a guide when advocating for children in custody. He explained that the NASW Code Ethics is beneficial to social workers when making decisions about child therapy and the rights of children and families. This coincides with Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behaviors. Utilization of the NASW Code Ethics ensures that social workers are providing services that are in the best interest of foster

“The Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) Code of Ethics has established values and principles to guide social workers’ professional conduct. Ethical behaviour comes from a social worker’s individual commitment to engage in ethical practice” (CASW, 2005). The CASW holds true to 6 core values i.e.; 1: Respect for Inherent Dignity and Worth of Persons, 2: Pursuit of Social Justice, 3: Service to Humanity, 4: Integrity of Professional Practice, 5: Confidentiality in Professional

The preamble of the NASW Code of Ethics states, “The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty (www.socialworkers.org).” Following that statement, the six purposes of the NASW Code of Ethics are expressed to the reader in seriated form. The guiding principles for social work practice are outlined, ethical principles and their values

The ten BSW program competencies help BSW students analyze and evaluate professional development. These ten competencies help social work students learn and integrate the NASW Code of Ethics into the classroom and field. The first competency based on identifying as a professional social worker requires constant self- reflection to ensure the NASW Code of Ethics are being followed, and to continue to develop as a professional. I consider self-reflection to be strength of mine as I log each day, and analyze each part to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses. From my log, I know what areas I need to work on and be conscientious of. As a student new to the social work field I find professional boundaries to be a great weakness of mine. I find myself in a sort of gray area as a student intern, since I am not quite a social worker but I am more than a student. This gray area creates a dynamic which makes setting boundaries and knowing my role more difficult.

The best and most appropriate guidance given by the NASW code of Ethics is in standard 3.09 Commitment to Employers; if an organization understands where social workers stand what they all after like, self-determination, consultation and how they will manage conflicts.

Code of ethics serves as a guide on how social workers should conduct themselves in everyday issues affecting their work. It provides guidance in dealing with ethical issues affecting individuals or ethical dilemmas as well as incorporating principles which guide social workers. The Code offers a set of values, principles, and standards to guide decision making and conduct when ethical issues arise. It does not provide a set of rules that prescribe how social workers should act in all situations. Specific applications of the Code must take into account the context in which it is being considered and the possibility of conflicts among the Code‘s values, principles, and standards.

Ethical standard 6.01 in NASW’s Code of Ethics pertains to social welfare. (National Association of Social Workers, 2016) clearly states that social workers should endorse the universal wellbeing of humanity, from local to global levels, and the growth of citizens, their neighborhoods, and their surroundings. From a political perspective (National Association of Social Workers, 2016) ascertains that social workers should campaign for a standard of living that meets basic human needs for individuals. (National Association of Social Workers, 2016) further states that social workers should also uphold all communal, fiscal, civic, and cultural values that pertain to pursuing fair justice and also support any organization that is like-minded in these pursuits as well. This line of thinking is paramount for social work to be successful. If social workers do not advocate and take the lead in voicing concern and fighting for social justice then who will? Social workers are in a unique position with valuable educational backgrounds to see issues from a front to back perspective and offer holistic solutions. Thus, it makes sense that social workers are in a strategic situation to answer the call for political action and advocacy. Social workers are ultimately in this place to enact meaningful change for society.

Social work BSW students, generally, come from different background, experience, profession or without any professional experience. Mostly, social work professionals or students choose this career because they like helping profession or have some personal histories to relate to this profession. It is often heard that social workers require a good heart and competencies to work in micro, mezzo, or macro practice. Competency of social workers is one of the core guiding principles of the NASW Code of Ethics. Social work students develop their core competencies through the guidance of their educators and supervisors, discussion with colleagues, knowledge from online and printed materials, and their experience working with clients. Generally, at the beginning of the career, social workers rely on their knowledge gained in the classroom through their professors and authoritative texts, application of relevant theories, analysis of their experiences gained at field practicums. Therefore, the role of professors at social work schools and field supervisors in preparing students as professionals become crucial and challenging. The author has tried to explore a few topics based on the clinical and teaching experience, which appear important in grooming BSW students as social work professionals.

Social work as a helping profession must maintain and adhere to certain values and ethical principles such as those set by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) to allow the continuation of viability. NASW (2008) states “the primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are

I believe that the social work profession is not an easy profession and can be very challenging, but also rewarding at the same time. Social work is a profession that is to be dedicated to enhancing human capacity to solve social problems in order to create a more humane society. The NASW code identifies the core values of the social work profession of which the mission is based on. These core values are very important in the social work profession because it is the foundation of a social worker. A social worker must believe and use these core values in their profession to their clients and society.

One of the most important things that I have learned about this competency from the BSW program is to make certain that I follow the NASW code of Ethics. For the interview into the program, we had to name all six of the core values of social work. These six values have stuck with me: service, integrity, competence, social justice, importance of human relationships, and dignity and worth of a person. In addition, I have learned the value of writing professionally from the BSW program. This is a skill that I believe is important, and it is a skill that will follow me into the workforce. Writing is such an important component in social work because we never know when our case notes are going to be used in court; therefore, it is important to write in a professional manner. Being professional also means holding myself to a higher standard and taking responsibility for my actions. Overall, the BSW program has taught me a lot of valuable skills in this competency that I will be able to utilize in my practice.