Ethical Principles The National Association of Social Workers also known as (NASW) provides six core values that can be beneficial when helping people in society. A social worker provides services to a complex society where situations can become ambiguous. The NASW Code of Ethics sets forth guidelines to assist the social worker when ethical issues arise. It is crucial for social workers to understand the importance of the codes to ensure that they are practicing ethical at all times. Each social worker may have certain core values that they feel more comfortable with or concerned about. People all have their own values, beliefs, and ethics, which can influence the way we think and act. When ethical issues arise it is important to look …show more content…
Social workers know the importance of human relationships and understand that it is important to have relationships in order to change. Social workers are always to act with integrity, be aware of their ethical standards, their profession’s mission, and always be respectful. Social workers are to always practice with competence and be aware of their area of expertise while always trying to gain more knowledge. The core values are to assist social workers in the professional field. There are two core values that I feel are most important to me, dignity and worth of the person and integrity. The value, dignity and worth of the person clearly states “Social workers treat each person in a caring and respectful fashion, mindful of individual differences and cultural and ethnic diversity” (NASW, 2015, pg. 4). This is important to me because I think it would be difficult to watch someone make a decision that you think is the wrong decision. Each person has the right to make their own decisions, unless incapable of doing so, or it was harmful to themselves or others. For example, I am working with a client who is in a hurtful relationship. The client knows it is not going to change and that they need to get out, but at the same time she loves him. It may be difficult to watch her stay in this troubled relationship, but at the end of the day I have to let her make the decision. The only possible way I could step in is if her life
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics was established as a core value guide for Social Workers when providing services to clients or working with colleagues. The mission of a social worker is to enhance the wellbeing of people through an array of services. On a daily basis social workers are faced with making ethnical decisions and using professional judgement in lives of people. This paper will compare and contrast a social worker personal core values with the NASW core values comparing and contrasting the two. Also, this paper will also look at different vignette and ethical dilemmas that are in conflict with the NASW core values. Moreover, the paper will provide pros and cons for each professional course of actions
Ethical theories are however debatable and usually mean different things to different people. It is therefore essential for social workers not to base their decisions solely on these theories, but make use of Codes of practice when faced with ethical dilemmas. Codes of practise are there so service users and carers are informed and know what to expect from social workers and hence there will always be trust between service user and client. According to Banks, values are regarded as those beliefs people regard as worthy or valuable (Banks, 2012).Some values are personal, yet some are culturally/ societally shared. Our personal values form during personal and social development; also past and present experiences influence them. Ethics is that which society considers as right, yet values are
The third value is dignity and worth of a person. This is one value that has been stressed in my social work classes. In my social work practice class, we recently read a novel titled The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Dignity and worth of a person, was one value that I witnessed while reading this novel. The characters were from another country and had beliefs that were not considered “ideal” to society, and there were times that they were not given the best resources and care because of these beliefs. Dignity and self worth is a huge value to have when dealing with clients who may not have the same views and beliefs as you. It is important to be ethical and respectful when dealing with clients no matter what religion, socioeconomic status, gender, or race they are.
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
Each of these values are important to working in the social work field, we need to respect everyone, our clients, our colleagues, workers from other companies and professions, and ourselves in order to work effectively.
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.
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.
Ethical responsibilities as a professional are extremely important to be a successful social worker. A social worker should be competent in their line for. They should know past and previous knowledge about their line of work. They should also be familiar with any related knowledge to their field. Many
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has written a code of ethics that serves many purposes. The main purpose is to identify the core ethics and values that provide the foundation for the profession. It details six basic principles for social workers to follow: service, social justice, dignity and worth, human relationships, integrity, and competence (National Association of Social Workers, 1999). The code acts as an ethical guide for students, and those professionals just
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 .
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).
My understanding of the social work profession and its core values is that social workers are caregivers, they provide assistance to people in need, and they address social problems. The social worker goal is the improvement of society to ameliorate the lives of individuals in need. The social work profession mission is to enhance the well-being of people and to assist them in meeting their basic needs, with particular emphasis on the needs of the poor, and the vulnerable individual. The Social Work profession has six core values. These core values are the foundation of the social work profession. The social worker incorporates these core values into his daily practices. Service to others is one of the fundamental values of social work. Social workers goal is serving others and putting the needs of their clients ahead of their own. Social justice is another core value of social work. Social workers aim at improving the lives of the disadvantaged, vulnerable people who are less fortunate or unable to advocate for themselves. Social workers understand the essential value of every human life, regardless of ethnic background, cultural differences or religious beliefs. Their goal is to respect the dignity and worth of every person. Another key value of social work is integrity. The social workers conduct themselves in a trustworthy, honest, and responsible manner at all times. Competence is another important core value of the social work profession. The
The National Association of Social Workers introduced the Code of Ethics to define the profession and responsibilities of a social worker. The values in the Code of Ethics provide ideal principles that every social worker should strive to have. I consider that my personal values deeply align with the core values of the social work profession. The primary goal of a social worker is to address social issues and to help those who are in need. I believe every one of us should be of aid to others. We are placed on earth to help one another as we venture on throughout life. Social workers also pursue social justice. Being gay, people have fought for LGBT rights. From our former president to the rural mother of a gay son, allies have helped change
The social work field is dictated by a code of ethics that outline the values one must hold to be a valuable social worker. This code of ethics outlines the way people in the social work field must treat the clients they deal with. This is one way a social worker's values are put to the test. To be a social worker you must have a strong set of values that focus on the interrelations of people. My personal values are those of social justice with a focus on equality for all people.
The six core values of social work are integrity, social justice, competence, dignity and worth of the individual, service, and importance of human relationships. It is vital that a social worker shows that they have integrity, meaning that they should have trustworthy tendencies. Social workers must entice social justice. They should assure that social change is okay and be there for those who are considered oppressed. Social workers should always remain competent and be willing to expand their knowledge and use it to the best of their abilities. Having dignity and knowing the worth of the clients is very important. Social workers should always remain respectful no matter the situation. The goal of a social worker is to provide service