In this paper, the role of a social worker will be addressed. A Human Service professional has, in its hands, the responsibilities in the life of the clients and families they meet. The tremendous and arduous responsibilities they take on include, but are not limited to, the well-being and care of people and their communities. Such roles can be helping others manage the care of a family member, assisting individuals experiencing problems with family relations and conflicts, dealing with changes that come with growing old, aiding those suffering mental illness and or those individuals struggling with addictions. Briefly
This essay will address the ethical dilemmas faced by social workers and how they address these ethical dilemmas when working with service users and carers. It will be illustrated that codes of practice and codes of ethics are of paramount importance when dealing with these dilemmas as they are ones that guide social workers as to how they should try and solve these dilemmas.
The National Association of Social Work (NASW) has identified a set of values that all social workers must consider during the course of their work (NASW, 2008). Social work values are broadly covered when you define social work as being a profession of aiding those in need and addressing oppression. Helping those in need directly relates to the value of supporting the needs of others. The definition also addresses the importance of bringing awareness to oppression. This relates to the values of addressing injustice, individuality and promoting harmony. On a broader perspective, all social workers are encouraged to continually pursue knowledge in their area and maintain ethical practices. Values have the purpose of ensuring that helpers always strive for what is best for the client. Manning (1997) points out that “the power to intervene in people’s lives carries
Shared values are essential in the creating a successful relationship between the client and social worker. Social workers operate within society, not only to assist the individual but to create a more cohesive society. Values and ethics permeate the whole of social work practice and the society within which it practices (Shardlow 1989). Values are afforded a high position within social work, this is highlighted in: “Social work is a professional activity. Implicit in its practice are ethical principles which prescribe the professional responsibility of the social worker” (British Association of Social Workers (BASW) Code of Ethics). However, there is a danger that any list of values will become something which is quoted
A career in Social Work requires conviction to personal values that reflect and uphold the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics. Professional ethics are the foundation of social work, as the trade has an innate obligation to endorse ethical principles and basic values to advocate for the wellness of others. The core values adopted by all social workers, as distinguished by NASW, are service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. As a Clinical Social Worker, I will honor the NASW Code of Ethics in addition to my personal values of respect, self determination, responsibility, motivation, and wisdom. My personal values complement the NASW Code of Ethics and will resonate in my work as a social worker.
This essay will focus on how contemporary social workers work to balance the competing demand of care and control. It will start by outlining the nature of the contemporary social work and what it is like and how it works within society. The discussion will then move on to look at and discuss the key professional values of social work practitioners and analyse its relationship to their own personal values, this will also bring into account how these values and views influenced the relationship a social worker can have with both service users and other agencies. Lastly it will explore the range of challenges and dilemmas that are faced by social work practitioners in everyday practice when it comes to trying to balance the demand of care and control and how they work to overcome these problems in order to ensure an effective and fair service to all who avail of it.
As a social worker many problems may arise because of the constant grey area of either letting your personal values interfere with your professional opinion. It is essential to provide your client with information and tools to help them succeed and overcome their problems. Following the core values is essential to being a resourceful, competent social worker. In some cases, core values are in conflict. In a situation where more than one core value is in conflict it is considered an ethical dilemma (Hick, 2009). It’s not guaranteed that a perfect solution will arise, therefore one of the core values is subsided because the other has more of an impact on the client.
Values which social workers are assumed to have are; unspoken understanding that social work can at times be pro bono, meaning no compensation for services provided, social workers must possess a knowledge of understanding regarding social injustice, they must be respectful when assisting individuals and be able to plan any type of intervention around beliefs and values the individual holds, whenever possible and social workers need to
The values set by their profession bind social workers by guiding their actions and decision-making in a professional setting. They are to respect the dignity and worth of persons, to strive for social justice, to offer humanity service, and to show integrity, confidentiality, and competence in their professional practice (CASW, 2005, p. 4).
One ethical principles from the core values that I feel most strongly that is needed is dignity and worth of the person. If we, as the practitioners don’t believe our client is worthy then we would be incapable of advocating for them, servicing them, and putting the effort required to help them. Dignity and Worth of the person mean believing everyone deserves the same treatment. We have to be able to accept our client’s culture, sexual orientation, anything that makes them who they are. If we can accept our client, we will not be able to work with them. Another reason I believe dignity and worth of the person is essential, is because Social Workers need that reminder when dealing with clients that might have committed a crime against an innocent person.
The social work field focuses on a variety of tasks that ensure the wellbeing and social justice of people in society, which is carried out by following the Code of Ethics. Through maintaining professional relationships with clients, social workers assess both the presenting issues at hand and the environment in order to understand what measures need to be taken. This journal is about first impressions of social work agencies and how they influence one’s interactions with them. This journal also delves into how social services assessments may be used to identify how to interact with clients in the most appropriate manner, depending on their needs, how long their stay is, etc. Finally, this journal will explore the ways in which the relationships
Value Orientations are an important aspect to social work practice. It is critical that social workers do not let their personal values interfere with their daily work ethic. In addition, social works must keep an objective outlook on the issues they confront because values differ across cultures, race, ethnicity, etc. The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical self-reflection on my personal values.
In the profession of social work, all workers will be faced with an ethical dilemma in the course of their professional career. An ethical dilemma is defined as a circumstance that requires the worker to make a stance on the dilemma taking into account the situation and the outcome and the affect it will have in social work, the client. (En.wikipedia.org, 2017) The case I have chosen relates to a social work student Colleen Lunt during her time as a second-year student.
Since the profession was recognized many concerns arose regarding the values and ethics of social workers. The key points of the NASW Code of Ethics, the CSWE Educational Policy and Standards, and HIPAA will be summarized. Some of the most challenging ethical issues facing social workers and the social work profession today, have been explored. The core values of the
I think a core value that aligns and is very useful in the field that I acquire is being aware of a person’s dignity and worth. I am the kind of person that treats a very wealthy person and a homeless person equally, I don’t believe that people are better than others in any circumstance. I also grew up in an extremely diverse community which has allowed me to think broadly and not have a person’s culture, ethnicity, or other differences effect my perception of them. “Social workers treat each person in a caring and respectful fashion, mindful of individual differences and cultural and ethnic diversity” (NASW, 2008). I think this is one of the most important values in social work because a worker simply cannot provide the best service if their differences can’t be put to the side. I believe